Matthew Byrne from St. John’s, Newfoundland is on the Borealis Trail Home Routes concert tour stopping in Thompson on Feb. 6. Normally the folk singer plays with a folk rock band named The Dardenelles, but for this tour he’s going solo.
Byrne has been playing music since he can remember, due to his parents. “I was surrounded by music right from day one since they were both singers and performers. Mom says my brother and I were humming melodies of folk songs in the cradle before we were even able to speak words. I was born into a musical household and was surrounded by singing and guitars and ballads for as long as I can remember…so my musical interests truly began at age zero.”
The musical traditions, history and culture from Eastern Canada run deep in his music, Byrne says. “As a Newfoundlander, many of the songs I inherit or unearth have variants across the Atlantic, which is what makes them so interesting. There’s an ‘old world’ connection on the East Coast that’s very apparent in the traditional music I sing.”
Never having played anywhere in Manitoba except for Winnipeg, the musician is looking forward to a change of pace. “I’m most looking forward to meeting the people and learning about their history, their music, etc. I’ve grown up by the sea, so I find it fascinating to remove myself from that and get the other version of the Canadian experience, and see how it’s very different in some ways but also very familiar in others.”
Having previously been on the Alberta Big Horn Home Routes circuit, Byrne says he couldn’t say no to another tour. “My performance is really made for an intimate, listening audience, which Home Routes is known for. I love small rooms and being able to connect with each and every person by the end of the evening, so I didn’t pass up the opportunity for a second route. And the ‘Borealis Trail’ is known as one of the best, I’m told.”
It’s been four years since Byrne broke out with his debut record Ballads. This album has helped secure his spot in the music industry, getting him onto some major stages that include the Winnipeg Folk Festival, Celtic Connections in Glasgow, Scotland, and the Woodford Folk Festival in Queensland, Australia.
Bryne says his favourite was the Winnipeg Folk Festival. “I was there [with The Dardanelles] several years ago and it was just incredible. It was also one of my first major festival performances and I really felt the love. It still stands out in my mind as a career highlight.”
With the first album under the singer’s belt, he says he’s more confident now. “As a musician, I’ve reached a clearer understanding of what I do as an interpreter of traditional songs, and how to communicate that to an audience. I think my sense of ‘identity’ has been the biggest development since the first album. I’m able to tackle a brand new audience [in a brand new market] with great confidence now. And if they didn’t care for traditional music before seeing, I’m confident I can change that at least somewhat by the time they leave.”
After the tour is finished in western Canada, Byrne says The Dardanelles are going on a Home Routes-like tour in Newfoundland. “We’re doing a NL tour that was largely inspired by Home Routes and our mutual love of small rooms and intimate performances. We were chatting about it one time and said, ‘You know, we need to do something like that at home!’ … and that’s how the tour came about.”
Bryne will be performing on Feb. 6, at 206 Campbell Drive, starting at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20, and to find out about Home Routes or other upcoming concerts email Tim and Jean Cameron at [email protected] or call 204-677-3574.
