FOR IMMEDIATE RELASE (April 26, 2012)

MATTHEW HORNELL (NL) & THE MODERN GRASS (NS) – HIGH ON THE MOUNTAIN:
NEWFOUNDLAND TOUR; MAY 9 – 21, 2012 .

(Performances in: Corner Brook; Grand Falls-Windsor; St. John’s; and Norris Point, Gros Morne National Park.)

On Wednesday May 9th, 2012, Matthew Hornell (NL) and The Modern Grass( NS) will begin their two week tour. The tour will begin in Corner Brook, NL continuing to Grand Falls-Windsor, NL, St. John’s, NL, and the Trails Tales and Tunes Festival in Norris Point, NL.

In the past few months, Hornell has been spending time in Halifax working with local friends and musicians to craft the final material of hi sophomore album. The new LP will be recorded at The Old Confidence Lodge (Chad Vangaalen, Matt Mays, Joel Plaskett) and will feature world-class performers: Tom Terrell (piano/harmonica/vocals) Andrew Sneddon (resonator guitar/steel/vocals), Adam Pye (bass), Matt Gallant (percussion/vocals). The musicians, the studio, and the new direction of Hornell’s material are all indicators of a strong, eclectic sophomore album

Recently, Matthew Hornell and his new pals have been keeping very busy – multiple ECMA showcases including the Gala Awards Show, performing to sold-out shows at the Seahorse in Halifax, NS (Slowcoaster / The Idlers & Mark Bragg) and touring around the Maritime provinces. The High on the Mountain: Newfoundland Tour will be the Islanders first chance to enjoy the country, bluegrass, roots and sweet picking of Mordern Grass (NS).

The Modern Grass presents there second studio album ‘High on The Mountain’. H.O.T.M. was recorded live in 2 days at CBC Studio H in Halifax, NS. The record was produced and engineered by Karl Falkenham. In his years at the CBC Karl has worked with musical icons such as Ray Charles, Herb Ellis, and David Grisman, and produced a Juno award winning blues album for Garrett Mason. The Modern Grass will take the album on the road this spring/summer with over 50 dates across the country from Whitehorse to Gros Morne be sure to catch the Modern Grass, High on the Mountain, in a city near you.

Concert details, HD video, and information on performers can be found online at www.matthewhornell.com and www.themoderngrass.com . Hornell and his new lineup are start their two week tour in Corner Brook, NL on May 9th and ending in Gros Morne National Park at the Trails, Tales and Tunes Festival May 20th.

MATTHEW HORNELL

Matthew Hornell is a singer and a songwriter from Newfoundland and Labrador. His debut album Matthew Hornell and The Diamond Minds was awarded four Music NL Awards – including Entertainer of the Year and the Rising Star Award. Spending over half the past year touring, Hornell has been spending time learning and wielding the music that will create his sophomore album.

Matthew Hornell is a constant entertainer and consummate performer. With the release of his debut album and his extensive touring history Hornell has firmly established himself as a vital new voice in the songwriting community of Atlantic Canada.

THE MODERN GRASS

The Modern Grass was born in early 2011 and is already kicking up dust in the Canadian music scene with a successful Canadian tour and a debut album nominated for Music Nova Scotias’ Best Country/Bluegrass album of the year. The MG is acoustically inspired jazz, bluegrass, gypsy, blues, classical and folk music. The Quintet pays tribute to a number of musical traditions, but leaves plenty of room for innovation and improvisation. Complex arrangements translate seamlessly, and Terrell’s down home songs and lyrics are a sharp and comforting contrast to the tasteful, yet avante garde musicianship. The Modern Grass is a breath of fresh air.

“The Modern Grass” features violinist extraordinaire Donald Maclennan, (TZE, Mishras Dream, Ben Caplan and the Casual Smokers) hard driving Double bass player Adam Pye ( Laura Merrimen, The moonshine Ramblers, The Bluejam Grass Band), Halifax premier resonator guitar player, Andrew Sneddon (Laura Merrimen, The moonshine Ramblers, The Bluejam Grass Band), the fastest banjo picker this side of the Mississippi, Dan MacCormack, and Tom Terrell. Terrell has released 4 full length Albums and 1 Ep, all of which were released through his own label. With his trademark harmonica and guitar sounds and incorporation of blues, jazz, country and soul, Tom Terrell has built a distinctive musical persona.

More information available at www.matthewhornell.com / www.themoderngrass.ca

-30-
Matthew Hornell
info@matthewhornell.com
709.699.9639

Hello Friends,

what a week it’s been! Many of my pals have been doing some great work that I’d like to share with you.  Things have also been going very well on this end thanks to some great people in my life. So, happy belated Happy Valentine’s Day folks, a day for thinking about being kind and considerate to one another – I think.  I hope it was a good day for you. Happy Birthday to Sarah, Ethan and Mr. Adam Pye (bass machine)!

• Tonight, February 15th I’m going to be taking part in a songwriter circle at The Company House.  What a treat it’s going to be.  Playing with three terrific songwriters:  Ria Mae, Morgan MacDonald, Gabrielle Papillion.  The objective of the evening, aside from having a great time, is to share and discuss the writing process for the tunes we play.  I’ve been spending a significant amount of time working on some new tunes but am excited to be sharing them.

• On Monday February 13th Andrew Sneddon, Adam Pye, Matt Gallant and I performed at The Carleton for their month of video filming.  Thank you very much to everyone that came out that night.  I think we won and will  be receiving the full set – stay tuned for those videos. Great performances by Mushkat, Seamus and Young River!

• Some news about the performances at this year’s East Coast Music Awards (ECMAS) in Moncton, New Brunswick.  Their are a few things that are not fully confirmed, however for now it’s looking like many performances, some as a band,  some solo:

Wednesday – Soundwaves Program

Thursday -  Two for the Show: Live Performance Pitch Sessions (Delta – Ballroom – 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM )

Friday – TBA

Saturday – TBA /

Sunday - Gala & Awards Show  (Casino New Brunswick Ballroom – 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM )

So last night I was treated to the wonderful, loving gift  of watching Bruce Cockburn.  Thank you so much Chrissy! Bruce sign two of the six LPs I brought to the concert.  ”In The Falling Dark” and “Humans”.  I purchased these records while working at Fred’s Records.  Thanks to the recommendations and praise from Tony Ploughman.

As a little gift to you, here are two videos from some friends of mine.  The first is Sunny Chances (with Sam Ryan, Jeff and a little cameo by myself), the second is Modern Grass (marvelous players! I’ve been having the privilege of sharing the stages with a few of the gentlemen playing. Very great folks!)

Keep warm and thanks for checking in.

Sincerely,

Matthew

Sunny  Chances – A Gift From Us All

Modern Grass – Waitin’ For The Sun

Most of the guys and a few others are going to be playing in Newfoundland in May. Some of the details are available but more coming soon.

Hello Folks,

I hope you’ve been keeping well. This post is long overdue and will be followed by many more to come.
The last few months have been intense, educational and hopefully fruitful. There are so many things to mention that it may take me a few days to post all the details.

1. You are awesome.
Thank you so much for the supoprt and for continuing to believe in my work.
2. In The Dead of Winter 2012.
It was only last year, when I was playing the IDOW 2011 festival, what a great time that was. This year I was able to catch a few great shows and support the Newfoundland Labrador contingent. Performances from Repartee, Matthew Byrne and Andrew James O’Brien

3. Shows coming up.

- Take It To the Tik  (February 3rd, 2012)

-Video Filming at the Carleton  (February 13th, 2012)

- Company House with Morgan MacDonald, Ria Mae and Gabrielle Papillon.   (February 15th, 2012)

4. Album Update

- New songs coming along nicely ( Demos Coming Soon)

- The project has received funding from Newfoundland Labrador Arts Council (NLAC) and Music NL.  Their support is greatly appreciated.

- Studio booked, players are in order, getting pumped.

- Record slated for September 2012.

5. ECMA (East Coast Music Awards) 2012

-Several ECMA Official Showcases – Soundwaves Program (community), Two For the Show and the Gala Award Show!

-It`s going to in Moncton this year, so I suspect spending time at Plan B Lounge with the crew.

So I am going to make a strong effort  to keep making frequent, relevant and interesting posts here at www.matthewhornell.com.  Thank you very much for checking in, please come back soon.

Stay warm,

Matthew

Hello Friends,

The road adventures are about to begin! New dates in Ontario have been added to trip including: Toronto, Peterborough, Thunder Bay, Fort Frances and more. Please check back for more dates and pass any along to friends.

There was an interview recently conducted for On The Soapbox and it includes videos from Land of Talk, Daniel Romano and music from Shotgun Jimmie and Repartee.
Sook-Yin Lee and Hannah Georgas have conducted interviews for On The Soapbox.   Thank you to Chad Pelley!

Check back for more infomation about the summer.  Dates with the band. Camping trips.  Stalling out.

Love

Matthew

On The Soapbox With…Matthew Hornell

Hello Folks,

I hope the winter chill has left you. It has been an interesting year so far. I am coming home to Newfoundland for a string of shows in Corner Brook, Grand Falls-Windsor and St. John’s. Tickets are now on sale for these shows and should be fun times! I’m playing these shows solo; with a new Gibson 64′ Skylark amp, I purchased in Moncton, and new songs to boot.

I am heading across Canada in two weeks! It will be a five week adventure coast to coast with some great shows including: an opening set for NQ Arcbuckle at the Black Sheep Inn (July 30th) and for New Country Rehab at the Royal in Nelson (July 21st ).

It’s going to be tough not having Paddy, Jonny and Josh on this trip, however I will call them frequently and disturb their peace. They will be missed on these endeavors, however we will all be playing together a few times in Newfoundland this August: Newfoundland Labrador Folk Festival, Writer at Woody Point, Beaches Heritage Centre and the Garrick Theatre. I miss home a bunch and this will be a great way to spend a month. I look forward to seeing some of you folks soon!

Please check back here soon for new dates (full schedule to be posted soon), videos and more exciting music news. Thank you so much for the support, I sincerely appreciate it.

Matthew

P.S – you may have noticed this fancy, new website? Well I’m glad you did, because it was designed and created by two exceptionally talented and charming people – Jud Haynes and Mark Bennett. A BIG THANK YOU to them! Please let me know your thoughts on the new site.
MATTHEW HORNELL – Witness