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