Canadian roots songwriter Matt Patershuk is poised to breakout as a new voice in Americana. In many ways, his music is a study in contrasts. As rough and loose as his songs may sound on first listen, it’s obvious that a lot of thought has gone into every lyric and riff he shares. Matt’s not an ivory tower thinker or dilettante; the demands imposed by the land and horses of his rural property, and his day job as a bridge builder assure that he’s never too far away from the concerns of the everyday world. Like a young John Prine, who used to write songs in his head while delivering the mail, you get the feeling that every
true story and tall tale Patershuk comes across finds its way into his songs.
On October 13 Patershuk releases his third album Same As I Ever Have Been on Black Hen Music, and with it his most organic and confident collection of songs yet. With veteran roots musician Steve Dawson returning to produce and contribute some tasteful string work, it’s easy to hear how much Matt has grown as a performer since his last record, I Was So Fond Of You, came out in early 2016. Like all of Dawson’s productions, Matt’s new songs were recorded with all of the musicians playing together in the same room. This created an intimate vibe that allowed the musicians to play off of one another to create some truly magical and unanticipated moments.
Every song on Same As I Ever Have Been resonates with a warm roadhouse, barn dance feel that can’t be faked. One of those songs is the lengthily titled “Sometimes You’ve Got To Do Bad Things To Do Good”, which we are excited to premiere today on Glide. Though Patershuk lives in Canada, the song has a distinctly Southern sound with its slide guitar and saxophone groove that complement the singer’s swaggering vocal style and lyrics. Patershuk has little fear when it comes to confronting the tough choices we often face in life, and gritty sound plus his ability to balance the light and darkness of life brings to mind roots rockers like Ray Wylie Hubbard and Jon Dee Graham.
Reflecting on the song’s origins and title, Patershuk has this to say:
“You know, I really debated recording this tune at all. It’s a little on the bleak and dark side of the song spectrum. This coming from a guy who likes to hang out at that end of town.
The narrative of the song is based upon some real life events. The thing that ties them all together is tough choices. Truly tough choices are rarely clean in my experience. The happenings in the song all made me feel like I had done something wrong, even though after careful consideration I had done the only thing I could to make a bad event as good as it good be. Sometimes there is no right answer, and we’re left holding the pieces of consequence after we make our choice.
The production really brought this tune to life. I have to thank Steve Dawson and the other members of the Darn Good Music Band who made this one roar like it should.”
LISTEN:
Matt Patershuk releases Same As I Ever Have Been on Black Hen Music October 13th. For more music and info visit mattpatershuk.com.
