Somewhere out past where the highway ends, far from the creative meccas of the country, one of Canada’s best-kept musical secrets has been perfecting his craft. For more than a decade now, WCMA and Canadian Folk Music Award nominated musician Matt Patershuk - when he’s not building bridges or chasing his family’s ever-growing herd of horses, sheep and goats around his land - has been writing some of the most endearing and true music you can find. A master songwriter, it’s in the intersection between lyrics and melody that Matt’s music finds its truest expression. As someone who believes that less is best, Matt packs a lot of soul and range of emotions in a song.

His newest album, If Wishes Were Horses, on the Black Hen Music label, communicates the strides Matt has made as an artist since his last release ‘Same As I Have Ever Been’. It represents his fourth collaboration with the award winning string player and producer, Steve Dawson.

Matt Patershuk’s music has a rare quality that allows his songs to go deeply in and weave into the fabric of the experiences of everyone who hears them.

He’s different from other roots artists in how he carefully avoids well-worn and cliché topics, and if the themes of land, work and love lost sound familiar, his perspective is highly individual. Patershuk’s songs often catch people at the brink, hovering on the cusp of a tough decision.  As a songwriter, he is a master at sensitively finding a new angle from which to express the hard times we all go through.

Matt is from the hamlet of LaGlace, Alberta. He loves stories, and works hard to tell some about the people he knows in new ways. He enjoys old guitars, a solitary pint of Guinness, and long walks on the beach.