Like most folks out there, having navigated our way through a global pandemic, the loosening of mandated travel restrictions and reopening of international borders brought with it a huge sigh of relief for us live music junkies who travel north frequently for great music. Following our final road trip in February 2020, almost seventeen months would slowly pass before the next Canadian road trip beckoned, presenting the opportunity to reignite our passion for live music, and to generate some fabulous memories once more.
Our first post-lockdown concert experience on Canadian soil took place at The Mule Spinner in Hamilton, ON, for an event branded as the Steel Town Round – an intimate in-the-round singer-songwriter format based loosely on the famous Nashville Bluebird Cafe concert series. Hamiltonian Matt Paxton both organized and led the show time festivities – and having struck up a conversation with Matt upon our arrival, a new friendship was quickly established. If you ask me to recall my first live music memory of the post-lockdown era, I’m likely going to smile back at you and simply say Matt Paxton.
While we have featured some of Matt’s music here at GDW in the past – and have randomly crossed paths around Hamilton on a couple of occasions – two and a half years would pass before an opportunity arose to catch him in concert once more. But on a recent evening at The Warehouse Concert Hall in St. Catharines, ON, not only was Matt there to perform for us, so were his bandmates (The Pintos) too. Really – in the grand scheme of things, two and a half years can be easily dismissed when facing the realization of finally experiencing this hot emerging country band firsthand.
With a standard 35-minute opening set at their disposal, Matt (vocals/acoustic guitar) and the Pintos – Carrie Clark (bass/vocals), Chris Altmann (pedal steel), and Robin Pirson (percussion) – would commence the show with a Bob Dylan cover. Not only did this prove a great choice to warm up both the room and their own on-stage timing and chemistry, but they also did a wonderful job ‘countryfying’ the tune in their own unique style, with a generous serving of pedal steel on the side. Aside from the addition of a Woody Guthrie cover (a tune previously recorded by Matt); the band would share six original compositions – four of which have been formally released by this quartet over the last eighteen months.
Digging into the GDW archives, Matt’s first coverage here dates to November 2021, when we featured his “Let’s Rock ‘N Roll Again” single – one which would receive the full-band treatment on this given evening. “This song I made over Covid with Aaron Goldstein in the studio in Toronto, and it’s been really fun to bring this back to life with the band,” Matt offered prior to the performance. “And it’s Goldie approved, so it’s okay.” While the deeply moving lyrics may imply just how much Matt wears his heart on his sleeve (and this is an artist and gentleman with a big heart), the almost-siren-wail from Altmann’s steel to close this one out certainly accentuated that emotional depth.
For me, the highlight of the night was the performance of “Brother” – another of Matt’s solo compositions, but one that brings out an assault of goosebumps when given the full band treatment. “I don’t always put [this song] on the set list as it’s kind of hard to get through, but it’s about being there for somebody who might really need you,” Matt shared. “Sometimes you don’t know people really need you as much as they do, and sometimes you almost lose them. It’s nice to play this song with the band – I don’t play it solo anymore – the band kind of makes it doable to play … and then it ends with a ton of pedal steel, and I can just chill out.” Ever true to Matt’s word, Chris did indeed wrap up the number in a blanket of warm steel tones, and with his solo closing outro clocking in around 75 seconds – that was indeed a ton of pedal steel.
Set List:
- Corrina, Corrina (Bob Dylan cover)
- Let’s Rock N’ Roll Again
- Tornado
- Brother
- Danville Girl (Woody Guthrie cover)
- Hummingbird
- Southside Of The West Town
- Big Time Daddio
The British guy that crossed the ocean and crash landed in central Pennsylvania (to quote Greg Keelor, “And I wonder what am I doing here?”). As the youngest of four siblings, exposure to music from a very early age nurtured my passion and appreciation for many musical genres. Continuing to discover some amazingly diverse and talented musicians based in Canada, I gravitate to live music experiences and remain devoted to spreading the word about such a vibrant music scene.
