6.22.10:: Jon
Matthews just might be Prince Edward Island's BUSIEST SUMMER PERFORMER!
It's
that magical time time again...summer on PEI! Yes indeed: barbeques, beaches,
golf courses, and...music! Once again this summer, Jon will be criss-crossing
the roads all over the Island with his many musical projects - and a staggering
SIXTY SHOWS in July and August alone! You will DEFINITELY
have a chance to see Jon live on stage this summer. Here are some highlights
of Jon's 2010 SUMMER SEASON (click the GIGS button above
for the full schedule):
This amazing concert series is held twice weekly (Mondays, Wednesdays)
at the Brackley Beach Community Centre. Over the past six years, Cynthia
and Jon have been dazzling audiences literally from all over the world
with fiery fiddling, powerful songs, and of course, a lot of east coast
downhome humour and hospitality! Jon and Cynthia have toured together
across Canada and the US, and their show is infectious! This religiously
attended concert series has rightfully earned its reputation...do not
miss your chance to check it out! More info at Cynthia MacLeod's website
at CynthiaMacLeod.com.
Take four immensely talented female celtic musicians, add in a "token
male", and you've got Celtic Ladies. They strike a chord in the hearts
of all who have seen them, both Islander and visitor alike, and they'll
win you over not only with their talent and energy but with their charming
personalities and comfy stage presence. The fun they have on stage is
totally genuine. The Celtic Ladies pride themselves on playing the authentic
traditional music of their ancestors, with lively fiddle, stunning piano,
energized stepdancing and footstompin' songs. Catch
Jon with The Celtic Ladies on Tuesdays in July and August at THE POURHOUSE,
the fabulous new venus above The Old Triange in downtown Charlottetown.
Check out facebook.com/celticladies
for more info.
Jon will take to the big stage with PEI's longtime party favorites, Boys
in the Kitchen at 2:55pm. Come on down and celebrate your Canadian-ness!
Jon, Tian, Brien and Greg will make you dance under the big top
on Saturday, July 24th. Check out their website
for more info!
This lovely-sounding, intimate venue is one of PEI's best kept
secrets, located near the breathtaking St. Peters Bay. Jon will bring
a surprise guest along for each of his Sunday night shows on July 4, August
8, August 22nd. Who will it
be? You'll have to come along and find out! Details at
their
website.
Jon, Sheila Fitzpatrick and Randy Cheverie are PEI's ambassadors
of traditional music, playing a passionate repertoire of Scottish, Irish,
Cape Breton and PEI songs and fiddle tunes. These three LOVE performing
together and it shows in their playful banter. Baile Beag
(Gaelic for "Small Town) performs July 2 and 3, and August 5-7 at
The
Old Triangle, a lovely pub in downtown Charlottetown.
And if all THOSE weren't enough...check out Jon with Courtney Hogan at
her ceilidh series in New Dominion, solo at the Gahan House or Merchantman
Pub, with the JMX at the Olde Dublin Pub, on the waters with Manada Cruises
out of Montague, at the Restigouche Heritage Festival in Campbellton,
New Brunswick with Cynthia...and who knows where else!
2.04.08
:: Jon
to SHOWCASE at Music PEI stage during ECMA 2008
For those of you planning
on heading to Fredericton NB for the ECMAs, do NOT miss Jon's showcase,
on Saturday February 9th 9:30pm on the Music PEI stage at Nicky Zee's,
at 375 King Street. Jon will be performing with a band for this event,
and will be spotlighting songs from 'don't leave' over his 30 minute performance.
That's not all! Keep your eyes peeled for Jon performing as a sideman for Cynthia MacLeod and Meaghan Blanchard during their sets at Nicky Zee's as well, and be sure to check out performances by many other awesome PEI artists like Chucky Danger, Annapilla, Two Hours Traffic, Catherine MacLellan, Nathan Wiley, John Connolly and others.
11.29.07 :: DON'T LEAVE (the song) gets 'Honorable Mention' at the 2007 Singer/Songwriter Awards
Jon's song 'don't leave' has been selected for honourable mention at the prestigious 2007 Singer Songwriter Awards. From the judges:
"Every submission is included in one of many 'listening pools'. This system allows us to hear your music individually, as a group and in different groups. Artists with Honourable Mentions are those that the judges could not agree on and, therefore, had to be listened to several times and submitted for multiple listening pools. Ultimately, we award you with an Honourable Mention because your music is very good!"
This success follows on the heels of another prestigious result: the songs 'Don't Leave' and 'Bridge' both made it to advanced judging at the 2006 International Songwriting Competition. Jon is humbled and delighted to have his songs performing so well at such a high global level.
11.10.07 :: 'don't leave' nominated for THREE PEI MUSIC AWARDS; Big Grey Sound Studio WINS Studio of the Year
Congrats to Jon and Big Grey Sound Studio on winning the 2007 Music PEI Award for 'Recording Studio of the Year'! It was a terrific night, with several projects recorded at Big Grey also being recognized: Cynthia MacLeod won awards for instrumental and roots/traditional recording of the year, Fiddlers Sons received the country recording of the year award, and Chucky Danger picked up rock recording of the year. Other nominees associated with Big Grey included The Ross Family and Jon's own album, 'don't leave'. Jon and his band (Greg Stapleton, Chris LeClair and Brien McCarthy) closed the first half of the awards show with a stellar rendition of 'Don't Leave', and Jon helped kick off the PEIMA weekend with an unforgettable performace alongside Nathan Wiley, Rose Cousins and others at the Songwriters Circle in Summerside. Check the PICS AND VIDS section of this website for a few photos from the weekend!
