Fireside Sing-a-long with Matt Masters

Tune into a fireside sing-a-long with Matt Masters in Tomkins Park at 2 p.m. Don’t forget to snap a picture with Santa, join in on interactives games and more while you’re down on the Ave!

Some musicians live in Canada. Some musicians sing about Canada. But very few represent Canada with their actions backed by innovation and determination toward social development, justice, and change.

Born in North Battleford, Saskatchewan and raised in Alberta, Matt Masters has had an extensive career in the arts as well as in politics. He was program leader for Alberta Music Cities at The National Music Centre, coordinator for 125th Anniversary Programs at Lougheed House, and event coordinator for Toronto Blues Society, founded and developed Canadian festivals and events such as the Spaghetti Western Music Festival, The Barney Bentall Cariboo Express, as well as produced for The Maples Blues Awards and CBC Radio. Masters has emceed countless reputable events including YYC Music Awards, Alberta Spotlight, Beltline Bonspiel, Calgary Folk Festival, and Bow Valley Music Club. Not only impassioned by the arts, Masters’ words have always been backed by his actions and he ran head to head against Stephen Harper in the 2015 federal election as the NDP candidate in Calgary Heritage.

More recently, Matt Masters has founded the quickly expanding Canadian company Curbside Concerts that has employed many musicians through Covid-19, while safely delivering live music performances to communities across the country. In 2020, Matt added a couple of new nominations to his repertoire of Music Industry and Person of The Year at the YYC Awards, which at the time, he was also a presenter for.

This endless desire to improve the Canadian cultural landscape is no different for Matt when he wears one of his other Smithbilt hats, excelling as a Country Western chronicler and crooner. Masters has taken his authentic Country Western sound and proudly represented Canada all over the globe including performing at Canadian NHL games, in the USA, Mexico, Germany, Spain, France, UK, Italy, and has performed at the Canadian Embassies in Turkey and Austria.

After a hiatus of almost a decade from his last full-length album, Matt Masters has now leaned back on his first love of performing and recording Country Western music and turned his efforts inward to create a lasting piece of music history. The result of these recordings are an homage to some of the world’s most prestigious country greats titled Everybody Loves A Winner which honours Matt’s deep respect of the legacy that is Country and Western music. The album includes covers of the likes of Willie Nelson, Joe South, Ian Tyson, and Dimitri Tiomkin. Everybody Loves A Winner is produced by fellow Canadian Leeroy Stagger and features some of the country’s finest players, including guest spots by Jill Barber and Barney Bentall. Matt Masters’ new album checks another box off toward a growing list of his esteemed accomplishments.

Everybody Loves A Winner can be described as nothing short of powerfully nostalgic with the sounds of traditional pedal steel and Memphis style horns coating each track. From the first note on the album, you are taken on a journey through time, as Masters channels classic, energetic inspired country hooks and heartland groove deep within each song.

Everybody Loves A Winner is yet another example of why everybody loves Matt Masters.