Album Notes

Back Log

Back Log is the first Solo-CD by Matthieu (pron. Matthew) Brandt from the City of Sin: Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

'Back Log' features his impressive acoustic and electric guitar playing topped by his gutsy vocals and clawhammer banjo. This album represents a 20 years musical voyage, that will take you from Don McLean to Larry John McNally and from Leo Kottke to the hills of West Virginia.

Although rooted in acoustic blues, this album takes you to a more subtle territory with lyrics that have more depth and color than the run of the mill ' Yeah, yeah, the Blues is Alright .....'.

If you are looking for background music, move on.
If you are looking for music to chew on, 'Back Log' is your Album.

Bio:

Three careers, a consummate player and singer of roots music and other styles of Americana, a well known author (see www.swingblues.com) and guitar teacher; Matt has a full plate of beans!

Matthieu Brandt from Amsterdam, Netherlands (b. 1961) has been strummin' a guitar since 1983, when he traded his first P.C. for his first Alfa Guitar.

Starting out as an acoustic finger style blues player and studying with Irish Blues Virtuoso Martin Hutchinson, he quickly got an appetite for electric blues.

He started out in his first blues band "Bealestreet" in 1985 - a band that was to exist for five looooong years.
Although of questionable level the band was to be a good jumping board for his later career.

Strough studying at the biggest private music school in Amsterdam, The Muziekpakhuis - where he became a teacher in 1987 - he was turned onto Wes Montgomery. He quickly formed a Jazz Quartet "The Half Nelson Octet" and started performing in the area. In 1990, he went to Berklee College in Boston, U.S.A. for a summer course. Meeting local pop composer/musician Jack Starkey and feeling at home in the competitive American music, he decided he wanted more.

In 1991, he moved to Northern California, where he toured with local musicians and tried to establish himself as a working musician.

Through some "misunderstandings" with the Immigration and Naturalisation Service he was forced to go back to the Netherlands, where he picked up his teaching practice. In that period he built himself a studio and started "No Can Do", his first rock-blues band.

The band started playing national festivals and clubs and was gaining some momentum when the lead vocalist left the band. No Can Do lived up to its name in 1995.

In the meantime Matthieu had been playing in Run Baby Run for a number of years, a Rhythm & Blues band with a full horn section, lead by Wim Heuperman. Its members were all seasoned pro's and the chance to play with the cream of the crop in Dutch R & B left an important mark in Matt's playing.

From '92 till '98, he visited the U.S. a coupla times a year and studied at the National Guitar Summer Workshop for a number of years. He assisted Paul Rishell in '97 in his Acoustic Fingerstyle Blues Class.

In 1995, Matthieu started working with Frits Veheij, a local multi-instrumentalist (see www.bluesduo.com)
As a harp player and vocalist he turned out to be the right match for Matthieu, and in that year they formed "Too True To Be Blue". This acoustic blues duo has performed all over the Netherlands and is still going strong.

From '94 till '98, Matthieu organized several Masterclasses through the music school in Amsterdam. In this period he also started "Next Door to the Blues" a swing & jump band, featuring Ton van Bergeijk (check out his records through Stefan Grossman's label).

In '97, he started working on Swing and Jump Blues Guitar, in close cooperation with many colleagues and students

In '99, Matthieu spent another year in Boston, where he teamed up with local harmonica and slide virtuoso David Massey. He also had the chance to back up Paul Rishell and Annie Raines (W.C. Handy Award Winners '99) at the House of Blues in Cambridge.

He got a taste for playing the streets by frequenting Harvard Square, where Ronnie Earl witnessed his first outdoor performance.

After returning to Amsterdam he recorded his first and long overdue solo CD: 'Back Log.'
His book, 'Swing and Jump Blues Guitar,' is available through www.swingblues.com.

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