Award Winning Folk Singer Joe Matzzie has announced the release of his fourth full length album, Baby Steps. The album is a collection of ten songs written by Matzzie and features collaborations with musicians and engineers working from home all over the world, from Moscow to London to Adelaide to New York City and Los Angeles.
Six of the songs were written during the 2020-2021 pandemic while two of the tracks, Home and The Next Seattle are new versions of songs previously released as singles.
The song Home won Joe Best Male Artist in the 2021 International Acoustic Music Awards. The title track Baby Steps was written in 2018 shortly after Matzzie was diagnosed with cancer and explores the emotions of going through that experience.
Musically the album draws upon Joe Matzzie’s diverse appetite for acoustic music styles, fromWestern Swing to traditional Scandinavian folk music to foot stomping Indie Folk. Joe’s raspy vulnerable voice combines with his music conservatory education, years busking in the New York Subway, performing at Renaissance festivals with the Early Music group Mince Pye, and growing up surrounded by acoustic music in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to create an album of survival, recovery and hunger for more.
Musicians on the album include Marty Rifkinon, pedal steel; Chad Watson on electric bass; Tommy Drinkard on banjo and Joe Matzzie on acoustic guitar, voice, hammered dulcimer, harmonica and keyboard.
Growing up in Pittsburgh PA, Joe began playing music at the age of five and has surrounded himself with acoustic music styles his whole life. He was a founding member of the Early Music group Mince Pye which performed at Renaissance festivals throughout the Northeast US & amassed a large cult following. He began recording and releasing music independently on at the age of 19, his first album of original songs being on cassette only.
His first commercial release was the EP The First 20 Minutes, released in 1997, followed by the full length album It’s All True in 2000, under the band name Joe Matzzie Beyond Belief. In 2014 he released an album of songs entitled This Box Makes Noise, financed by a successful Kickstarter campaign.
The Covid-19 pandemic has been a time of abundant productivity and output for Matzzie. In June 2020 he released a full length album of solo guitar arrangements of Pop, Jazz, Opera, Folk and Hollywood Classics, titled Classical Guitar. Then came 2 singles; the original song I’m On A Bike released September 2020 and an acoustic cover of the Queen classic You’re My Best Friend.
Baby Steps is scheduled to be released September 10 2021.
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