A Canadian country and roots artist whose bluesy croon, deft guitar playing, and heartfelt, slice-of-life lyrics invoke names like Waylon Jennings, John Prine, Kris Kristofferson, and Guy Clark, Matt Patershuk was raised in Northern Alberta and British Columbia, and eventually settled in the town of La Glace in Grande Prairie County. In 2012 he traveled to Vancouver to record his debut album with Juno Award-winning producer (and Canadian roots legend) Steve Dawson. The resulting Outside the Lights of Town, which featured instrumental contributions from Dawson and fiddler Kendal Carson, and vocal performances by Grammy Award-winner Laurie Lewis, was released in 2013. Patershuk worked with Dawson again in 2016 for his sophomore effort, I Was So Fond of You, a moving tribute to his sister Claire, who'd passed away a few years earlier after succumbing to injuries sustained from being hit by a drunk driver. The Dawson-produced Same as I Have Ever Been, which featured drummer Jay Bellerose (T-Bone Burnett and Joe Henry), John Reischman (mandolin), Ana Egge (vocals), Chris Gestrin (keyboards), and Jeremy Holmes (bass), followed in 2017. ~ James Christopher Monger