Event Information:

• Fri

  01

  Mar

  2019

  Matt Wilson and His Orchestra

  7:30 PMCrossings Event at The Zumbrota State Theatre

  Singer songwriter Matt Wilson and His Orchestra will perform the best music from Matt’s deep repertoire as well as spin up renditions of numbers Matt considers to be among the greatest of all time, each piece presented on a feather bed of banjo rhythms, arpeggiating harp and reverberant swells of guitar. Enjoy their unique sound on Fri., Mar 1, 7:30pm at the State Theatre.

  Matt Wilson and The Orchestra has a grassy, happy sound that’s easy to love. Most striking to both the eye and ear is the harp mastery of Phala Tracy. An inventive collaborator, she is a key element each year at The New Standards Holiday Show. The band’s sound is underpinned by the sparkling banjo groove of Quillan Roe who is best known for his work with the Roe Family Singers, winners of a prestigious McKnight Fellowship. These sunshine tones of harp and banjo are made mysterious by the guitar work of Jacques Wait who soars both above and below this band, at times providing tremulous streams of electric guitar, and at other times paving the way with a black road of electric bass.

  Matt’s music has been featured on MTV, Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, Spin, The Toronto Star and many other publications. Trip Shakespeare’s single, “Toolmaster of Brainerd”, was named by City Pages one of Minnesota’s 50 Greatest Hits, and that group was included by nationally-influential radio station The Current in its 2017 list of 893 Most Essential Musical Artists of All Time. Songs from throughout Matt’s career have been featured on The Current, including the epic “Descender!” from his solo album Burnt, White & Blue, and the joyful “Queen of Tomorrow” from The Twilight Hours’ debut LP Stereo Night.

  Raised in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, Matt became a fan of rockers like Elvis Costello, Bruce Springsteen and Devo. He and his high school friends formed a group called The Panic, and spent much of their youth as under-aged performers in Minneapolis nightclubs, warming up for future luminaries such as Husker Du and The Replacements. In the early 80s, Matt followed his brother Dan to college in Boston where they formed a number of bands, including the Love Monsters, marking Matt’s first turn as a lead singer. Returning to Minneapolis, the brothers joined forces with bass player John Munson to form Trip Shakespeare, writing, recording and touring together for a decade. John and Matt currently perform in a rock band, The Twilight Hours.

  See Crossings web site for more information and tickets