Bio

Matt Gower is a folk singer-songwriter from Ottawa, Ontario. Matt’s music blends elements of alt-country, old-time Appalachian tunes, bluegrass, and roots-rock to underscore his dynamically powerful yet vulnerable vocals. Matt’s musical influences include Wilco, Jerry Garcia, Gillian Welch and The Milk Carton Kids. Throughout Matt’s journeys, a constant thread has held true: nothing carries more weight than connecting with an audience through the power of song.

Matt’s latest album Vacated Shapes cites equal influence from Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska and Jason Isbell's Foxes in the Snow. Matt self-produced Vacated Shapes with a minimalist ethos in order to let his songwriting and raw emotion shine through loud and clear.

Vacated Shapes are ideas & taboos that we used to dance around. It's the empty space inside the protective walls we built up around ourselves and the leftover rubble & debris that surround after we tore them down.

Vacated Shapes are the demons that used to haunt our soul, gone forever after putting in the work to exorcize them once and for all. They're the people left in the dust who refuse to adjust to a reality where their worldviews are no longer relevant.

Vacated Shapes is about the freedom to finally be comfortable in your own skin.

Currently Matt Gower is the host and curator of CKCU Presents Friday Night Folk, a bi-monthly concert series at Art House Cafe which features a diverse range of folk musicians from in and around the Ottawa area. Matt also hosts the Hard Folk Podcast shining a light on the working artists making an impact in the music industry.

“Matt Gower has a skill I wish I had — the ability to pick up an acoustic guitar and belt out an original song which is totally engrossing from start to finish.” - Doug Hempstead, CBC Ottawa

“Matt Gower’s latest songs are fresh yet poignant and deeply felt, capturing the urgency of this particular moment in time and place. Is it folk? Is it country? Political or romantic? Gower’s music lives comfortably in all these spaces.” - Anne-Marie Brugger, CKCU

“On Matt Gower’s latest album, Vacated Shapes, there is no vacancy within the 10 unique rooms of creativity in which Matt has reserved for us to stay in, each having its own unique Gower-style furnishings, but at the same time feeling as though the spirits of Woody Guthrie and Townes Van Zandt are lightly bleeding through the bedside radio.” - James Leclaire, Ottawa Singer-Songwriter


 

Music & live video

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    La Pistolera 4:17
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    Oh My Stars 3:56
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    Shrinking Saint 5:01
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    Howling at a Hunters Moon 3:13
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    A Machine From God 5:06
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    Frozen Moon 3:31
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    When You Were Crying 3:41
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    Four Way Hazards 3:54
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    By and Binary 4:03
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    Being There 5:40
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photos

Press

Reviews

“Matt Gower has a skill I wish I had — the ability to pick up an acoustic guitar and belt out an original song which is totally engrossing from start to finish. His music and aesthetic is naturally genuine, because that's exactly how he is as well. There's no gimmicks, no pretensions about artistry and troubadouratry, just bonafide human songs about everything from urban frustrations to personal regrets. You won't hear any autotune, filters, or electronic masking of any kind — just a pure voice with natural inflections which serves him well in both the melody and thematic undertone departments. His guitar playing is confident, well-recorded and not piled through a DI or beset with treatments. Vacated Shapes, which is Gower's second solo album, is instead like having the man himself sitting on the stump, lawn chair, trunk lid, or milk crate right in front of you. You can check him out on any streaming service, but I suggest his Bandcamp page where you get better sound, more info and a chance to purchase this collection of honest, excellent songs directly from the artist. This kind of creation needs to be rewarded, celebrated and encouraged.” - Doug Hempstead, CBC Ottawa, Area Resident
“It’s surprising to learn that Matt Gower has been a fixture of the Ottawa music scene for more than two decades. His latest songs are fresh yet poignant and deeply felt, capturing the urgency of this particular moment in time and place. Is it folk? Is it country? Political or romantic? Gower’s music lives comfortably in all these spaces. Oh My Stars is a gorgeous, emotionally resonant song of acceptance that immediately caught my attention. La Pistolera, a gripping murder ballad, highlights Gower’s razor-sharp storytelling, while Howling At A Hunter's Moon speaks plainly and fearlessly, giving voice to thoughts many hesitate to say aloud. These standout tracks find a natural home on Vacated Shapes, Gower’s latest album— now finally being released, to the delight of folk-pop-country fans everywhere.”

— Anne-Marie Brugger, CKCU

“In a live setting, Matt Gower’s vigorous guitar playing can threaten to overpower his voice, but on Vacated Shapes, his lyrics are front and centre where they belong. He provides clever and sensitive commentary on topics such as gender fluidity (Oh My Stars), fascism (Howling at a Hunter’s Moon), and emotional support (When You Were Crying, Being There). My favourite singalong song is A Machine from God, so I was happy to hear vocal harmonies on the chorus. Mostly though, the arrangements are simple and true to life, featuring acoustic guitar, solo voice, and harmonica.”

— Libby Hortop, Ottawa Singer-Songwriter

“Matt Gower’s latest album, Vacated Shapes, is anything but empty. There is no vacancy within the 10 unique rooms of creativity in which Matt has reserved for us to stay in, each having its own unique Gower-style furnishings, but at the same time feeling as though the spirits of Woody Guthrie and Townes Van Zandt are lightly bleeding through the bedside radio, while Jeff Tweedy and Steve Earle are jamming on the balcony next door. As a guest who gets to spend 42 mins in Matt’s artistic mind, it doesn’t take long to realize you will be coming back again and again.”

— James Leclaire, Ottawa Singer-Songwriter

Shows

CKCU Presents Friday Night Folk Feat. Malia Rogers, Woods of Light & Matt Gower

CKCU Presents Friday Night Folk Feat. Malia Rogers, Woods of Light & Matt Gower

Art House Cafe, 555 Somerset St W, Ottawa

CKCU Presents Friday Night Folk is a bi-monthly concert series at Art House Cafe. On the first Friday of every other month Art House Cafe will feature two folk acts, hosted by local singer-songwriter Matt Gower.

This edition of CKCU x FNF showcases Malia Rogers & Woods of Light.

$15 advance / $20 door

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The Hard Folk Podcast

A Heavy Dose of Vulnerability w Malia Rogers 

Today I interview Ottawa singer-songwriter Malia Rogers. We talked about her East Coast roots, how she developed her songwriting tools, how she deals her audience a “heavy dose of vulnerability” at live shows, the kindness and generosity that community brings when touring, how loss and grieving have played important roles in her songwriting and leaving folks with a sense of wonder and curiosity.


Maria Roger’s will be playing CKCU Presents: Friday Night Folk alongside Woods of Light and myself Sept. 4th at Art House Cafe. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door.


The Hard Folk podcast is available on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon etc. or visit https://pods.link/hardfolk.

The Jiffy Pop Conspiracy w Don Pyle 

Today I’m joined by Don Pyle. Don has a new book out called Rough Description: love letters and ghost stories from a life in music but if you’re like me, you know him as the drummer for Shadowy Men on a Shadowy planet. We discussed the art of a good setlist, navigating a music career without a safety net, Don’s experience going to hairdressing school and how Shadowy Men may have played a role in Jiffy Pop reducing their packaging so that it wouldn’t perfectly hold a 7” record…


The Hard Folk podcast is available on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon etc. or visit https://pods.link/hardfolk.

Both Sides of the Industry w Elizabeth Royall 

Today, I’m joined by Elizabeth Royall. We talk about the balancing the administrative and entrepreneurial aspects of the music industry with the creative side of things. We also delve into Elizabeth’s love of 70s & 90s music, especially Fleetwood Mac and how she shook off trying to emulate Billie Eilish and discovered her own voice in the process.


CKCU Presents Friday Night Folk

with Elizabeth Royall and Graven

Friday, July 10, 8:30pm

Art House Cafe (555 Somerset st W)

Tickets are available now $15 advance /$20 door

Blood Brothers w Sean Sisk & Jeff Larocque 

Sean Sisk was dead. His heart stopped for 30 minutes. A case of Invasive Group A Strep had sent Sean to the hospital for 4 months, where his heart stopped 4 times and he needed multiple blood transfusions.


Jeff Larocque had donated blood 86 times before being diagnosed with prostate cancer. His goal was to donate blood at least 100 times, but unfortunately the cancer diagnosis prevented him from being able to donate.


After sitting down to breakfast they came up with the idea to organize a blood drive and have a little party afterwards. On June 17th, after you donate blood (visit blood.ca to schedule an appointment), Sean & Jeff are hosting a party at the Prescott featuring live local bands, prizes and more!

The James Leclaire Questionaire w Matt Gower 

Today’s episode of Hard Folk is a special one: I invited my friend and fellow singer-songwriter James Leclaire to interview me. We talked about my songwriting process, how I recorded Vacated Shapes, navigating social media, performing solo vs with a band, plus we took a bit of a dive into my family and how that affects my life as a songwriter.


Vacated Shapes is out now both streaming and on CD.


Click here for tickets to CKCU Presents: Matt Gower - Vacated Shapes Album Release Show

Art House Cafe 555 Somerset st W

8:30pm, Sat. June 20th


The Hard Folk podcast is available on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon etc. or visit https://tr.ee/RweJx2PNii.

Putting the Soul in 613 w Mikhail Laxton 

Today I’m joined by Mikhail Laxton. He’s here to talk about his 613 Soul initiative. It’s a free concert series taking place in Orleans, Hog’s Back Park, Vanier and a couple other locations. His goal for 613 Soul is to not only provide an alternative to the outdoor festival experience, but to mentor up and coming local musicians. Mikhail’s goal is to grow the music community and give back some of the knowledge, experience and wisdom he’s learned throughout his career.


Visit Mikhaillaxton.com to learn more about 613 Soul.

Ways of Listening w Rollie Pemberton AKA Cadence Weapon 

Today I’m joined by Rollie Pemberton (AKA Cadence Weapon). He’s got a new book called Ways of Listening: Building a Deeper Relationship with Music in the Streaming Era coming out May 26th as well as a new album called Forager which was released earlier this year.


Rollie and I talked about leaning into the musical terroir of certain areas he’s searching out new tunes at record stores, the recent trend of album “rollouts”, the fad of AI music and the motives behind its recent popularity and what the numbers & statistics can tell us about music.


Ways of Listening: Building a Deeper Relationship with Music in the Streaming Era is available May 26th.

Bandmaster Flash w Joel Elliott 

Today I’m joined by Joel Elliott. We talked about his roll as “bandmaster” with The Magic Machine and incorporating his love of musical theatre into their stage act. We also dove deep into the inner workings of the Folk Canada conference and how joining a band full of middle aged government workers influenced him to pursue a career in music.


The Magic Machine is playing May 22 at Night Oat with Cassidy Houston. Tickets available here.


Also, my album Vacated Shapes is now available to stream! Tap here to listen!

Branching Out from Scratch w The Family Name 

The Family Name (Ben & Jacob Matte) are a natural outgrowth from a musical family tree that finds its roots with the Everly Brothers, Smothers Brothers and Simon & Garfunkel, takes a bluegrass/newgrass detour along the way before branching out from the Milk Carton Kids to create their own unique, tight, familial sound.


What really surprised me was that The Family Name basically started from scratch, learning how to sing and play guitar & mandolin together only 6 years ago. It was a fateful booking mix-up that forced them to take a deep dive and learn 3 hours worth of material, developing and honing their tight sound on the fly.


The Family Name are featured along with Ethan Mitchell on the May 1st edition of CKCU Presents Friday Night Folk

Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door.

Tap this link to purchase yours.


The Hard Folk podcast is available on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon etc. or visit https://tr.ee/RweJx2PNii

Community and Connection w Suzanne Nuttall 

Suzanne Nuttall has only been a part of the Ottawa music scene for a few years, but as I said in today’s show it’s felt like she’s been entrenched in the community for much longer.


Suzanne’s story is a great example for aspiring musicians to follow. She made the move to Ottawa from Toronto and put herself right out there, attending open stages and making connections with fellow musicians.


And Suzanne made sure to include those connections in her album release show at Night Oat (750 Gladstone) on April 9th, featuring Libby & Cal, Dawn Sev, Slo’ Tom, Erin Okrainec and Patrick Shanks. Tickets are available to purchase here.


The Hard Folk podcast is available on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon etc. or visit https://tr.ee/RweJx2PNii

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Contact

For booking inquiries, interview requests, etc. email: gower_matt@me.com