Matt Epp is excited to be coming back to the Comox Valley next week.
The soulful folk singer-songwriter from Winnipeg is eager to show his band, the Amorian Assembly, the beauty of the Comox Valley, and he's excited to introduce the band and new music from his fifth album, At Dawn — his first with this band — to everyone here.
Epp is returning to Joe's Garage on April 13 as part of his coast-to-coast Small World Tour.
Epp performed at Vancouver Island MusicFest last summer, and he played Joe's Garage in September, when his drummer-less band was joined by Doug Cox.
"We were really excited to play with Doug Cox before, and I'm excited to be bringing the band to introduce them to the Valley but also to introduce you guys and the other people to the band so we can keep doing this," he said. "I'm really excited to bring this new show. It's going to be pretty immense, I think — at least that's how it feels to me. Last time I was there, I went jogging by the ocean a lot. That place inspired me to run around, I was so excited to be there."
Epp is full of enthusiasm for his new album, which is being released April 12, and for bringing his music to people across the country.
"I'm really excited about this record," he said. "It feels like my first record in a way because I'm starting something new. I have a new vision with this band and what we're going to do as a community almost. It feels really good. That's why we called it At Dawn — it's introducing a change. To me, the record sounds like something's changing and evolving. I am really excited it's made by people all over the world, but it's also something we're going to be taking all over the world ... It feels really good to know we're about to embark on that journey."
Epp has brought together players from across Canada and from Spain to form the Amorian Assembly.
The band includes famed percussionist Antonio Lomas from the Spanish pop/rock group Lori Meyers, Winnipeg bassist Joel Couture and Halifax guitarist Jay Smith of Matt Mays & El Torpedo, who will also open for Epp throughout the Small World Tour.
The new band was inspired by a trip Epp took to Spain last year.
Epp has been connected with musicians in Spain for about five years. Wanting to go to Spain, he started looking up artists there, and he connected with pianist Raul Bernal.
Last year for New Year's, Epp decided to take a chance, and he visited Bernal and a friend, who is also a musician, in the south of Spain.
They played at a small bar, and Epp was invited to get up and play a few solo songs.
"By the time I got off the stage, all these musicians who were there had formed a band and said 'we're your new band,'" he said. "They booked me a show at that same bar. Rehearsals had gone amazing, and by the time we played this show to a packed little room, we all realized we had something amazing ... especially with the drummer and piano player, and I thought if I could only get these guys together with guys at home, especially my bassist .... I took a risk and racked my credit card to bring everyone together, and it turned into something special."
A few more trips between Spain and Canada led to the recording of At Dawn.
Fans have played a big part in making At Dawn a reality, as Epp asked for sponsorship to help the band get into the studio to record the album.
"I'm very grateful for that," he said. "We had some really supportive fans come through and buy us some time in the studio that we couldn't afford at the time. I'm really thankful we did that because it really created a community atmosphere when we went into the studio knowing we had people who believed in us and believed in the project and believed in the music. It felt really good, and I think it inspired the music to be better because people took a chance because they believed in us."
Epp, who was a filmmaker before turning to music, is inspired by the music of Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Ron Sexsmith, and his music is inspired by life.
"I think things that inspire me largely come from the community I surround myself with and the experiences — love and relationships with people, past relationships, my faith and just the beauty of life," he said. "To live and view life in vivid means you see the good and bad, the beautiful and excruciating side of living. I'd say all that inspires the music."
Epp is also inspired by Amoria, the empire of love that he is building through his music.
"Through this idea of projecting these things into a new pseudo-empire, a pseudo-nation, this thing I call Amoria, a lot of inspiring how I see life is through the filter of this new idea, the empire of love," he said. "I feel that influences me a lot, just learning more and more about what I can do in the world and learning about other cultures. I'm trying not to have any easy answers and to just soak everything up."
Advance tickets to Epp's show are $12 at Bop City Records. The kitchen opens at 5 p.m., and the show starts just after 8 p.m. Once you have your tickets, fill out the form at www.joeson5th.ca to reserve your dinner seating.
To learn more about Epp, visit http:/amorianassembly.com.
writer@comoxvalleyrecord.com