Matt Andersen’s “Always Be Your Son” does what only the best folk writing manages: it finds a grown man reckoning with his father, acknowledging without sentiment what time does to the people you love. The New Brunswick-born roots musician, who built his reputation in blues clubs and theaters across North America and Europe, has spent his eleventh studio album working from that kind of honesty. He brings The Hammer & The Rose Tour to Brockville Arts Centre on Thursday, February 11.
About the Show
The Hammer & The Rose, released April 25, 2025, takes its title from Andersen’s own framing of how decisions live in a person: “You’ve always got the pull of your head trying to make the sense and make the best decision, and then your heart feels like it’s the best thing to listen.” The album’s ten tracks were recorded live off the floor at his home studio in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, with producer Joshua Van Tassel and collaborators including Christine Bougie on lap steel and Kyle Cunjak on acoustic bass. No overdubs; imperfections stayed. Roots Music Canada found the record distinguished by “the level of vulnerability he brings to these performances and the moody arrangements coloured by lap steel and acoustic bass,” and praised Andersen’s editorial restraint, his sense of knowing when to stop. Three of the album’s most affecting tracks turn on relationships: “Tonight Belongs to You,” a love song rooted in gratitude; “Always Be Your Son,” the father reflection; and the title track, which holds the tension between feeling and reason without resolving it.
Andersen performs this tour as a solo act, and his live sets have always been built on contrast — the ability to go from a hush to something that fills the room before an audience quite knows the shift is happening. He was the first Canadian to win top honors in the solo category at the 2010 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, earned European Blues Awards for Best Solo/Acoustic Act in 2013 and 2016, and received a 2024 Juno Award nomination. He holds multiple Maple Blues Awards and has shared stages with Marcus King, Beth Hart, Greg Allman, Tedeschi Trucks Band, and Serena Ryder. The Brockville date is part of the Ontario stretch of a 31-date Canadian run; shows in Halifax and Aurora are already sold out.
Venue & Logistics
Brockville Arts Centre sits at 235 King Street West in Brockville, Ontario, along the St. Lawrence River corridor, part of the North Country concert circuit. The show begins at 8 p.m.
Tickets
Tickets are $57.00 CAD. This is an all-ages show; general on-sale began September 25. All sales are final, with no refunds, no exchanges, and no re-entry. Buy tickets