Hi folks,

Hope you're all surviving the bitter winter we've been having here in Massachusetts. I'm certainly looking forward to better weather.

So…..a lot going on over here. This month, I'm playing concerts at libraries in Townsend, Worcester, Wilmington and Mattapoisett. All of those concerts are free and there are more details on each at the bottom of this email. I'm also playing at The Parlour in Providence, RI, a great small indie rock club, opening for the terrific Lenny Lashey. More info on all that stuff below or www.mattyorkmusic.com. 

I wanted to spend some time talking about the album I'm making this month in Mississippi. Hope you'll take a minute to read it. 

So here's a fun story. It's a little long, but a lot of the people on my mailing list are people that joined it after reading my book or liked hearing me telling my dumb stories at a community concert. So here we go. Two weeks from now, I'll be recording an album of songs at a really great studio (Dialback Sound) in Water Valley, Mississippi. I've never stepped foot in MS before. Matt Patton, bassist of the Drive-By Truckers/Dexateens will be producing the record. I've admired Matt's music for twenty years and he's owned this studio for a long time. 

Three years ago, I celebrated my 51st birthday alone in a sketchy Motel 6 on the outskirts of Nashville. I was performing the songs of the Highwaymen at City Winery solo. It was a big opportunity for me and I was nervous that I'd be playing to a empty room. To help promote it, I got to go on the NBC TV Morning Show “Today in Nashville” and perform two songs and talk about the gig (fun fact: the comedienne Leanne Morgan, was also a guest on that episode). The day before the concert, I received an email from the local NBC affiliate saying I couldn't perform songs by the Highwaymen, unless I had written permission, which I did not. That was a kinda massive plot twist, but I remembered that if a song is over a hundred years old, it goes into the public domain and anyone can then use that song. I performed the 1908 song/hymn “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” (really, I did, you can watch it at this link) which was initially made famous by the Carter Family in the 1930's. Both Cash and Willie also did wonderful versions of it. Cash made five gospel records and Willie has made three. I went down this rabbit hole of listening to those records at the time and then discovered other records by folks like Vestal Goodman/The Happy Goodmans, Merle Haggard and so many more. 

A year later, I was playing some of these songs during my concerts and decided to try and find a place to hear Gospel music on Sundays. I walked into the Fourth Presbyterian Church on Dorchester Ave in South Boston in the spring of 2024 after Googling “places there are good music at churches nearby”. The pastor there, Burns Stanfield, has been preaching in Southie for over thirty years. He's also been a professor at the Harvard Divinity School all those years. Prior to that, he played (along w/ his brother) in the great, great Boston band, Scruffy the Cat in the late 1980's. He's a master musician and I've ended up showing up every Sunday since then. I perform regularly at church and I've shared some clips of those in previous newsletters. 

In Mississippi, Pastor Burns, my girlfriend Angel (playing fiddle) and I will record an album of these old southern gospel songs. My hope is to release this as an album on vinyl later this year. I think it's going to be pretty awesome, so I'll have more updates on that once we get back. I regularly play songs like “Keep on the Sunny Side of Life” or “I Saw the Light” at churches, rock clubs and small theaters and it really doesn't matter who the audience is, people love hearing those songs. They are timeless and powerful and we're planning on recording 10-12 of them. My lifelong friend Rick Berlin attended a rehearsal we did at the church and filmed this four-minute video. This song, "God Walks the Dark Hills" will be one of the songs we record. I hope you enjoy it. Click here to watch.

If you wanna buy the Willie book it's up on both Amazon and Barnes and Noble's websites. If you liked that long rambling story I just told, it's a bunch of those : ) GIG INFO BELOW!!!!!

Peace!
Matt

February 10th (Tues.) - Townsend Public Library 6:30 PM - Making up a concert that was rescheduled due to the recent storm. I'll be talking about the relationship between Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan and playing some of the songs they collaborated on through the years. I'll also delve into Dylan's album Nashville Skyline that he recorded (with Cash contributing) in 1969. For more info visit this link. 

Feb. 22nd (Sun.) Worcester Library 1 PM - Another concert doing the songs of Cash and Dylan. More info at this link. 

Feb. 26th (Thurs.) Wilmington Library 7 PM,  Highwaymen  - First time in Wilmington and I'll be doing the songs of the great Highwaymen, as part of their Coffeehouse Concert Series. More details at this link. 

February 28th (Sat.) Mattapoisett Library at 2 PM - Doing the songs of Cash/Dylan. More info at this link.  

February 28th (Saturday) The Parlour in Providence. Rhode Island at 8 PM - After a month of playing libraries and senior centers, I'll be opening for one of New England's finest punk rockers/honky-tonkers ever, the great Lenny Lashley (Darkbuster, Lenny and the Piss Poor Boys, Gang of One). I'll have Angel on fiddle for this one. I first played a gig with Lenny over 25 years ago, so it'll be fun to stay up late. He's been my favorite Boston songwriter for many years. Tickets are $20. More info at this link. 

DECEMBER, 2025 UPDATE

Happy Holidays folks,

A few quick updates for you.

I had a great time in Nashville playing at Vinyl Tap. Also got to see some really great live music including concerts by Jonny Fritz, Joshua Hedley, Kyle Tuttle and Sweet Megg. I play concerts all the time to older folks who talk about how they love classic country music and can't stand modern country music. I'm also no fan of commercial country music, but I can say unequivocally that there's a lot of really amazing country music out there by young artists. They aren't playing to packed rooms, they aren't playing Gillette Stadium, but they are out there and finding an audience and it was great to see a lot of that music while we were down there.  

I had the opportunity to perform with my lifelong friend Rick Berlin at the Burren in Davis Square in Somerville as part of a concert that was curated by the Boston Globe's James Sullivan called “Who's Side Are You On?”. Rick and I first performed together when I was a freshman in high school and he recently turned eighty years old and is the definition of a Boston music legend, so it was a lot of fun to accompany him on this song with a great backing band. You can watch it at this link.

I'm going to be traveling across Texas (Austin to El Paso) in late January/early February doing a combination of library concerts and bar gigs talking about the Willie book and playing some old honky-tonk music. If you know any Texans that might be interested, please let them know.

I don't have a lot of concerts open to the public in December (although I'm extremely busy doing Xmas concerts). Angelica and I will be returning to First Night Chatham doing the songs of Cash and Willie. We're playing two afternoon concerts in the downtown area. More info and advanced tickets can be found at www.firstnightchatham.com. The concerts listed below are Holiday concerts that I'll be performing that are open to the public. All four concerts are free. Here's an old holiday song “Pretty Paper” that was made famous by Roy Orbison and written by a young fella named Willie Nelson about 65 years ago. It's such a pretty song. I hope you enjoy it. 

Dec. 4th (Thurs.) Westborough Library

Dec. 5th (Fri.) Bourne Library 4:30 PM

Dec. 6th (Sat.) Fitchburg library at 6 PM

Dec. 13th (Sat.) 11 AM Townsend Library

If you're looking for a stocking stuffer or Christmas gift, my books on Willie and also the Highwaymen are available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble's websites.  

Lots of good stuff coming up in 2026. Thanks for all your support. It's been an incredible year musically and I'm very grateful to get to do this thing I do.

If you want to follow me on Facebook, you can do so at this link. 

I hope you all have a terrific Turkey Day!

Matt

NOVEMBER, 2025 UPDATE

Hi folks,

Just a quick update. I've had some great concerts in October including a couple of harvest festivals and I'm guessing I've probably played my final outdoor gigs of 2025.

I'll be playing at Vinyl Nap in East Nashville, Tennessee on Sunday, November 9th from 4 PM to 6 PM. You can learn more at www.vinaltapnashville.com. This concert is free and I'll be talking about the Willie book, singing his songs and signing copies of the book. I'll have Angelica joining me on fiddle. If you're down in that area or know somebody that is/will be, please let them know. You'd be hard-pressed to find a cooler spot to see music than Vinyl Tap. I haven't played in Nashville in two years. I've had some of the greatest and some of the worst concerts of my musical life in that city. It's always fun to be there though and I'm always grateful that someone down there is willing to take a chance on booking me.

November is a slow month for me. I'll be at First Church in Pembroke, MA on Sunday, November 16th at 3:30 PM for a free concert doing the classic country music Revue. It's a free concert, it has great acoustics and I'll also have Angelica on fiddle w/ me at that one. Also I'll be doing some gigs in Newport at the Newport Playhouse's kitchen they just opened. You can find more info on that at https://www.newportplayhouse.com/

I'll be turning into Christmas song singing guy for all of December and then will be doing the songs of Cash and Willie as part of First Night Chatham. More info on that at https://www.firstnightchatham.com/

This month's video is a cover of the John Lennon song “Jealous Guy”, which you can check out at https://youtu.be/yCP94O2PppY?si=fBbktWCBuW8crbW0

If you're interested in a copy of the Willie book, it's on Amazon and Barnes and Nobles' websites (find them at this link). My four-sentence pitch of why you should absolutely purchase several copies of the book as Christmas gifts. Since Betty White passed away, the only thing we can agree on on this planet is that we love all Dolly Parton and we all love Willie Nelson. The book is priced to move at $20-$25 and it's the perfect Yankee Swap gift. It's not a bio, it's short little nuggets I've picked up doing this thing I do about both Willie and Massachusetts. You have a great opportunity to be the cool person at your holiday party this December. The choice is yours : )

That's all I got for you! Thanks for all your support. If you any questions, want to book me or whatever, please email me at mattyorkpembroke@gmail.com.

Hi folks,

Just my periodic check-on on all things music. September was a wonderful month of music that included a terrific sold-out concert at the Marion Art Center, a few harvest fests and a whole bunch of other concerts.

I do a lot more private concerts as the weather changes, but I do have some upcoming concerts I wanted to make you aware of.

I'm doing a series of Thursday concerts down in Newport, Rhode Island at the Newport Playhouse beginning this Thursday, October 9th from 5:30 to 9:00. They have great food there. I'll be there most Thursdays in October and early November. Check out my gigs page, for more info at https://mattyorksongsandstories.com/shows. Their website is https://www.newportplayhouse.com/

On Tuesday, October 14th, I'll be at the Winthrop Library and Museum at 6:30 PM. I'll also be out by Amherst performing at the Pelham Library on October, 25th at 11 AM. All info on those shows can be found at https://mattyorksongsandstories.com/shows. Further down the road, First Church in Pembroke MA on Sunday, November 16th and for my Cape friends, I'll be returning to First Night Chatham for the third consecutive year on 12/31.

I'm heading to Nashville to play one of the really great venues down there, Vinyl Tap on Sunday, November 9th. Vinyl Tap is located in East Nashville and is a bar, a live music venue and a record store all in one. Pretty cool. More info available at https://www.vinyltapnashville.com/

A video I recorded of the “new” Waylon Jennings' song “Songbird” has been watched over five thousand times since I recorded it a few weeks back on YouTube. That's a lot for me, so figured I'd share it with you (I may have already done this, I forget : )  

I'll be picking up a few guitar and/or vocal students (online unless you live on the South Shore), so if you've ever wanted to try and learn guitar or improve your playing/singing etc., please reach out at mattyorkpembroke@gmail.com or call/text me at 781-953-6177 and I can give more info.

With the holidays coming up, a few things I offer that may be of interest to some of you, my books on Willie and the Highwaymen are both available for purchase on Amazon and Barnes and Nobles' websites. You can find those links at www.mattyorksongsandstories.com. Last year, I had a few people to ask me to record versions of a specific either as a video or an an audio track. That was a lot of fun. If you have a song you'd love to hear me sing for someone special in your life, let me know. I'll also be offering private house concerts. If any of that is of interest,  please reach out at mattyorkpembroke@gmail.com or call/text me at 781-953-6177 and I can give more info.

Hi folks,

Just a quick update on all things music. Tonight (Monday, July 28th), I'll be doing an Author Talk in Belmont, MA at  All Saints Parish Hall at 6 PM. There's more info on that at this link. This week I'll also be in Bourne and Capron Park in Attleboro.

On Saturday, I'm excited to be part of  Voices on the Common, a vibrant celebration of community, creativity, and democracy—part of the Smithsonian’s Voices and Votes: Democracy in America traveling exhibition in Ashby, MA. I'll be talking primarily about the relationship between Jimmy Carter and Willie Nelson and performing the songs of Willie. It's outdoors on Ashby Common and you can find out more information at this link.

I'm all over the place in August including two nights at the Newport Playhouse during Labor Day weekend in Newport, Rhode Island. All concerts that are open to the public are up at www.mattyorksongsandstories.com. You can also find music, videos and more info on my book there.

This is a video that my longtime friend/collaborator Rick Berlin shot of a song called “Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind” that is part of the honky tonk album that I made earlier this year 

Thanks for your support and, as always, you have any questions, concerns etc, shoot me an email.

Enjoy these summer days!

Hi folks,

A few updates for you. First off, I had a cancellation for a 4th of July concert, so if you're looking for me to bring some twangy vibes to your BBQ etc., let me know. Classic Country Music goes well with hot dogs. You can reach me at 781-953-6177 or mattyorkpembroke@gmail.com if you're interested.

Tonight (June 26th) I'll be at the Groton Outdoor Summer Concert Series in beautiful Groton, MA behind the library. Thankfully the heat has passed, so it should be a nice night for a concert. I'm also in Amherst tomorrow (6/27) on their town common for a concert w/ a Neil Young tribute band called Harvest and Rust. They should both be good concerts

I have far too many concerts to list here, but you can visit https://www.mattyorksongsandstories.com to find out all the places I'll be in July. The short answer is I'll be everywhere. Also, I play at a lot of COAs across MA and don't list those concerts because sometimes they don't have room for people that don't generally go there. However, if you are wondering if I'll be doing a COA in your area, don't hesitate to respond to this email and I'll let you know. 

If you're looking for some summer reading, a reminder that my book, The Words and Wisdom of Willie Nelson  is available on Amazon and Barnes Nobles's website. You can find the book at this link https://linktr.ee/thewordsandwisdomofwillie

Also both new albums (gospel and honky-tonk) are available on all streaming platforms and can be found at https://linktr.ee/mattyorkmusic

Here's a video of a great old song called “Farther Along” that's been covered by a boatload of artists through the years. 

That's the update! Thanks for reading.

Matt York

Put some money in the gas tank at Venmo or PayPal. 

Brighton Music Hall in Allston, Massachusetts April 2025

Spring, 2025: Excited to announce that I've released two new albums. I recorded both records in a small cottage that I lived in during the Winter of 2024/2025 in Marshfield, Massachusetts. The Honky-Tonk record is a whole bunch of old (and somewhat obscure) songs. The Gospel album is a collection of some of my favorite Christian hymns, but with a Southern Gospel/Classic Country spin on them. I hope you'll take a listen. I'll have CDs available of both albums at all my concerts. If you follow this link, you can find the records on streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music also places you can listen for free like BandCamp and YouTube. I hope you enjoy them. 

This song is the first song on the honky tonk album is an old song by Faron Young.  

Chicopee, Massachusetts. Spring, 2025.

Hi folks,

Spring hasn't really sprung here in Massachusetts, but it should be happening soon enough. I've got a few things happening in April and beyond.

I'm releasing two albums this month. I'll have them on CD at my gigs and you'll be able to stream both of them on Apple Music, Spotify and all other streaming services in the coming weeks. The albums collectively are called Saturday's Sins and Sunday's Psalms. Someone once told me that Nashville, TN has both the most bars and the most churches per capita of any city in America. The Saturday's Sins album is a bunch of old honky tonk songs about drinking, bad love and fighting. Sunday's Psalms are a bunch of old southern gospel hymns for repenting the next morning. I've had a blast making these records over the winter. You can listen to each record for free now on BandCamp by clicking on the album covers below. I'm really happy with how they came out.

I have a bunch of great gigs in April. I'll be playing a short set at Brighton Music Hall in Allston as part of a tribute at my longtime friend and musical mentor Rick Berlin's 80th birthday. I'm opening for the excellent Clem Snide at the Galactic Theater in Warren, Rhode Island and I'll be criss-crossing the state all month long, starting with concerts in Mattapoisett and Pembroke over the next week. You can find all gig info at http://mattyorksongsandstories.com/shows

If you haven't had a chance to grab a copy of my book/eBook (or read a sample), you can find it at http://linktr.ee/thewordsandwisdomofwillie. I've received some really great feedback on the book and I'm excited to be promoting it in the months ahead,

 
Photo by John Carrozza. Hanson, MA, March 2025

I've had a few people inquire about house concerts/private parties. I'll be doing some of those but primarily they'll just be in the Southeastern part of the state. If you might be interested in having me come there to play, please shoot me an email or call/text me at 781-953-6177.

Thanks for your support,

Matt York

www.mattyorkmusic.com

Hi folks,

Just a few quick updates as there's been a couple of concerts added and a ticketed concert that has been canceled.

This Saturday, March 22nd, I'll be at the Townsend Public Library for an author talk discussing the new book about Willie that I wrote at 12 PM. More info at https://townsendlibrary.org/

Next week, I'm at the Tyngsborough Old Town Hall on Wednesday, March 26th (Wed.) at 6 PM doing the songs of Willie. More info at https://www.tynglib.org/

March 27th (Thurs.) I'm doing two adult education courses  at the Snow Library in Orleans as part of their Lifetime Learning Series. This will be different from what I normally do in that I'll be sharing photos from my years performing over the years and performing songs that those images make me think of. More info at https://friendsofsnowlibrary.org/matt-york-troubadour-tales-songs/

March 27th (Thurs.) after the two concerts in Orleans, I'll be at the Lakeville LIbrary at 6 PM. More info on that can be found at https://www.lakevillelibrary.org/

A bunch of other shows up and listed on my website at www.mattyorksongsandstories.com

                                                                                  Photo by John Carrozza

Two quick notes on ticketed concerts:

My concert opening for Christine Ohlman in April at The Music Room in Yarmouth has been canceled. If you purchased advanced tickets, please reach out directly to the venue for a refund.

My musical mentor and longtime Boston rock legend Rick Berlin will be celebrating his 80th Birthday at the Brighton Music Hall in Allston (was Harper's Ferry for years). I'm playing a real short set (ten minutes) but it's a who's who of Boston artists (list below on flier) that will be doing similar short sets followed by Rick's full band performance. Rick's bands Orchestra Luna, Berlin Airlift and many others have made some of the most beautiful music this region has ever produced. Tickets for that at https://crossroadspresents.com/pages/brighton-music-hall

Thanks for your time! Lots of new music coming in the months ahead. Here's a sample www.soundcloud.com

Matt York

Hi folks,

March is here and I'm rapidly becoming a busier man than I've been the past couple of months. I've listed all concerts that are open to the public on my website at https://mattyorksongsandstories.com/shows. In short, in March I'll be coming to Abington, Hanson, Townsend, Tyngsborough, Orleans, Lakeville, Ludlow and Medway, as well as a number of private concerts.

      Shepherd Center for the Performing Arts, Fairhaven, MA Feb. 2025

I'm the cover boy (or cover middle-aged guy) on this month's Metronome Magazine, which has been a long-time music magazine in New England. It can be found at music shops all over and it's free (I don't think the article is available online unfortunately)

I've had a few people reach out about summer private concerts for parties/BBQs etc. I have an early private gig on the 4th of July but if someone is looking for music for their 4th celebration, let me know. I won't be venturing to far but if you're in SE Mass, feel free to call/text/email me at 781-953-6177 or at mattyorkpembroke@gmail.com. For other summer dates, if you're looking for a weekend, they are rapidly filling up so please connect with me if you're interested.

Further out, in April, I'm doing a couple of ticketed concerts of original music. One at The Music Room in Yarmouth, MA opening for Christine Ohlman and one at the Galactic Theater in Warren, Rhode Island opening for Clem Snide. More info on my shows page.

If you haven't listened to the two new songs I have out on Spotify or Apple Music, be sure to do so. You can also watch a new video for my single “Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind?” that my lifelong friend Rick Berlin did. The link for that is 

Here's an old gospel song that I performed at church this past Sunday. It was most famously done by both Jim Reeves and Elvis Presley. 

Thanks for your support,

Matt York

On Facebook at www.facebook.com/mattyorkboston

On Instagram at www.instagram.com/mattyorkboston