Steve 'n' Seagulls banjo player Matias Haavisto (aka Herman) has lately been busy working on Matias and the Canyons' debut album Echoes of the Canyon.
"The album's songs are bound together by my interest in American folk music from the 60s and 70s and contemporary
Americana. Laurel Canyon's music has definitely been a part of my inspiration - the band's name and the title of the
album are a tribute to that musical counter-culture. I recognize the way touring with Steven 'n' Seagulls has molded me as a songwriter and how the things I've seen and experienced on tour have turned into songs. A couple of older songs
also found new life on this album," Haavisto says.
Echoes of the Canyon album release Matias and the Canyons, hailing from the Finnish American-influenced music scene, released no the album on Friday, May 29th. Echoes of the Canyon is available for streaming/download and on limited edition vinyl and CD at levykauppa Äx and the Matias and the Canyons online store. The producer and sound engineer Jarkko Viinamäki had a huge impact on the overall sound.
The singer-songwriter banjo player met the band members in the right state of mind: "In the beginning of the recording session, I had plans of making an album based on minimal instrumentation, tracking mainly banjos, guitars, percussion and vocals. Jarkko suggested we try a couple of songs with Luis (bass) and Janne (drums). It just sounded
like they already knew the songs, so we ended up recording the whole album together. It turned out well," Haavisto says.
The album was recorded at Magnusborg Studios in Porvoo, Finland, in summer 2019. The album was produced, recorded and mixed by Jarkko Viinamäki. The band: Matias (vocals, guitars, banjo), Luis Herrero (bass, backing vocals) Janne Mathlin (drums), Jarkko Viinamäki (guitar).
ECHOES OF THE CANYON
1. Echoes of the Canyon
2. Satellites
3. Slow Down River
4. Shaman
5. Heard It on the Records
6. Spring Hay
7. To Be Yourself
8. The Eye of the Hurricane
9. Gloomy Days
Videos