Matthew
Perryman
Jones
NOVEMBER 3
A performing songwriter by trade, Matthew Perryman Jones is actually a seeker, at heart. With each entry in his discography, his musical and moral compass points toward an artistic horizon he has yet to explore. Sometimes, he turns his gaze to examine his own inner world. Other times, he looks to the inspirations found in places like the letters Vincent Van Gogh penned to his brother Theo, in the idea of duende* as proffered by Federico García Lorca, and in the poetic verses of Sufi poets Hafiz and Rumi.
Of his most recent release, American Songwriter wrote that, “MPJ’s songwriting acumen could easily be used as a musical template to demonstrate how less can be so much more. [It] sounds cinematic and slowly worms its way inside your brain, feasts upon your emotions, and ultimately burrows down into your soul.” It could be said that Matthew makes soul music — not based on how it sounds, but on where it originates and where it resides.
In fact, Whitney Bradburn, St Andrew's worship leader and longtime fan, had this to say about MPJ: "His music touches me on such an emotional level. It has a transcendence to it, but his voice has a way of grounding its meaning in my soul unlike many other singer-songwriters. When I listen to MPJ, I sometimes end up asking myself, 'Why am I crying?' I find something of myself in his music ... or it finds me."
Originally from Pennsylvania, Matthew grew up in Georgia and cut his artistic teeth in the Atlanta music scene before heading north to Nashville. With seven albums to his credit, his debut release, Nowhere Else But Here, dropped in 2000, and songs from across his catalog have been featured in dozens of film and TV placements, like Bones, Grey's Anatomy, Reign, Vampire Diaries, Private Practice, and others. Tours have taken him across the U.S. and abroad to share stages with legends like Shawn Colvin and Patty Griffin, as well as the Ten Out of Tenn songwriter collective of which he is a part.
We are thrilled to have Matthew for this intimate solo performance at St Andrew's Nov 3 in the Mount Pleasant Ministry Center Sanctuary.
* See 'Duende (art)' on Wikipedia to learn more about this concept of a heightened sense of emotion, expression, and authenticity in music.“His music touches me on such an emotional level. It has a transcendence to it, but his voice has a way of grounding its meaning in my soul unlike many other singer-songwriters. When I listen to MPJ, I sometimes end up asking myself, ‘Why am I crying?’ I find something of myself in his music ... or it finds me.”
