Marvest is an offshoot of the CityFolk festival that runs between September 16th and 20th, at the Aberdeen Pavilion, and along Bank Street. These mostly free shows feature local bands, and we’ll be profiling some of those bands. CityFolk asked several local cultural producers, including Apt613, to curate shows at Marvest.
Matt Dorgan’s love for the saxophone and jazz, which later grew to include genres of fusion, rock, and electronic music, began at a young age. As a musician, he joined various bands, leading an almost nomadic lifestyle travelling from town to town, and performing on cruise ships before landing in Ottawa 5 years ago, with the intent to record the ideas he’d been harbouring. His producer at the time, Brian Russell, suggested instead of finding session musicians, that he produce the sounds himself… and the MATT dorgan PROJECT was born. He took it a step further and created himself a one-man show, where he showcases his heavy jazz and electronica influence, his multi-instrumental talent, audio engineering skills, and a wealth of ideas in his self-constructed playground of light, colour, and sound.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nL8r6Ua_ZhI[/youtube]
“I took some audio engineering courses before I recorded this second album. There were sounds I wanted to accomplish in the short time that I had…so I thought I could learn these things on my own, and use less studio time. These last two years have been an evolution not just in terms of my live performance, but also the recording, arranging, mixing, and mastering aspects as well.”
During a show, Dorgan moves with fluidity from one end of his console to the other in a kind of dance, while he pauses intermittently to switch instruments of guitar, sax, and voice. The music flows seamlessly and steadily from one cool groove to the next, as a smattering of visuals go on behind him on several screens. I got a sense of a budding Daniel Lanois, immersed in the mastery of his own musical creativity, as he tweaked, looped, and dialed in a variety of sounds and rhythms.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVnZQgQIg-k[/youtube]
“There’s a lot of improvisation. I like the jazz aspect of being able to open it up to do a solo section, or whatever I want. Since there’s only myself on stage, I’ve incorporated some interactive visuals to add to the experience as well. It’s an app on a tablet synced up to the music on my computer, where the audience can control the visuals that are happening behind me.”
Dorgan’s second upcoming album, Breaking Radio Silence, shows an increased maturity and diversity in his writing, and fearless experimentation. “El Pato”, is a prime example of this, with colourful layers of lush instrumentation that build over its infectious rhythm. The track, “Battle Of Batoche”, is a stirring piece, written in ode to the discovery of his Métis roots. Dorgan incorporated segments of traditional Métis music, as well as quotes from his great great grandfather, who fought during the Northwest Rebellion of 1885 at Batoche, Saskatchewan.
Marvest is an off-shoot series of performances created by CityFolk which will feature over 60 local acts during the festival, and take place inside various shops, venues, and storefronts along the Glebe area of Bank. St., as well as inside the Aberdeen Pavilion on the festival site. The MATT dorgan PROJECT will be appearing along with Kelly Sloan and Moonfruits, as part of Apt613’s curated showcase at Original Burger Joint, 873 Bank. St. on Fri. Sept. 18, at 11pm, where he plans to officially release his sophomore album, “Breaking Radio Silence”. Check out the Facebook event here. You can also find the MATT dorgan PROJECT on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
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