Rising musician grateful to share new music in the Sault

If you’ve gone out for a drink in the last few months, there’s a good chance you’ve seen Matthew James with a guitar and a microphone.

The 29-year-old Uxbridge, Ont. singer-songwriter moved to the Sault two years ago and has been performing in every bar, restaurant, and venue that will have him — often upwards of five times a week.

Even in the last week alone, James has performed at CLA's 70th anniversary bash, the City's Summer Concert Series, Pizza Fest, and ARCH 's annual Great Bucket List Cycle, among other private events and pub shows. 

Establishing a name for himself in the north without any help from social media, the young musician is now getting ready to release his long-awaited and first-ever EP (extended play) entitled Good Talk, a four-song set of folk-rock pieces he’ll be performing live at Northern Superior on Sept. 6.

“I’m so excited to share this with everybody,” James told SooToday.

But the journey from his humble beginnings down south to the hustle of earning notoriety up north was by no means a straight line.

Born and raised in Uxbridge, James knew from a young age he wanted to be a performer — but that dream didn’t exactly start with an instrument in his hands.

“The Sault and Uxbridge have one thing in common: theatre,” he said. “It was a town of 6,000 with six theatre companies, so there wasn’t a lot of open mics. After school, you’re in a show. On the weekends, you’re in a show. It was fantastic.”

Growing up within the deep-rooted theatre traditions of his hometown, James eventually attended Sheridan College in Oakville where he earned a bachelor’s degree in musical theatre performance.

Although he enjoyed the acting scene, something clicked for him near the beginning of the pandemic while he was moving around southern Ontario.  

“I learned how to play guitar and play it well through campfires, backyard sessions, and cast parties,” he explained. “Then, I played a couple open mics in Burlington, and I loved it. I got a pretty good response from what I was writing, and it truly started to fuel my artistic spirit.”

After getting some reps under his belt down south, James moved up to Chapleau to live with his now fiancée Courtney who he met at Sheridan — both of whom navigated the challenges of COVID in a remote town of 1,900 people.

Once things began to return to normal in 2022, the couple set their eyes on Sault Ste. Marie.

“Music is what I wanted to do full-time, and we looked at the Sault,” James said. “She went to White Pines for her last year of high school, so we had a bit of a connection there already. We immediately fell in love with the city — it’s such a wonderful place to be.”

Whether he’s serenading older crowds at Mulligan’s Irish Pub on a Thursday night, jamming out with younger audiences at Northern Superior on a Saturday, or providing special memories at a Thomson Farms wedding, James feels incredibly fortunate to share his love of music with a city that has welcomed him with open arms.

It also doesn’t hurt that he has ten hours worth of cover music in his repertoire that covers nearly every genre imaginable — essentially making him a living, breathing acoustic jukebox.

“I’m blown away by the support,” he said. “It’s something I’ve never experienced before. Theatre was always very tight-knit, but I never got that with live music and the general public until I came here.”

“But as an artist, I truly believe it’s a give and take,” he added. “If you give the people what they want, they’ll return it in spades and keep coming back.”

And they must keep coming back because James has been no stranger to some pretty significant accolades in recent weeks.

Back in July, the rising performer was voted as the Sault’s best artist in a radio contest hosted by KiSS 100.5.

Then in August, James earned four Platinum results in the city-wide Community Votes contest for the following categories: Entertainer, Live Entertainment, Wedding Entertainer, and Local Band.

“That wasn’t something I was ready for,” he admitted. “To hear that feedback from the community — that was huge and really sweet. I’m still trying to process it.”

Aside from doing gigs, James has found other ways to give back to the community as he teaches vocals twice a week at Long & McQuade.

“It’s another great way of keeping the artistic community going,” he said. “And you get to see the passion from these kids which is really cool. I’m working with kids who are in Les Misérables this winter, so it’s been fun kind of reliving my theatre days.”

While he’s set on getting married and raising kids in the Sault, James admits he’d still like to do some touring. He’s even weighed the possibility of visiting the Legions around northern Ontario and beyond.

“That’s something I grew up on,” he said. “What we’ve done with our Legion is spectacular, but I know there are other Legions that really need some assistance out there. Some places like Chapleau are where that’s still the only bar in town.”

Thinking big picture, the Uxbridge native has had visions of one day reviving the nostalgic tunes of old Canadian music legends and forming a festival that would bring in tourists and support the city’s economic and entertainment pillars.

“There’s an old tradition of singer-songwriters making their start in Canada — Neil Young, Gordon Lightfoot, Stompin’ Tom Connors, Joni Mitchell — these renowned artists got their start up here,” he said. “I’d like to revive that, maybe even with a northern Ontario music festival that becomes a staple and a must-see.”

Until then, James is thrilled to continue sharing his folk-rock sound with the locals, especially during his upcoming “Good Talk” EP Release Party at Northern Superior on Sept. 6 at 8 p.m.

“Good Talk” releases on all streaming platforms Nov. 19.

Featuring four contrasting songs, his extended play takes listeners through the challenges of communication in modern-day society — and there’s nowhere else in the world he’d like to communicate his love for music than right here in the Sault.

“I’ve moved around about 11 or 12 times, and you’d be hard-pressed to find something as unique, accessible, and full of opportunity as the Sault,” he said. “As an outsider who now calls the Sault their home, I’m very proud to go out and say I live here.”