Since releasing his debut album Ballads in 2010, Matthew Byrne has established himself as one of Canada’s foremost traditional singers. His rich and powerful vocals, refined guitar style, and compelling interpretations of unique traditional songs have made him a favourite of folk audiences at home in Newfoundland and abroad. After a long hiatus from the studio and the road, Byrne releases his 4th studio album, Stealing Time. This project brought Byrne to Yellow Arch Studios in Sheffield, UK, where he teamed up with folk legend Martin Simpson as producer. The album features instrumentation from some of the finest musicians on the English folk scene, including Nancy Kerr, Andy Cutting, and Liz Hanks.

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Storytelling through song is a fundamental duty of traditional music, and Matthew does this brilliantly. With parents who were singers and song collectors, he was brought up with a strong family focus on sharing songs and has cultivated a distinctive repertoire and deep appreciation for rediscovering and reinventing traditional material.

“I’m not a folklorist or ethnomusicologist, at least not officially. And I’m not a purist. I’ve pored over the nuances of the pub standards as much as the obscure murder balladry. What attracts me to a traditional song is the right combination of melody and language, which have always fascinated me.”

But Byrne is also a student of history, whose love of traditional music extends far beyond the words and music. For him, songs are a way of understanding people before him — their lives, work, language, and worldview.

“I see songs as sources of the past—windows into my family history. Traditional music has always been my most important tool for understanding where I come from and who I am. My live performance is meant to take audiences on a journey through the lineage of my repertoire and share what these songs have revealed to me.”