Hello all,

This update will be a little different than most. If you're a member of a Local Cultural Council in Massachusetts, there's a bunch of information below and at this link talking more about "Songs and Stories - The Highwaymen". For LCC members, most of the information you're likely seeking is in my responses on the LCC application. However, I just wanted to mention a couple of things about the project as well. First off, if you're curious, click on the one of the videos below. That'll give you a sense of the music and stories that are covered. This series is something I began doing right before COVID and then started back up again in the springtime. It's not a lecture, it's not a concert per se, it's me telling stories and singing songs about the four country stars that made up the country supergroup The Highwaymen. Country musician Marty Stuart once said about Johnny Cash that “There are two kinds of people, there's those who like Johnny Cash, and those that will.” The same could be said of the other members of the band as well. The band consisted of Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson. I weave stories about their careers with some of their greatest songs. One of the things that made their stories so unusual, is that they all lived incredibly full lives. They all grew up poor, three of the four served in military, all of them battled alcoholism and drug issues. All of them were considered "outlaws" yet also made religious music and faith was a big part of their lives. They also wrote some of the greatest country songs of all-time, changed the shape of popular music and did so on their own terms. There are some video links to the project. One of the things that's been nice about this, is that the crowd has varied in age and it's been something that couples have enjoyed attending together. My goal is to visit as many towns as I can doing this in 2022. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email me at mattyorkpembroke@gmail.com or call/text me at 781-953-6177.

For those of you seeking a normal music update, I've got some great shows coming up this fall. I'm really looking forward to opening for Nashville's Jeremy Pirnell on October 17th at Askew in Providence, Rhode Island. That should be a great night of music.

There are two videos below.  

This video is both an interview and performance I did on Whitman Hanson Community Access . The first 5-10 minutes are me talking about how the Highwaymen performances first came about. The remainder of the video is me performing for a a small crowd at the Whitman Senior Center. It's a good example of what these gigs usually are like. Thanks to Paul at Whitman Hanson Community Access for recording them.

 

The video below was shot at City Winery in NYC and is of a song  written by Billy Joe Shaver and made famous by Waylon Jennings.