Living in a state of intention to love and serve others

Troubadour Matt Epp talks about Amoria, the Junos and starting over after seven albums

July 2, 2014 | Young Voices
Aaron Epp | Young Voices Co-editor

In the song “Working Holiday” from his 2009 album Safe or Free, Matt Epp sings about Newfoundland, California and Alberta all feeling like home. The singer-songwriter grew up in Crystal City, a rural village in Manitoba, and started his music career in Winnipeg. He still has a base there, but given that he tours so much, he also spends significant amounts of time in Toronto, Spain and Turkey.

So where exactly is home for Matt Epp?

“Amoria,” the 33-year-old says by phone from a tour stop in Halifax. “Amoria is my home base all the time.”

Don’t bother looking for Amoria on a map. It has a flag and a national anthem, but no physical location. Epp (no relation to the writer) explains that it’s a nation anyone can choose to be a part of.

“Amoria is the empire of love, and it’s an empire because it wants to take over the world,” Epp explains, pointing out that it takes its name from Amor, the Latin word for love. Ultimately, to be an Amorian is “to live in a state of intention to love and serve others.”

Epp’s creation of Amoria arises from his Christian faith.

“We’re called to follow Christ and be perfect without sin, and we know that we’re going to fail, [but] that doesn’t make us not a Christian when [we fail],” he says. The same idea keeps Amoria from being some idealistic cult or hippie dream, he adds. “It’s committing to live in a state to love and serve others where you keep trying [when you fail]. It’s your vow… and that makes you Amorian.”

Epp first introduced the concept of Amoria on 2011’s At Dawn, his fifth album and the first to feature his band, The Amorian Assembly. Love and service have always been key themes in Epp’s music, though, dating back to his 2005 debut, You’ll Find Me Alone.

Nine years later, Epp’s music continues to take him to exciting places. In April, he was one of the performers at a concert hosted by iconic Canadian rock guitarist Randy Bachman as part of the 2014 Juno Awards.

Later that weekend, “When You Know” from Epp’s 2013 album Learning to Lose Control—a song he co-wrote and recorded with Serena Ryder—was one of the songs that earned Ryder the Juno for Songwriter of the Year.

“We were excited to have even such a small credit,” Epp says. “It’s encouraging when [our music] gets out to more people.”

Epp recently performed at Sam’s Place in Winnipeg as part of a Mennonite Church Canada Assembly event aimed at young adults. Later this month, he will perform at the Brandon Folk, Music and Art Festival in Brandon, Man. The troubadour hopes to start recording his eighth album later this year, and plans to spend the winter in Turkey, where his wife’s family is from. In spring he will head to Europe for more touring.

A year-and-a-half ago, the prolific artist’s seemingly relentless recording and touring schedule caught up with him, and he was treated for clinical exhaustion. Epp took time to stop and rest, and continues to choose his next moves carefully.

After seven albums, he feels like he is starting over.

“I want to take time to listen and really follow what God wants for me,” he says. “I’ve been following [God’s] lead and everything like that, but I started taking too much into my own hands. I learned my lessons and now I’m taking it slower and making sure I’m conscious with each decision.”

Visit www.mattepp.com. You can find a music video for one of Epp’s songs on Youtube.

--Posted July 2, 2014

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