Matthew Price: Songwriting awards, new CD herald new stage in career

By Linda Whitmore

Kids and counselors circle the campfire, singing camp songs and cowboy ballads to music played on a guitar – it’s a tradition at Canyonview Camp, one that creates lifetime memories. Even more so for Matthew Price, son of the guitar-playing camp director, who was raised at the Christian camp.

“I was the luckiest kid in the world, I figure,” said Price, now a folk singer himself.

Although he grew up with music as an integral part of his life, he didn’t take it up seriously until he was about 16 and began to study guitar. Still, he was shy about performing.

“I wouldn’t have been able to play for three people then, now I can play for 300,” he said.

Price will bring his music to Mount Angel Performing Arts Center on March 13. It’s the local debut of his CD Stranded, which was released in December.

His group includes Nate Hagen, guitar; Paul Lunde, percussion and Jon Preis, bass.

Price is making a name for himself in the music scene. He’s garnered a number of awards, including first place from Texas Songwriters Cruise Song Contest in 2009 for the song, “Stranded.”

In 2008, he was named Oregon’s best singer/songwriter by Portland Songwriters Association at the Bite of Oregon; and won the Suggested Artist Award in the VH1 Song of the Year Contest. The year before, the Portland Songwriters Association gave him the “Best Rock Song – Idol” award. His newly released album is one of Oregon’s most popular online at cdbaby.com.

Price and his group have been entertaining around Oregon, and this summer he plans to expand his travels to Colorado, Idaho, Montana and California.

New opportunities are making themselves available to the Silverton native who now lives and teaches third grade in Salem. He plays guitar for his students and at school assemblies, and plans to do songwriting workshops.

“I’m at a transition point,” he said. “This is probably the last year I’ll be a full-time teacher because music is getting really busy.”

Price characterizes his sound as a mixture of folk and rock with “really mellow stories,” he said.

“That’s what I try to do – tell the stories we all have, in a way people can enjoy, connect with.”

Price and his wife, Amy, have two sons, Noah, 4; and Logan, 11 months. He’s glad that music is moving into the forefront of his livelihood.

“I really just want to keep writing songs that make a difference for people. I want this to be my living – and we’re getting close.”

He said he is very grateful for the turn of events in his life. “I get to do the thing I love for my job. I love writing and I love sharing it.”