Matthew R. Sayles
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Singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, & Founder & Managerial Melomaniac of Philville Records. Matthew R. country project the Detroit Sportsmen's Congress.
Sayles is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and founder of Philville Records, an independent label formed in 2000 in Marquette, Michigan. Sayles has toured nationally and internationally, and has had the honor of performing with country, bluegrass, and western swing legends like Merle Haggard, Dwight Yoakam, Asleep at the Wheel, Larry Sparks, Doyle Lawson, the Duhks, Uncle Earl, Hot Club of Cowtown, members of Bob Dylan's "Rolling Thunder Review" and a long list of other highly talented regional and national roots music performers. Sayles's solo performances bounce from up tempo Telecaster-picked roots country, early rock & roll, roadhouse blues, Americana ballads, and bluegrass, to north African-inspired instrumental pieces on five string banjo and south American-infused arrangements on the Andean ten-stringed Charango. An accomplished songwriter, story-teller, and performer with a deep interest in the history of American roots music, Sayles's live performances evoke a modern interpretation of the coffee house shows of the 1950s and 60s, while still keeping one foot grounded in the beer halls, honky-tonks, and night clubs of the recent past and present. Philville Records was located in Ventura, CA from 2009-2019, and is now based in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Sayles continues to write, record, produce and perform as a solo artist, as well as with the Ventucky String Band, and his more recent alt. He also performs and does session work with several Los Angeles, Ventura, Portland and Santa Barbara alt. country and roots music projects.
06/23/2026
Sunday Funday! June 28, 202B
Matthew R. Sayles is heading to Backwoods Waterside Bar & Grill for a Sunday Funday! (1 pm)
Brianna Rae is going solo and you can catch her at Red's Grill and Bar! Music kicks off at 2 pm!
Josh White at CHIPPEWA PINES RESORT! This is a fun one! (3)
Ryan McGlennen is playing the patio at Boulevard Bar & Grille - Lexington! Come out for some great music! (3)
Dave Snyder is at Wissota High Shores Supper Club! Come hear some great live music and enjoy some awesome food and drink on the awesome outdoor covered patio! (4)
Corey Rae White is ending his weekend at Molly's On Main! Come out for some Sunday afternoon fun & live music! (4:30)
06/14/2026
How Much Does a Tear Weigh? Is now up on all the streaming sites!
Give it a listen here or on your preferred streaming site:
https://www.philvillerecords.com/matthew-r-sayles
This single began its journey as a poem by Don "Wildman" Wegner written after listening to his favorite classic country program on WXPR out of Rhinelander, Wisconsin. Wildman was mourning the end of a long term relationship, and reached out to Matthew R. Sayles to share the poem and see if Sayles could turn it into a song. The end result is this single, How Much Does a Tear Weigh, written in the style of iconic traditional country music singers like Hank Snow, Ray Price, and Don Williams.
Sayles and Wildman have been friends since the early 2000's, having met at a bluegrass showcase with Sayles's first band, Frostbitten Grass. Wildman is a fixture on the Wisconsin bluegrass festival scene going back to the days of Mole Lake Festival, and continues to volunteer and help promote bluegrass music throughout Wisconsin.
Lyrics by Don Wegner & Matthew R. Sayles Music and Arrangement by Matthew R. Sayles Engineering by Matthew R. Sayles, & J.P. Hesser (Castaway 7 Studios, Ventura, CA.)
Produced by Matthew R. Sayles, Basil Lajeneusse, Persephone Del Gato, Melquiades McClane
Pedal Steel: Bill Flores (recorded at Castaway 7 Studios, Ventura, CA)
Fiddle: John Utphall
Bass: Jerod Kaszynski
Guitars/percussion/Vocals: Matthew R. Sayles
06/13/2026
New Single!
How Much Does a Tear Weigh? Is now up on all the streaming sites!
Give it a listen here or on your preferred streaming site:
https://www.philvillerecords.com/matthew-r-sayles
This single began its journey as a poem by Don "Wildman" Wegner written after listening to his favorite classic country program on WXPR out of Rhinelander, Wisconsin. Wildman was mourning the end of a long term relationship, and reached out to Matthew R. Sayles to share the poem and see if Sayles could turn it into a song. The end result is this single, How Much Does a Tear Weigh, written in the style of iconic traditional country music singers like Hank Snow, Ray Price, and Don Williams.
Sayles and Wildman have been friends since the early 2000's, having met at a bluegrass showcase with Sayles's first band, Frostbitten Grass. Wildman is a fixture on the Wisconsin bluegrass festival scene going back to the days of Mole Lake Festival, and continues to volunteer and help promote bluegrass music throughout Wisconsin.
Lyrics by Don Wegner & Matthew R. Sayles Music and Arrangement by Matthew R. Sayles Engineering by Matthew R. Sayles, & J.P. Hesser (Castaway 7 Studios, Ventura, CA.)
Produced by Matthew R. Sayles, Basil Lajeneusse, Persephone Del Gato, Melquiades McClane
Pedal Steel: Bill Flores (recorded at Castaway 7 Studios, Ventura, CA)
Fiddle: John Utphall
Bass: Jerod Kaszynski
Guitars/percussion/Vocals: Matthew R. Sayles
06/10/2026
Thanks to everyone that came out to the show last Friday at the Lakely! Flattered to have my pals Wyatt Thomson, Nick Foytik, and Jerod Kaszynski sit in on a bunch of my original tunes. I’ve got another one of these “Matt Sayles & Friends” gigs lined up for later this year in December. Looking forward to it! Thanks to Matt & Heidi for the pics too!
04/28/2026
Playing a semi-rare Eau Claire solo show this Friday, May 1st at 2Roots Art & Wine Gallery in downtown E.C. 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. (No cover) -- excellent art work to check out, delicious drinks and flatbreads, and some twang, reverb, refuge from yours truly. Hope to see some familiar faces!
04/10/2026
Sitting in with my pal Wyatt Thomson tonight, Friday, April 10th at 2 Roots Gallery, Eau Claire 7-9pm. If you dig original roots music, twang, brother style harmonies, and beautiful art with tasty beverages — this is the show to catch tonight! Hope to see some folks there!
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