Mitch Holtby

Born and raised in Clearwater, B.C., Mitch Holtby, a.k.a. Mitchmatic, moved to Edmonton and entered the music scene in 2007. In 2010 Holtby released his first mix-tape Two Weeks Off to much acclaim. The pre-debut charted nationally on Earshot and elicited invitations to open for Big Boi (Outkast) and Chali 2na (Jurassic 5) among others.

The adjudicators describe him as a “total entertainer, at ease in spoken word, dub and music.”

2012’s recent follow-up It’s Probably Raining (considered a debut) reached number two on Earshot’s National Hip-Hop charts and caught the attention of local Edmonton station Sonic 102.9, which made Mitchmatic their band of the month for April. The record’s single Why Don’t You Know debuted on NPR’s All Songs Considered, and the accompanying music video is still creating an online buzz.

Holtby has performed for Edmonton Poetry Festivals, The Works Fest, The International Fringe Fest’, Improvaganza, Metropolis, TEDx Edmonton, NextFest and more. He will also play at the 2012 Winnipeg Jazz Fest’.

Along with solo aspirations, Holtby is a frequent guest member in many fellow Alberta artists’ projects. He has performed more than 200 shows with his own band and more than 20 others since 2010.