The Matinée

Rarely have I experienced a band that delivers such a complete musical panorama from the get-go as does The
Matinée-- outstanding songs, a fantastic stage show, and a classic look and sound that made me ponder not only where these guys are from, but when they're from as well. The Matinée manage to capture a timeless sound and energy that combines the very best elements of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, the Ozark Mountain Daredevils, the Sam Roberts Band, and the Sheepdogs. The Matinée are almost famous already, and are soon to be the biggest name on the marquee. “ - Grant Lawrence, CBC Radio 3

Weathered by years of work on the road, The Matinée play their bitumen-beaten material with
veteran-like craftsmanship.
This band is no blogosphere-hyped flash-in-the-pan — they’re a testament to the old-school tradition of paying your dues while retaining that youthful, vibrant quality that makes good, essential folk/country-rock leap from the stage.” - Francois Marchand - Vancouver Sun

There are three things that come to mind when I think of the Matinée live. I know that I am about to enjoy an absolute dance party. I know that I am going to be stomping with all my might. I know that I will end up
as sweaty as ever. These three points would lead you to believe that the Matinée is but a 'good time party band', but they are so, so much more. Their music is deep with melodic harmonies, bittersweet tales of love, loss and tragedy, and of course booze. I love the Matinée.”

- Tamara Stanners, Program Director, 102.7 The PEAK - Tamara Stanners - quote

Who will take home the grand prize of $100,500 in the 2011 Peak Performance Project?

On October 26, 2011, 100.5 The PEAK announced the Top 5 PEAK Performance Artists. The announcement named the 4th and 5th place artists, while the Top 3 were named in alphabetical order:

Top 3 Peak Performance Project Artists 2011:

The Boom Booms
Current Swell
The Matinee


4th and 5th place Performance Project Artists 2011:

4. Hilary Grist
5. Acres of Lions

Now in its third year, the award-winning artist development program from 100.5 The PEAK and Music B.C. will give out over $225,000 to the Top 3 artists at the PEAK Performance Project Finale on November 17th at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver. The three finalists will perform at the finale where the ranking of the Top 3 will be announced.

Tickets for the PEAK Performance Project Finale are now on sale at ticketmaster.ca. for $10.05 (plus service charges). - youthink.ca

The top five finalists in the 2011 Peak Performance Project were announced Wednesday afternoon, with three of them getting one step closer to landing a top prize of $100,500.

Victoria's Current Swell and Vancouver's The Boom Booms and The Matinee will all be in contention for top honours at the Peak Performance Project finale, held at the Commodore Ballroom on Nov. 17.

Vancouver singer-songwriter Hilary Grist and Victoria poprockers Acres of Lions have officially earned fourth and fifth place with cash prizes of $10,000 and $5,000 respectively.

"The top 20 finalists were all very close this year," Music BC executive director Bob D'Eith said. "There was no clear standout act - it was anybody's game."

The competition, organized by Music BC and Vancouver radio station 100.5 The Peak, involves a series of challenges including a music boot camp, live performance showcases, and evaluation based on marketing skills and career planning.

Previous top prize winners include Kelowna's We Are the City and Vancouver rapper Kyprios.

Tickets for the Peak Performance Project's finale are on sale now for $10.05 plus service charges at Ticketmaster.


- The Vancouver Sun

The top five finalists in the 2011 Peak Performance Project were announced Wednesday afternoon, with three of them getting one step closer to landing a top prize of $100,500.

Victoria's Current Swell and Vancouver's The Boom Booms and The Matinee will all be in contention for top honours at the Peak Performance Project finale, held at the Commodore Ballroom on Nov. 17.

Vancouver singer-songwriter Hilary Grist and Victoria poprockers Acres of Lions have officially earned fourth and fifth place with cash prizes of $10,000 and $5,000 respectively.

"The top 20 finalists were all very close this year," Music BC executive director Bob D'Eith said. "There was no clear standout act - it was anybody's game."

The competition, organized by Music BC and Vancouver radio station 100.5 The Peak, involves a series of challenges including a music boot camp, live performance showcases, and evaluation based on marketing skills and career planning.

Previous top prize winners include Kelowna's We Are the City and Vancouver rapper Kyprios.

Tickets for the Peak Performance Project's finale are on sale now for $10.05 plus service charges at Ticketmaster.


- The Vancouver Sun

Selected as the premier band for the online video series ‘Vogville Presents,’ Vancouver roots rockers The Matinee play Sept. 29 at the Red Room as part of the Peak Performance Project Showcase. The following day they hit the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel for the West Coast Music Series. Joe Leary spent 24 Seconds with singer Matt Layzell.

24: How did the band form?

ML: The Matinee, as you see us now was formed close to four years ago when Matt Rose and I decided it was time to solidify a lineup that we could tour with. We had recently re-connected over a chance coffee meeting and the realization that we were both listening to a lot of the same artists like Ryan Adams, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Lucinda Williams.

24: With so many band members, you must have a variety of tastes and musical influences. How does that figure into the songwriting?

ML: We definitely draw from a lot of different influences, which we find often lends itself to the writing process. Some songs are written in five minutes, but a lot of the time it takes experimenting with everyone's input to get to the strongest version.

24: Do you get a lot of energy playing off a live crowd?
Click here to find out more!

ML: We definitely thrive playing to a live audience and put everything we have physically and emotionally into our show, which often leaves us sweaty and bruised. The crowd can see how much we are enjoying ourselves, which in turn causes them to have just as much fun.

24: You've performed for everyone from the Armed Forces to the infirmed. What's the difference in reaction?

ML: People in general want to have a good time and experience a distraction from the day to day, so playing to Canadian Air Force pilots bound for Afghanistan and playing to prisoners who were locked up and doing time, wasn't much different. They all wanted to have a good time and forget where they were for the moment.

24: How do you describe your style of music; it seems to incorporate elements of several styles.

ML: We call our style 'roots-rock.' We have elements of alt-country, folk and rock, but it is definitely all tied together with a real rootsy feel. Diversity is the key to holding someone's attention. We try hard to take the listener on a journey. - 24 Hours Vancouver

Selected as the premier band for the online video series ‘Vogville Presents,’ Vancouver roots rockers The Matinee play Sept. 29 at the Red Room as part of the Peak Performance Project Showcase. The following day they hit the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel for the West Coast Music Series. Joe Leary spent 24 Seconds with singer Matt Layzell.

24: How did the band form?

ML: The Matinee, as you see us now was formed close to four years ago when Matt Rose and I decided it was time to solidify a lineup that we could tour with. We had recently re-connected over a chance coffee meeting and the realization that we were both listening to a lot of the same artists like Ryan Adams, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Lucinda Williams.

24: With so many band members, you must have a variety of tastes and musical influences. How does that figure into the songwriting?

ML: We definitely draw from a lot of different influences, which we find often lends itself to the writing process. Some songs are written in five minutes, but a lot of the time it takes experimenting with everyone's input to get to the strongest version.

24: Do you get a lot of energy playing off a live crowd?
Click here to find out more!

ML: We definitely thrive playing to a live audience and put everything we have physically and emotionally into our show, which often leaves us sweaty and bruised. The crowd can see how much we are enjoying ourselves, which in turn causes them to have just as much fun.

24: You've performed for everyone from the Armed Forces to the infirmed. What's the difference in reaction?

ML: People in general want to have a good time and experience a distraction from the day to day, so playing to Canadian Air Force pilots bound for Afghanistan and playing to prisoners who were locked up and doing time, wasn't much different. They all wanted to have a good time and forget where they were for the moment.

24: How do you describe your style of music; it seems to incorporate elements of several styles.

ML: We call our style 'roots-rock.' We have elements of alt-country, folk and rock, but it is definitely all tied together with a real rootsy feel. Diversity is the key to holding someone's attention. We try hard to take the listener on a journey. - 24 Hours Vancouver

The alt-country-pop-squad "The Matinee" are making some honest footprints across Canada. Their self-titled 2007 release is a clean and crisp collection of songs to drink, dance and live with.
- Darla Starvey, 92.7 CFFF FM

“An amazing live show – this is a band on the verge of something big that you don’t want to miss!”
Erick Thompson – A Channel (Victoria)
- A-Channel TV

“Which one do you think is cute?” Henry Small asked me suspiciously, as I sat cross-legged on the grass front and centre at Music in the Park on Wednesday night.

Shifting uncomfortably under the outdoor music series’ co-ordinator’s accusing stare, I understood the question completely.

Not just because the dudes playing were indeed cute, but because I, the KTW entertainment reporter had not attended a single show at the Rotary Bandshell in Riverside Park all summer.

And here I was, still on groupie row after the last song had been sung.

But how could I not be, I asked Henry apologetically, and he understood the question — completely.

Vancouver-based roots-rock band The Matinee was on stage, which might not mean anything to you if haven’t heard them.

If you’re like me and Henry, though — and I’m sure, now, the hundreds of others who skipped out on Randy Travis to hear the young band play — it means you’re a big fan.

I previewed the band earlier in the week and after one listen to their MySpace page, I was hooked.

It doesn’t happen often — as my Music in the Park attendance record clearly shows (no offence) — but these guys are just that good.

First of all, they’re great performers, even switching places and instruments, which included an upright bass, throughout the show.

Lead singer Matt Layzell’s sometimes emotional, but otherwise fun, lyrics are catchy and authentic, and each song was reproduced exactly as I’d heard it through my headphones all week.

Singing along with my new favourite song, the ballad Red Wine and Whisky, I wished I had a glass of one or the other, so I could toast these new up-and-comers for a job well done.

Another friend who caught me in the park said she thought the band sounded a bit like Blue Rodeo, and when they did a cover of The Tragically Hip’s Boots or Hearts, I thought they just sounded pretty dang good.

In addition to an energetic show, they also did a few toned-down acoustic pieces that really showed off, not just their song-writing talents, but their ability to capture an audience’s attention with just one melody.

In my work, I’ll admit, it’s not often a band comes around that has the ability to move me period, let alone as far away from my desk as Riverside Park.

So, yes Henry, I’m smitten with The Matinee.

If you missed it, visit myspace.com/thematinee.

By Mikelle Sasakamoose - Kamloops This Week

Published: August 09, 2008 12:00 PM
- Kamloops This Week

The Matinee are playing at Bobby’s Place Saturday evening. An entertainment package and beer. Good combination.

Not exactly something I would call country as it don’t quite fit there, and thankfully nothing you would hear on the top forty ( hey, they say they don’t care for money much ), but it has some roots in western swing with some solid songwriting and lyrically pleasant.

They have six comfortable songs well worth listening to and prepping you for their live show so you can sing along.

You will not go wrong enjoying an evening out at Bobby’s with this LIVE entertainment.

Fraser Wareham
The Moose Jaw Times Herald
- Fraser Wareham

Vancouver band The Matinée may have only been together for the better part of a year, but the six-piece band is on a roll. They’ve released a catchy, roots-rock album called Blue Collar in 2007; they’ve toured Canada, and are active with the B.C. Schizophrenia Society’s efforts to help those with mental illness. The Matinée will play Better than Fred’s, along with Katie Rox, June 28.

The band includes singer Matt Layzell, lead guitarist Matt Rose, drummer Pete Lemon, bass player Mike Young, guitarist Geoff Petrie and keyboardist Dave Young.

The Grande Prairie show will be stripped down with a three-piece version of the band doing an acoustic set.

Layzell said the show is a change that should leave concertgoers smiling. “It keeps everything fresh, because it seems every show is different, depending on the venue,” he said, noting the tunes have been adapted for the smaller show.

“We’ve had to, not relearn the songs, but just come up with ways of keeping the songs interesting as they’re really stripped down,” said Layzell. “That’s the way of telling your songs truly work, because if you can strip it down to just the guitar and vocals and drums and it still works, then you know it’s a good song.”

The band has been on tour since June 6, hitting venues from Kaslo, B.C. to Lethbridge, Alberta.

“The benefit of touring stripped down is that you can afford to go to those smaller places that you wouldn’t normally, and that was actually our goal for this tour,” he explained. He said they wanted to “go places we’ve never been to perform for people that might not get to see us ever and bring them a cool show.”

Layzell, Matt Rose and Pete Lemon knew each other from high school and, after playing in bands around Vancouver, they took a fateful trip up the West Coast.

“We kind of just went away for a weekend up the coast of B.C. and just started jamming and decided, ‘Why don’t we quit playing in other people’s bands and get a band of our own’,” Layzell recounted. “We’re all long-time friends.”

Putting the band together was a little bit humbling, because of the experience each member had in the music industry, Layzell said. “It was going back a few steps in a sense, starting from scratch.”

The Matinée has spent the past year touring high schools, colleges and prisons. Layzell said in total, about 30,000 students have had a chance to experience their sound in person.

Playing for inmates in some of B.C.’s toughest prisons was an experience that changed his perspective on things, said Layzell. He said for the past three years, even before The Matinée was formed, members of the band had been touring to educate people about mental illness.

“Our bass player ... he suffered from depression in high school, that’s how we got involved in the first place,” Layzell said. The band plays for students who get the chance to chat with the band about mental illness and, of course, music.

“They always ask questions to Mike about depression and about his experience, and what he had to do to get better,” said Layzell. Apart from the heavy subject matter, the singer said kids were also into them signing their CD’s and chatting with a touring rock band.

They were approached to play in prisons, where many inmates suffer from mental illness. Layzell said his opinion of prison inmates matured when the band played its first few gigs inside prison walls.

“They don’t have a choice (to see you), the joke is that it’s a captive audience,” said Layzell, chuckling. “They’re actually really into it, because, as you can imagine, they don’t get a lot of entertainment up there.

“The first time we did it we were kind of intimidated,” Layzell remembered. “But then you kind of forget that they’re in there, and you don’t know what they’re there for. You end up talking to them and shaking their hands.”

When they get off the road in August, the full band will head into a recording studio with a producer to flesh out their ideas for the next disc. In contrast, 2007’s Blue Collar was a home-studio effort, where Layzell, Rose and Lemon hired a bass player and mixed their own tracks.

“It was a lot of risk, but it was a good challenge and we pulled it off. We did 13 songs on our own, self-produced,” said the vocalist. The plan for record number two is to take it up a notch.

Songs like “Mama”, “50 Bucks” and “San Diego” have a whimsical, rootsy feel to them, which comes from everybody in the band. “There is a real sound that we’ve honed in on that we all enjoy,” Layzell said.

He said no member has pushed for big changes in their sound, but each person is helping The Matinée evolve in their own way. “Everyone’s learning new instruments as we go along and there’s new things being added to the mix,” he said.

The future is pretty bright for the boys from Vancouver. They’ve signed with a new agent who’s booking tours to Asia and the United States, once the new record is released. Their upcoming show should be - Ian Kucerak - Encore!

The six members of Vancouver roots/rockers The Matinee took over the stage of Henotic last Thursday night, engaging and entertaining the appreciative audience. Featuring infectious hooks and a rustic rock feel, they have the potential to overthrow the radio waves with their carefully crafted songs. Their quality musicianship is apparent, as is their easy-going attitude, evidenced by the casual conversations with the crowd. They shine especially bright on numbers like “What I’ve Found.” The haunting Fender Rhodes keyboard tone provided by Dave Young complements Matt Layzell’s lead vocals, in addition to the back-up harmonies of guitarists Matthew Rose and Geoff Petrie. “The Road” is reminiscent of the happy bounce of the Kings of Leon, and “50 Bucks” is another feel-good tune, with lines like “I’ve got fifty bucks and it’s not coming home with me.” The Matinee also know the merit of including a couple of well-placed covers, throwing in the classic “Feelin’ Alright” into their set, as well as a sensational version of Led Zeppelin’s “Bron-Y-Aur Stomp.” Watch for these guys to make significant strides in the near future, as they’ve been receiving plenty of radio play on both community and FM radio stations. The Matinee is the type of group that gives you a reason to actually listen to FM radio these days: a diamond in the rough amongst way too many overproduced, low talent, pop-star wannabe’s. - Tyler Steward - The Meliorist (University of Lethbridge)

The Matinee has performed in front of all sorts of audiences.

But perhaps none as intimidating as a group of B.C. prison inmates.

"They were an attentive audience," quips Matinee guitarist Matthew Rose.

"But overall it was a really great experience. I think the inmates were genuinely thankful for the opportunity to see some live music."

The show was part of the band's Reachout Tour last year, which took them to high schools, prisons, youth detention centres and post-secondary institutions across B.C.

Organized by the B.C. Schizophrenia Society, the tour helped raise awareness of mental health issues.

"We became involved primarily because our bass player Mike (Young) suffered from a lot of the symptoms we talked about during the presentation. Mike dealt with severe depression and psychosis during high school and he shared his experiences with the kids."

The Matinee played to more than 25,000 people through the Reachout Tour and are now hoping to build on that new audience by getting back on the road. The group brings its roots rock to the Ironwood Stage & Grill on Monday and Dickens Pub on Oct. 23.

"We're getting repeat fans showing up in a lot of cities and our online fanbase continues to grow the more we tour," says Rose.

"Unfortunately, we all still have day jobs that we have to return to in Vancouver, but we're not far away from taking this on full time."

The Matinee formed almost three years ago when Rose and vocalist/harmonica player Matt Layzell began writing songs together and playing Vancouver coffee shops.

Though they were already members of different hard-rock bands at the time, the two Matts shared a love of roots music created by the likes of as Ryan Adams, Lucinda Williams and The Band.

Rose and Layzell soon recruited three high school friends -- Young, percussionist Geoff Petrie and drummer Peter Lemon -- as well as Dave Young on keyboard, and released their debut self-titled CD in 2007.

"We've all played in so many different groups covering so many different musical styles," says Rose.

"With The Matinee it's almost like we're taking the music back to its roots. We try to put the songs front and centre and not get too caught up using effects or synthetic sounds. We're all multi-instrumentalists so this band gives us a chance to include some mandolin or stand-up bass or pedal steel -- the kinds of instruments that we could never really play in some of the rock outfits we were in."

The band recently received a grant and are recording new songs for an album they hope to release in the spring.

For now you can take a listen to The Matinee at www.myspace.com/thematinee - Lisa Wilton - The Calgary Sun

Vancouver band The Matinée may have only been together for the better part of a year, but the six-piece band is on a roll. They’ve released a catchy, roots-rock album called Blue Collar in 2007; they’ve toured Canada, and are active with the B.C. Schizophrenia Society’s efforts to help those with mental illness. The Matinée will play Better than Fred’s, along with Katie Rox, June 28.

The band includes singer Matt Layzell, lead guitarist Matt Rose, drummer Pete Lemon, bass player Mike Young, guitarist Geoff Petrie and keyboardist Dave Young.

The Grande Prairie show will be stripped down with a three-piece version of the band doing an acoustic set.

Layzell said the show is a change that should leave concertgoers smiling. “It keeps everything fresh, because it seems every show is different, depending on the venue,” he said, noting the tunes have been adapted for the smaller show.

“We’ve had to, not relearn the songs, but just come up with ways of keeping the songs interesting as they’re really stripped down,” said Layzell. “That’s the way of telling your songs truly work, because if you can strip it down to just the guitar and vocals and drums and it still works, then you know it’s a good song.”

The band has been on tour since June 6, hitting venues from Kaslo, B.C. to Lethbridge, Alberta.

“The benefit of touring stripped down is that you can afford to go to those smaller places that you wouldn’t normally, and that was actually our goal for this tour,” he explained. He said they wanted to “go places we’ve never been to perform for people that might not get to see us ever and bring them a cool show.”

Layzell, Matt Rose and Pete Lemon knew each other from high school and, after playing in bands around Vancouver, they took a fateful trip up the West Coast.

“We kind of just went away for a weekend up the coast of B.C. and just started jamming and decided, ‘Why don’t we quit playing in other people’s bands and get a band of our own’,” Layzell recounted. “We’re all long-time friends.”

Putting the band together was a little bit humbling, because of the experience each member had in the music industry, Layzell said. “It was going back a few steps in a sense, starting from scratch.”

The Matinée has spent the past year touring high schools, colleges and prisons. Layzell said in total, about 30,000 students have had a chance to experience their sound in person.

Playing for inmates in some of B.C.’s toughest prisons was an experience that changed his perspective on things, said Layzell. He said for the past three years, even before The Matinée was formed, members of the band had been touring to educate people about mental illness.

“Our bass player ... he suffered from depression in high school, that’s how we got involved in the first place,” Layzell said. The band plays for students who get the chance to chat with the band about mental illness and, of course, music.

“They always ask questions to Mike about depression and about his experience, and what he had to do to get better,” said Layzell. Apart from the heavy subject matter, the singer said kids were also into them signing their CD’s and chatting with a touring rock band.

They were approached to play in prisons, where many inmates suffer from mental illness. Layzell said his opinion of prison inmates matured when the band played its first few gigs inside prison walls.

“They don’t have a choice (to see you), the joke is that it’s a captive audience,” said Layzell, chuckling. “They’re actually really into it, because, as you can imagine, they don’t get a lot of entertainment up there.

“The first time we did it we were kind of intimidated,” Layzell remembered. “But then you kind of forget that they’re in there, and you don’t know what they’re there for. You end up talking to them and shaking their hands.”

When they get off the road in August, the full band will head into a recording studio with a producer to flesh out their ideas for the next disc. In contrast, 2007’s Blue Collar was a home-studio effort, where Layzell, Rose and Lemon hired a bass player and mixed their own tracks.

“It was a lot of risk, but it was a good challenge and we pulled it off. We did 13 songs on our own, self-produced,” said the vocalist. The plan for record number two is to take it up a notch.

Songs like “Mama”, “50 Bucks” and “San Diego” have a whimsical, rootsy feel to them, which comes from everybody in the band. “There is a real sound that we’ve honed in on that we all enjoy,” Layzell said.

He said no member has pushed for big changes in their sound, but each person is helping The Matinée evolve in their own way. “Everyone’s learning new instruments as we go along and there’s new things being added to the mix,” he said.

The future is pretty bright for the boys from Vancouver. They’ve signed with a new agent who’s booking tours to Asia and the United States, once the new record is released. Their upcoming show should be - Ian Kucerak - Encore!

In the mood for the latest clip from British Columbia's hottest roots exports? We're here to satisfy that craving.

The Matinée have teamed up with ET Canada to showcase the premiere of their brand new music vide. The band's stunning looking promo for "Call Of The Wild" boats everything from polar bear frolics to heavyweight boxing bought and roughly 68,000 other eye-grabbing sights that will demand repeat viewings. Steve Bays of Hot Hot Heat fame helmed this buzz beckoning video that you'll be plastering on Facebook in about five minutes.

We have the beardy quartet's brand new "Call Of The Wild" vide nestled below for your viewing pleasure. Come for the visual, stay for 6the bewitching tune. - Dan Macrae, ET Canada

In the mood for the latest clip from one of British Columbia’s hottest roots exports? We’re here to satisfy that craving.

The Matinée have teamed up with ET Canada to showcase the premiere of their brand new music video. The band’s stunning looking promo for “Call Of The Wild”; boasts everything from polar bear frolics to heavyweight boxing bouts and roughly 68,000 other eye-grabbing sights that will demand repeat viewings. Steve Bays of Hot Hot Heat fame helmed this buzz beckoning video that you’ll be plastering on Facebook in about five minutes.

We have the beardy quartet’s brand new “Call Of The Wild”; video nestled below for your viewing pleasure. Come for the visuals, stay for the bewitching tune. Be sure to send us your review on Twitter! - ET Canada

Comprised of five friends who have known one another pretty much their entire lives, the Matinée first came to prominence when the band won third place in the 2011 Peak Performance Project. A record deal with Light Organ Records followed and the quintet set about finding the right producer for its twangy roots rock sound.

They settled on Los Lobos saxophonist and producer Steve Berlin to record what went on to become seven tracks of the debut album We Swore We’d See The Sunrise.

Former Hot Hot Heat man Steve Bays helmed two more songs on the album including the anthemic Young & Lazy. The mix of country, roots, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers style rock and roll and more makes the band a real blast live and they are serious road warriors. It’s been quite awhile since the band played its home town and this weekend they bring the noise to Main Street’s newest venue, The Imperial.

Singer/lyricist Matt Layzell took some time to answer a few questions:

The Province: Now that you¹ve been touring We Swore We¹d See the Sunrise for most of the past year, do you sometimes regret the title? As in, have you seen more than your share of sunrises on the tour?

Matt Layzell: We hit the highways across Canada 4 times this year, and we can honestly say that catching that first glimpse of morning never gets old. Any day on tour is better than a day job, so I think it’s safe to say the only regrets we have are food related. They can lead to some funky smells in the van.

Q: The band seems to have fans in rock, country and pop circles. I guess this means you get some pretty interesting crowd mixes. Do you have a great audience tour tale for us?

A: We have certainly lucked out in that it seems we can play to just about any demographic…. Like when we played in the prison up in Prince George.

We also have many fans who bring their folks or their kids to our shows because we are a band they both can enjoy or bond over. Last summer, we spent a day off in Lake-Of-The-Woods, Ontario playing a Canada Day dock party on a private island. All these big boats pulled in and rafted right in front of us. We found out afterwards that most of them were millionaires. We didn’t get paid for that show, for the record.

Q: I love the video for Sweetwater. It¹s about time someone used the water taxis for a shoot. What¹s next, the new Capilano Cliffwalk?

A: That’s not a bad idea! We have been thinking of shooting in the Grouse Mtn tram too. For Sweetwater, we just told the driver of the boat to putt around False Creek and slipped him $50. Other taxis even came over to check to see if we were alright.

Q: The show at the Imperial is pretty cool. The Matinee playing in a converted movie theatre seems pretty appropriate.

A: Our very first photo shoot was done in the old Fox Theatre, the historic adult film house that ironically is now going to be a music venue. Let us be clear, that was the only time we’d set foot in there, and it was so dingy and creepy. We’ve heard nothing but great things about the Imperial and we’re excited to be playing our first hometown show in a long while in such a good room.

Q: What¹s the word on the next album?

A: We’ve been on a few writing trips in the gulf islands and have started working on the demos for a new release. Having toured so much last year, we have no shortage of new ideas and stories to share. No date just yet, but we’ll be recording new material shortly. You can bet we’ll be playing some of those new songs on March 1st! - The Province

Vancouver rock & rollers The Matinee announced they’ll be releasing their second full-length record in early 2017. The record will be called Dancing on Your Grave. The title and lead single talks about the passing of lead singer Matt Layzell’s grandfather who had recently passed. The song is a celebration on life well lived.

The band members have been friends and making music for many years in the Lower Mainland. This record comes after some time off from the group. Members of the band celebrated marriages, the births of children and in Matt Layzell’s case, the death of his grandfather and a breakup.

Matt says, “we were all going through big life changes. After a difficult split, I found myself disappearing on solo road trips into the wild with my dog, trying to clear my head.”

Their song focuses on the rootsy side of rock & roll and with an 80s indie jangly guitar sound. Maybe that comes from their producer Jamie Candiloro who has worked in the past with Ryan Adams and R.E.M.

Here’s some praise for the new song from my buddy Dave.
A band I fell in love with the first time I heard "Young and Lazy". Guys with a knack for jangly Americana with powerful lyrics. https://t.co/SE8GvKzMJB

— Dave Sawchuk (@davesawchuk) September 30, 2016
New record Dancing on Your Grave is out on February 17th, 2017 on Vancouver’s Light Organ Records. - CFOX

Vancouver roots rockers The Matinée are teasing the Feb. 17 release of their sophomore album with a new single this week.

The band plans to debut “Blood Alley” on Jan. 27, not long after releasing the album’s title track, “Dancing On Your Grave.”

The forthcoming single was inspired by Vancouver’s gentrification.

It’s the first collection of new music from The Matinée since the Broken Arrows EP in 2015 and the first full-length album since their 2013 debut We Swore We’d See The Sunrise.

Recorded at 604 Studios, Dancing On Your Grave was produced by Jamie Candiloro (Ryan Adams, REM) at an emotional time for the bands four members — singer Matt Layzell, guitarists Matt Rose and Geoff Petrie, and drummer Pete Lemon.

“We were all going through big life changes,” Layzell recalled, in a release. “After a difficult split, I found myself disappearing on solo road trips into the wild with my dog, trying to clear my head.”

The band came up with more than 40 songs but whittled it down to 11 for the album.

“More than half of them were written in the studio while we were doing the session,” explained Layzell. “The songs were so fresh. We were learning them as we were playing them.”

Check out the track listing:

1. Dancing on Your Grave

2. The Living

3. Show Me

4. Blood Alley

5. Fireworks

6. Figure It Out

7. Long Gone

8. The Price of Air

9. Sweet Thing

10. Anna Lee

11. My Heart Still Works

Veterans of touring in Canada, The Matinée plan to support the new album with some festival gigs this summer.

“No matter what, we’re going to keep doing what we love to do” Layzell said. “We truly love playing as a group, whether it’s for five people or 5,000 people.”

Dancing On Your Grave is available for pre-order now. While we wait for the second single, check out the title track — a celebration of the life of Layzell’s late grandfather — below. - iHeart Radio

When someone utters an occasion as being one appropriate for “dancing on a grave,” it's not all that unexpected that the implied sentiment is that of contempt or morbid glee in the face of another's passing. Neither of these thoughts are of the particularly friendly or appealing variety so, what's to be garnered from an album bearing the title of such an idiom?

Coming from Vancouver quartet, The Matinée, the answer is actually quite a lot. Though at times breaching the sadder and more trying aspects of living, Matt Layzell (vocals), Pete Lemon (drums), Matt Rose (guitar, pedal steel, mandolin, banjo), and Geoff Petrie (guitar), are out to present a record exuding contempt, like the newly released LP's title, Dancing On Your Grave (Light Organ Records, 2017), out today, might suggest. Rather, in contrast, these Canadian folk rockers are commemorating an assortment of events in their lives that span the gamut of emotions intensity.

An 11 track affair exploring the demands, joys, and trials of adult life, Dancing On Your Grave, which was produced by Jamie Candiloro (Ryan Adams, R.E.M., Courtney Love), was actually conceived long before any of The Matinée ever thought to pick up an instrument or a pencil to write. Each of the four members had been simply living their lives and, as life will inevitably have its way, changes of various magnitudes rained down upon each of them and became the fundamental catalysts for the yet-to-be-pursued record. Most poignantly – as the experience became the fuel for the titular track as well as other parts of the album – Layzell had to work through the loss of his grandfather. A tumultuous breakup not long afterward added to the difficulty. Contrasting with the sobering weight of Layzell's experiences, Rose, Petrie, and Lemon saw beginnings of chapters with new children, engagement, and marriage respectively.

While the ways people process and react to grief are all different, even though Layzell's more negatively tinged events provided much of the album's conceptual foundation, the band doesn't color Dancing On Your Grave with a matching sonic framework. Nearly every song moves with an attentive and light footed pulse, even if the lyrics therein sometimes narrate an emotionally divergent mentality (No use in crying / ain't no denying / that there's no turning back that's for sure / Cause you're long gone / Oh you're long gone). The Matinée spend the time throughout Dancing on Your Grave aligned with arrangement tendencies and performative character that harkens to heartland and classic rock artists like Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, Wilco, and U2. The latter resonates with a particular boldness (See also: “Beautiful Day”), against Dancing On Your Grave's dynamically distensible but instrumentally restrained opening/title track.






Punchy and neatly defined drum hits, often assigned to patterns over beats two and four (“The Living,” “Figure It Out”), are peppered with partnered shakes of tambourine. These percussive accentuations run alongside clean toned, smoothly flowing, sometimes blues rock-tinted (“Show Me”), and distinct-yet-stylistically analogous guitar melodies that ride over top of The Matinée's rhythmic supports like the color blended twilight sky coexisting above the jagged Canadian Rockies. It would be a disservice of course, to deny mention of the more folk rock-oriented aspects of Dancing on Your Grave. Extending back to the recording and selection process of the record – an initially open jam style approach Layzell describes as, “just jamming with the tape rolling” – The Matinée weren't laser focused on making a hit record or even recounting the idiosyncrasies of their individuals stories with a fine-toothed comb.

The band instead “decided early on to have fun and to not be too precious, see[ing] what songs naturally rose to the top,” as Layzell describes. “[T]he problem soon became that [the band] had so many ideas forming [they] needed to start a giant poster board to keep track.” The free-flowing nature of this decision and what listeners are ultimately presented with, makes all the more impact when the reality of 40 different songs being whittled down to a record-suitable 11 is revealed. Amidst these eliminations, more contrast becomes apparent. The genre-signature sounds of pedal steel and banjo permeate slower tracks like “Anna Lee” and “Long Gone” respectively, which can both feel worlds away from the live wire tempo of chorus-explosive track, “Blood Alley” – the lead single that is destined for overhead conducted, syncopated clap-a-longs, guitar solos likely to grow in improvised character, and audience memorized refrains (Cause it's just too much / Oh we all just want a little human touch) at the band's live shows. Additional contrasts throughout the album with things like track length (“My Heart Still Works” v. “Long Gone”), further support The Matinée's original intention that Dancing on Your Grave not be a project of formulaic confinement or standard.

Despite the fact that Dancing On Your Grave is a record that can ultimately be described as containing “a little something anyone can enjoy,” its construction story has little amusing ironies like the first track getting written last and the last first. Furthermore, even if its very title projects a semi-shocking turn of phrase, all of the superficial platitudes surrounding this album only serve to further highlight the true depth of The Matinée's free-spirited mentality toward encapsulating catharsis, exuberance, and self-discovery, no matter what that meant for the expectations of the end result. - No Depression

The second single from The Matinée’s forthcoming album comes out Friday (Jan. 27) — but you can listen to "Blood Alley" in its entirety right here, right now!

The song, which the band describes as “a climatic, barn-burning roots rock anthem that addresses Vancouver’s gentrification,” is one of 11 tracks on Dancing on Your Grave.

The album, out Feb. 17, is now available for pre-order.

Recorded at 604 Studios, Dancing On Your Grave was produced by Jamie Candiloro (Ryan Adams, REM).

The Matinée consists of singer Matt Layzell, guitarists Matt Rose and Geoff Petrie, and drummer Pete Lemon.

Check out the track listing for Dancing on Your Grave and then take a listen to "Blood Alley" below:

1. Dancing on Your Grave

2. The Living

3. Show Me

4. Blood Alley

5. Fireworks

6. Figure It Out

7. Long Gone

8. The Price of Air

9. Sweet Thing

10. Anna Lee

11. My Heart Still Works - iHeartRadio