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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?
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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.