Welcome, The Matinée! Listeners have recently seen the release of "Trouble Is", which is an alt/rock track that holds a deeper theme regarding the social aspects of our lives. Are you able to delve more into the theme of "Trouble Is" and explain to our readers what the prominent takeaway message of the song is?
The world we live in today has never been more connected, and there are certainly many benefits from all the technologies that seem to develop exponentially every day. But all this has also helped create a world where at times, it can feel like everyone is only looking out for themselves, or looking at themselves - when it comes to selfies - and begin for attention to give validation to their hair, their outfits, there lives. We've never been more connected, and yet we have never been more disconnected from each other, and what is important in this life. That's what the Trouble Is.
How do you feel the theme of "Trouble Is" compares to other prominent themes showcased throughout the rest of your music? Would The Matinee say that they use their platform to get across pivotal themes in society today?
Every record we've done has been the result of a collection of stories we've lived and put into melodies and lyrics. A song like Young & Lazy off our first record, is commenting on that shift in your life when you've finished high school and that first summer feels never-ending and full of possibility, and your only goal is to have fun with your friends. On Blood Alley, from our last record, we were talking about how the city we live in (Vancouver) is changing rapidly and it's getting harder and harder as an artist to keep a roof over your head. Lots of our friends have moved away because it's just becoming too expensive here. And then now with Trouble Is we are saying we are worried about the state of affairs with people glued to their phones all day. That's bad for your health... and the view is always better with your own eyes! We'd like to think that we use our platform to start conversations on themes in society... but sometimes we also just want to distract you from that shit and make you sing and dance.
Let's talk more about the dynamic of the band! How do you all collectively integrate your own thoughts and ideas in a way that stimulates creativity and effective collaboration?
We have all been friends for so long now, we can almost read each other's minds when it comes to songwriting. It's like we have a secret language that we all intuitively know and understand. One member will have an idea and bring it to the band and everyone else already knows where the song needs to go. We understand our sound and we trust our instincts. And again, the songs are all real stories that we have experienced together while out on the road. We usually hole up in a remote cabin summer far from distraction and work on the songs collectively before we head into the studio to record them.
The construction of the band took place over a short while, and each member of The Matinee has their own artistic journey and story that led to the creation of The Matinee as a band. As a band, do you feel as if each of your own artistic personas is displayed during the writing and recording of songs?
Something that seems special with this band is that even though we are a band of brothers, we are most definitely all individuals. We all live a slightly different life outside of the band, and we all have different influences and influences. When it comes to music that we all enjoy, everyone has different tastes which allow us to all bring different ideas to the creative process. We also act very much as a democracy, so everyone is allowed to have their say and input. We are always willing to try out someone's idea rather than shut it down because you just don't know if it will work until you try it!
What can we expect to see from The Matinée throughout 2020?
Well, it's a strange time right now. This whole pandemic is creating a lot of uncertainty in everyone's lives, and as an artist, we all depend on touring and playing festivals to create some buzz for a new record. We have tour dates lined up, some of which have already been postponed, but we are a band that loves playing live and we were very excited to be getting in front of audiences starting next month..... so we will have to be patient and see how this plays out. Of course, we realize that this is for the greater good so we will just roll with it. But we do have plans to finish and release the full album with Jim Scott (Grammy-winning producer/mixer). We also have a televised performance for the Stampede City Sessions that will be out later this month on PBS right before Austin City Limits, and we are looking at doing some live stream shows from the jam space should these quarantines and lockdowns progress and keep us off the road for a while. Hopefully, though, we will all pull together and get through this and see you at a show sometime soon!
Listen to The Matinée here.