The members of the Matinée are all in this together

The five men in the Matinée aren’t just bandmates, they’re friends, and they’re operating with no Plan B

    1 of 1 2 of 1

      Matt Layzell, the scruffy, affable singer for roots rockers the Matinée, grew up with the nickname “Lazy”, due to his last name. But you could never call his band lazy. The alt-country-infused quintet, which includes guitarists Matt Rose and Geoff Petrie, bassist Mike Young, and drummer Pete Lemon, has been working its dirty-denim ass off in the local music scene for more than 10 years. It’s played everywhere, from dingy pubs to prisons to high schools to air-force bases to this month’s Squamish Valley Music Festival.

      It certainly hasn’t been easy. But with its debut full-length album, We Swore We’d See the Sunrise, under its leather belt, the Matinée is starting to reap the rewards of all its gear-lugging, beer-chugging days out on the road.

      “I think that on the road is where we really grew as a band, ’cause that’s where we paid our dues and learned our craft,” says Layzell, over suds at the Bourbon, which bills itself as Vancouver’s only country bar. “I mean, we’d been in bands together for years and years before we were ever in this band together. But when it became apparent that we wanted to start a band and really take it seriously, then we had to just get out there and play anywhere we could. We learned a lot about ourselves and what we’re capable of. And it all comes from playing to people every night and trying to win those people over.”

      As the Squamish Valley Music Festival proved, the Matinée is definitely winning people over with its down-to-earth, sun-dappled sound. The festival was a career highlight for the boys, not only because of the makeshift bar they built by their tents—dubbed Club Manatee, in reference to people often mistakenly calling their band “the Manatee”—but also because of the overwhelmingly positive response they received on-stage.

      “We always dreamed of getting these opportunities and being able to play a massive festival, so these moments, we really do relish and cherish,” says Layzell, his face lighting up like a flashbulb. “I’ll be honest, I never thought that this would happen. We just want to share what we do, so when you’ve got thousands of people singing the songs…I’m actually getting emotional just talking about it. It’s so powerful. And there have been moments this summer where I’ve been blown away that there are people out there who actually care.”

      The songs themselves, like the sweepingly melodic “Who Stoned the Roses” and the Tom Petty–ish single “Young and Lazy”, all subscribe to We Swore We’d See the Sunrise’s accessible, Americana feel. But each boot-stomping track weaves a heart-on-your-sleeve story about love, nostalgia, or even a bit of Vancouver history—like “The Sinking of the Greenhill Park”, which tells the true tale of a ship that mysteriously exploded in Vancouver’s harbour at the end of World War II.

      Each member is a songwriter in his own right, so you’d imagine that there could be some push and pull during the Matinée’s songwriting process. But having known each other since their lacrosse-playing, theatre-kid days in junior high has definitely helped them keep the dynamic collaborative and fulfilling.

      “It was really easy to put this band together,” says Layzell, who officially formed the Matinée after reconnecting with his fellow Matt in the bar lineup at an AC/DC concert. “We were all involved musically in different projects that were linked. But this is the project where all of us feel really proud of what we’re doing. We truly are friends. This band wouldn’t be this band with anyone else in it. And we just haven’t given ourselves a Plan B. So we’re clinging to it together.”

      A collective admiration for roots rock, alt-country, and classic rock ties the five fellas together, their influences including Ryan Adams, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Led Zeppelin, Lucinda Williams, and other “honest” artists who employ “crafty songwriting, heartfelt lyrics, and no technical wizardry or smoke and mirrors”. As the tattoo on Layzell’s left arm declares, “Real is beautiful.”

      The down-home singer says his love of music stems from his British roots, and especially from his English grandparents, who sent him the Beatles discography on cassette, complete with lyrics, when he was 11 years old. “I remember, all my friends were into Vanilla Ice, New Kids on the Block, crap like that,” says Layzell. “And in Grade 6, this one friend and I would spend our lunch hours singing and harmonizing all the Beatles songs. We learnt them all. And by Grade 7, he had a guitar with three strings, and we were writing songs together. I think that’s what put a real importance on melody and harmony for me.”

      Layzell and company have come a long way from their Beatles-idolizing, Vanilla Ice–hating days. With 15 to 20 songs already cooking for their next record, and big touring plans for the coming fall, more hard work lies ahead. And the Matinée couldn’t be more raring to go. As Layzell puts it, “We want to be a band that has longevity. And it’s so difficult to do this, but the bands that make it depend on everyone else to give up before they do. You got to have passion and drive. You got to stick it out and build a following, no matter how big it may or may not be. It’ll be what it is, but you just can’t give up.”

      The Matinée plays a free LIVE at Second Beach concert as part of Stanley Park’s 125th-anniversary celebration on Sunday (August 25).

      Comments