I am currently sitting in a little bit of paradise in southern Ontario called Niagara-On-The-Lake. Tonight I perform acoustically at the Jackson Triggs winery. It’s been a fun day so far – warm and relaxing. The people here are fantastic and I am looking forward to the show – primarily because I’m going to just drink a lot of Pinot Noir and wing it. I had a hard time deciding what to play, so the set list ended up being 20 or 21 songs long. ...More »

When it comes to live records, or at least those made back in the day when entering a studio afterwards and cleaning it up wasn’t an option, there are always intrigues and little tidbits of information that diehard fans find out and revel in. Live At Massey Hall is no exception. As I wrote in a previous entry, the recording is untouched - it is completely live. There was no re-tracking in a studio afterwards. But there is one interesting little turn that will be of interest ...More »

Short jaunts sort of suck. You leave home in the early afternoon and arrive back east at 10 at night. Then the challenge of trying to sleep properly happens, which, for me, results in watching movies until 5 in the morning because of the time change. Thankfully tomorrow is a rehearsal day, so I’ll get to sleep in a little, at least until check out. Then it’s off to run the show and then on to the bus and to the border for a late ...More »

Rehearsing. Pacing the lengths of my apartment with a guitar, wandering through songs I haven’t performed acoustically in a while in preparation for this weekend’s upcoming acoustic show. You know me – in the end I’ll probably just wing it. Sometimes you just have to. The heat’s come back. Plans made for the fall have regrettably changed for various reasons. Still can’t sleep. The dogs are at my parents' place and I have to admit that I am enjoying being alone. Stretch out in bed, move ...More »

I watched Anton Corbijn’s Control last night and was mesmerized by it. Truth be told, I had forgotten the impact that Joy Division had on me in me in my youth - the simplicity of their music and yet its mesmerizing power. The only downside to the film was the fact that during the closing credits a cover of Shadowplay by The Killers was included. I mention that only because, to me, The Killers are a poor man’s version of Joy Division and have built ...More »

For those of you that have been speculating as to whether or not a live album will be released – one is on the way. So make sure to check back in the weeks ahead for an announcement regarding a release date. One thing I can tell you is that initially the release will be an iTunes exclusive. Some time after that a limited double CD version of it will then be made available. I’ll not lie, I haven’t heard a note of it, and it’s ...More »

Despite the fact that I write on this website on a daily basis, I’m rather out of the loop when it comes to the ‘blog scene’ here in Vancouver. That said; I was unaware that Blogathon 2008 was even taking place or I probably would have participated. Thankfully, through my friend Rebecca Bollwitt, I was able to contribute at the last minute. Rebecca’s charity of choice is The Union Gospel Mission, a non-profit organization that has been active in helping Vancouver’s homeless since 1940. At ...More »

As recently announced on Miss604.com, Matthew is going to be holding a special private screening of the demo tracks for the new album for one special person. As the album will not be released until next year, it's a great opportunity to be one of the first individuals to hear the album in its entirety. The proceeds from the event will go to the Union Gospel Mission, a local Vancouver charity that provides assistance to the homeless. The event is in the form of ...More »

The door rang, missed it, was sleeping. Went downstairs and caught the UPS guy delivering something else across the street. Waited, got my new laptop, got a coffee. Haven’t opened it yet. Progress. A window into the process. A little taste of where things go. Not done yet, mind you. Still lots of work. Vocals aren’t down in parts, so on, so forth. This entry will self destruct in the next few hours. More »

Milos pointed this out to me today. It’s us doing Apparitions, the audio quality of which isn’t that good because it’s obviously distorting whatever was being used to record it, but the preamble is fantastic... And I have to call Stu on the bad passing note at the end. Hey, what sort of friend would I be if I didn’t? Dirka dirka. More »