Matthew Good Band
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| Matthew Good Band | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Coquitlam, British Columbia Canada |
| Genres | alternative rock |
| Years active | 1993–2002 |
| Labels | A&M Records Mercury Records Polygram Records Darktown Records Universal Music Canada Atlantic Records Universal Music Group |
| Associated acts | Limblifter, Age of Electric, Odds, 54-40 |
| Former members | |
| Matthew Good Dave Genn Ian Browne Rich Priske Geoff Lloyd |
|
Matthew Good Band was a Canadian alternative rock band formed by Matthew Good that existed from 1993 to 2002. The band consisted of Good (vocals, guitar), Dave Genn (lead guitar/keyboard), Rich Priske (drums) and Geoff Lloyd (bass) from 1995 to 1999 (replaced by Rich Priske from 1999 to 2001). The band would become one of Canada's most successful alternative rock bands in the 1990s, winning a Juno Award for "Group of the Year" in 2000, before the band dissolved in 2002. Good has since pursued a successful solo career, while Genn joined the Canadian rock group 54-40 in 2005.
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[edit] Formation
Good's early career in music involved a variety of folk demos and a stint as the lead singer of a folk band, the Rodchester Kings. Matthew Good and guitarist Simon Woodcock were discovered at an open mic at Simon Fraser University by manager Brent Christensen. Early Rodchester Kings demos were recorded at Fragrant Time Records in Burnaby by Greg Wasmuth and Steven Codling.
The Matthew Good Band was formed in Coquitlam, British Columbia in 1993. In late 1993 they recorded a short demo tape called "Euphony", which featured acoustic songs like "Mercy Misses You", "Heather's Like Sunday", and the title track "Euphony". In 1994, they won a prize from a local radio station's band competition. The prize included recording time at a local studio/recording school, where, in September 1994, they recorded "15 hours on a September Thursday". This demo tape included songs like "Second Sun", "Dancing Invisible", and "Push". In December 1994, the band signed a publishing deal with EMI Publishing.
In March 1995, the original band went on tour across Canada. Upon return, the band split up and Matt started over with a new group of musicians.
[edit] Last of the Ghetto Astronauts
In mid-1995, they released their debut full-length album, Last of the Ghetto Astronauts. Although initially popular only in the Vancouver area, the album began to catch on across Canada in 1996, with the singles "Alabama Motel Room", "Symbolistic White Walls", and "Haven't Slept in Years" becoming significant hits on radio and MuchMusic. Last of the Ghetto Astronauts, made on a budget of roughly five thousand Canadian dollars, eventually set the mark as the highest selling independent label release by a Canadian artist.
[edit] Underdogs
The band's 1997 album Underdogs spawned the hit singles "Everything Is Automatic", "Indestructible" and "Apparitions". Good's political outspokenness and brash confidence were unusual in the Canadian rock scene of the 1990s, and he was soon recognized as much for his seemingly difficult disposition as for his musical talent. As a nod to his reputation, merchandise with the phrase "I Hear Matt Good Is a Real Asshole" was sold at MGB shows. He also maintained a subversive image, sometimes posing for publicity photos in a gorilla mask.
[edit] Beautiful Midnight
Beautiful Midnight, which saw the departure of Lloyd and the joining of Rich Priske as the new bassist, followed in 1999 and became hugely successful via singles including "Hello Time Bomb", "Strange Days", and "Load Me Up". The album skyrocketed the band's celebrity status and earned them two Juno awards in 2000, for Best Group and Best Rock Album. (Good himself boycotts the Juno Awards, and guitarist Dave Genn has been quoted as saying that he only attends for the open bar.)
[edit] The Audio of Being/Break-Up
After touring Beautiful Midnight for nearly two years, the band set to work on The Audio of Being. The album's creation came during a difficult emotional period for Good. While he struggled to deal with the band's success, he was diagnosed with sarcoidosis, a disease that causes lesions to form in the lungs, prompting him to temporarily quit smoking. [1] Following throat surgery to remove a nodule from a vocal cord, Good holed up for three weeks in a hotel in Whistler to work on songs. Good later wrote that he spent much of the time "trying to keep down food supplement bars, trying to forget the growing tension within the band, the high expectations of needing to produce 'hit songs' (whatever they are these days), throwing up, and trying to find some semblance of direction in my personal life."
The band entered the studio in late 2000 to record the material. The sessions saw a great deal of intra-band turmoil, with Dave Genn quitting the band before the album was complete. He returned a few days later, however, only to quit permanently not long after the album's release in October 2001. Following Genn's departure, Good dissolved the band in 2002.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio Albums
| Year | Details | CAN [2][3] |
Certifications (sales thresholds) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Last of the Ghetto Astronauts
|
— | |
| 1997 | Underdogs | 50 |
|
| 1999 | Beautiful Midnight | 1 |
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| 2001 | The Audio of Being
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4 |
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[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | Peak Chart Position | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN | CAN Alt. |
US Mod |
|||
| 1995 | "Alabama Motel Room" | - | - | - | Last of the Ghetto Astronauts |
| "Symbolistic White Walls" | 62 | - | - | ||
| 1996 | "Raygun" | 7 | - | - | Raygun |
| "Haven't Slept In Years" | - | - | - | ||
| 1997 | "Everything Is Automatic" | 32 | 11 | - | Underdogs |
| "Indestructible" | - | 7 | - | ||
| 1998 | "Apparitions" | 59 | 6 | - | |
| "Rico" | 23 | - | - | ||
| 1999 | "Hello Time Bomb" | 26 | 3 | 34 | Beautiful Midnight |
| "Load Me Up" | - | 1 | - | ||
| 2000 | "Strange Days" | - | 6 | - | |
| "The Future Is X-Rated" | - | - | - | ||
| 2001 | "Flashdance II" | - | - | - | Loser Anthems |
| "Carmelina" | - | - | - | The Audio of Being | |
| 2002 | "Anti-Pop" | - | - | - | |
[edit] References
- ^ Tour Queries on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
- ^ "Underdogs position". RPM. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.7947&volume=67&issue=24&issue_dt=September%2007%201998&type=1&interval=36&PHPSESSID=c6btf3r8hs459qqt5ln3o3dcv5. Retrieved 2009-01-18.
- ^ "Album positions". allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:jjfixqrhldae~T50. Retrieved 2009-01-18.
- ^ a b c d "Canadian sales certifications". CRIA. http://www.cria.ca/cert_db_search.php. Retrieved 2009-01-18.
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