Matthew Good Band
Encyclopedia
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), Ian Browne
(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 rock bands of the 1990s, being nominated for a Juno Award
in 1998 for "Best New Group
" and winning the award for "Group of the Year
" in 2000. The band dissolved in 2002. Good has since pursued a successful solo career, while Genn joined the Canadian rock group 54-40
in 2005. Geoff Lloyd died in January 2010.
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 99.3 The Fox's Seeds competition, an annual competition of local Vancouver-based bands. 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.
, 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. The album was the first of several the band would record at Greenhouse Studios.
spawned the hit singles "Everything Is Automatic
", "Indestructible
" and "Apparitions
". The Matthew Good Band would return to Greenhouse Studios to record the Underdogs album. 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.
followed in 1999, in which it saw the departure of Lloyd and the joining of Rich Priske
as the new bassist. The album 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.) Beautiful Midnight was produced by Warne Livesy at Greenhouse Studios.
. 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. Following throat surgery to remove a nodule from a vocal cord, Good stayed in a hotel for three weeks in Whistler
to work on songs. Good wrote most of the album while unable to speak or sing. 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. The band's last music video, for Anti-Pop, contained brief cameos of Priske and Browne, but consisted primarily of camcorder videos following Good, American race car driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
and a kidnapped garden gnome
to popular tourist destinations throughout the United States. Ian Browne appears at the end of the video as the owner of the returned gnome (information taken from "In A Coma" DVD commentaries).
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band formed by Matthew Good
Matthew Good
Matthew Frederick Robert Good is a Canadian rock musician. He was the lead singer for the Matthew Good Band, one of Canada's most successful alternative rock bands in the 1990s, before dissolving the band in 2002...
that existed from 1993 to 2002. The band consisted of Good (vocals, guitar), Dave Genn
Dave Genn
David Robert Madison Genn is a musician and a member of Canadian rock group 54-40. Genn was born in Vancouver, British Columbia on 2 March 1969.-Matthew Good Band:...
(lead guitar/keyboard), Ian Browne
Ian Browne (musician)
Ian Browne is a Canadian-born musician and composer, known as being a member of the Matthew Good Band between 1995 and 2002...
(drums) and Geoff Lloyd (bass) from 1995 to 1999 (replaced by Rich Priske
Rich Priske
Rich "Rock" Priske is a Canadian musician born in Vancouver, British Columbia. He has long been active in the Vancouver music scene, and has played bass and/or written songs for DSK, ShoCore, Bif Naked and Real McKenzies, and others. Priske is most widely known for playing bass guitar and...
from 1999 to 2001). The band would become one of Canada
Canadian rock
Canadian rock describes a wide and diverse variety of music produced by Canadians, beginning with American style rock 'n' roll in the mid-20th century. Since then Canada has had a considerable impact on the development of the modern popular music called rock...
's most successful rock bands of the 1990s, being nominated for a Juno Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
in 1998 for "Best New Group
Juno Award for New Group of the Year
The Juno Award for the New Group of the Year has been awarded since 1974, as recognition each year for the best new group or band in Canada. The award was originally known as Most Promising Group of the Year, and from 1994–2002 it was known as Best New Group.-Most Promising Group of the Year...
" and winning the award for "Group of the Year
Juno Award for Group of the Year
The Juno Award for best Group of the Year has been awarded since 1970, as recognition each year for the best group or band in Canada. It has also been known as Best Group .-Best Group :*1970 - The Guess Who...
" in 2000. The band dissolved in 2002. Good has since pursued a successful solo career, while Genn joined the Canadian rock group 54-40
54-40
54•40 is a Canadian alternative rock group from Tsawwassen, British Columbia.The band takes their name from the slogan "Fifty-Four Forty or Fight!", coined to express the expansionist agenda of James K...
in 2005. Geoff Lloyd died in January 2010.
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
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
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 99.3 The Fox's Seeds competition, an annual competition of local Vancouver-based bands. 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.
Last of the Ghetto Astronauts (1995-1996)
In mid-1995, they released their debut full-length albumAlbum
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Last of the Ghetto Astronauts
Last of the Ghetto Astronauts
Last of the Ghetto Astronauts was the debut album of the Matthew Good Band. It was released independently in 1995 on a budget of roughly $5,000 CAD. With the singles "Alabama Motel Room", "Symbolistic White Walls", the album achieved incredible popularity, particularly in western Canada...
. 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
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and MuchMusic
MuchMusic
MuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...
. 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. The album was the first of several the band would record at Greenhouse Studios.
Underdogs (1997-1998)
The band's 1997 album UnderdogsUnderdogs
Underdogs is the second full-length album released by the Matthew Good Band in 1997, as a follow-up to the 1995 album Last of the Ghetto Astronauts...
spawned the hit singles "Everything Is Automatic
Everything Is Automatic
"Everything is Automatic" is the first single by Matthew Good Band from their second studio album, Underdogs.-Music video:The music video for "Everything Is Automatic" was directed by Bill Morrison. The video features several up-close, zoomed and defocussed shots of the band preparing and...
", "Indestructible
Indestructible (Matthew Good Band song)
"Indestructible" is the second single from Matthew Good Band's second studio album, Underdogs. The song was relatively successful, reaching #7 on Canada's Alternative chart. The song was also featured on MuchMusic's Big Shiny 90's compilation. It continues to receive airplay on Canadian rock radio...
" and "Apparitions
Apparitions (song)
"Apparitions" is the third single released by Matthew Good Band from their second studio album, Underdogs. The song received tremendous success in Canada, being nominated for "Best Single" at the 1999 Juno Awards. An edited version of the song is featured on the MuchMusic compilation album, Big...
". The Matthew Good Band would return to Greenhouse Studios to record the Underdogs album. 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
Publicity
Publicity is the deliberate attempt to manage the public's perception of a subject. The subjects of publicity include people , goods and services, organizations of all kinds, and works of art or entertainment.From a marketing perspective, publicity is one component of promotion which is one...
photos in a gorilla
Gorilla
Gorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
mask.
Beautiful Midnight (1999-2000)
Beautiful MidnightBeautiful Midnight
Beautiful Midnight is the third album released by the Matthew Good Band and the follow-up to the band's 1997 album, Underdogs.The album produced four successful singles and music videos, "Hello Time Bomb", "Load Me Up", "Strange Days", and "The Future is X-Rated"...
followed in 1999, in which it saw the departure of Lloyd and the joining of Rich Priske
Rich Priske
Rich "Rock" Priske is a Canadian musician born in Vancouver, British Columbia. He has long been active in the Vancouver music scene, and has played bass and/or written songs for DSK, ShoCore, Bif Naked and Real McKenzies, and others. Priske is most widely known for playing bass guitar and...
as the new bassist. The album became hugely successful via singles including "Hello Time Bomb
Hello Time Bomb
"Hello Time Bomb" is the first single by Matthew Good Band from their third album, Beautiful Midnight. It was recorded in 1999 at Greenhouse Studios, Burnaby, British Columbia. The song was nominated for "Best Single" at the 2000 Juno Awards, losing to The Tragically Hip's "Bobcaygeon"...
", "Strange Days
Strange Days (Matthew Good Band song)
"Strange Days" is the third single by Canadian group Matthew Good Band from their third studio album, Beautiful Midnight. The song peaked at #6 on Canada's Rock/Alternative chart, and is one the band's most well known songs.-Music video:...
", and "Load Me Up
Load Me Up
"Load Me Up" is the second single by Canadian group Matthew Good Band from their third studio album, Beautiful Midnight. The song reached #1 on Canada's Rock/Alternative chart. It is featured on MuchMusic's compilation album, Big Shiny Tunes 5...
". The album skyrocketed the band's celebrity status and earned them two Juno awards
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
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.) Beautiful Midnight was produced by Warne Livesy at Greenhouse Studios.
The Audio of Being/break-up (2001-2002)
After touring Beautiful Midnight for nearly two years, the band set to work on The Audio of BeingThe Audio of Being
The Audio Of Being was the fourth album released by the Canadian rock group Matthew Good Band in 2001. It was the last release from MGB and included the two singles "Carmelina" and "Anti-Pop". The album was certified Gold on March 14, 2003....
. 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
Sarcoidosis
Sarcoidosis , also called sarcoid, Besnier-Boeck disease or Besnier-Boeck-Schaumann disease, is a disease in which abnormal collections of chronic inflammatory cells form as nodules in multiple organs. The cause of sarcoidosis is unknown...
, a disease that causes lesions to form in the lungs, prompting him to temporarily quit smoking. Following throat surgery to remove a nodule from a vocal cord, Good stayed in a hotel for three weeks in Whistler
Whistler, British Columbia
Whistler is a Canadian resort town in the southern Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in the province of British Columbia, Canada, approximately north of Vancouver...
to work on songs. Good wrote most of the album while unable to speak or sing. 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
Dave Genn
David Robert Madison Genn is a musician and a member of Canadian rock group 54-40. Genn was born in Vancouver, British Columbia on 2 March 1969.-Matthew Good Band:...
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. The band's last music video, for Anti-Pop, contained brief cameos of Priske and Browne, but consisted primarily of camcorder videos following Good, American race car driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
* NOTE: References to "Earnhardt", "he", and "him" refer to the subject of this article, unless otherwise specified. References to his father will include "Sr."...
and a kidnapped garden gnome
Garden gnome
A garden gnome or lawn gnome is a figurine of a small humanoid creature, usually wearing a pointy hat, produced for the purpose of ornamentation and protection from evil sorcery, typically of gardens or on lawns....
to popular tourist destinations throughout the United States. Ian Browne appears at the end of the video as the owner of the returned gnome (information taken from "In A Coma" DVD commentaries).
Discography
- Last of the Ghetto AstronautsLast of the Ghetto AstronautsLast of the Ghetto Astronauts was the debut album of the Matthew Good Band. It was released independently in 1995 on a budget of roughly $5,000 CAD. With the singles "Alabama Motel Room", "Symbolistic White Walls", the album achieved incredible popularity, particularly in western Canada...
(1995) - Raygun (EP)Raygun (EP)Raygun was a five-song EP released by the Matthew Good Band in 1996 as a followup to their enormously popular indie release, Last of the Ghetto Astronauts. Distributed by A&M Records on Matthew Good's own imprint, Darktown, it was the first MGB album to include guitarist Dave Genn as a member of...
(1996) - UnderdogsUnderdogsUnderdogs is the second full-length album released by the Matthew Good Band in 1997, as a follow-up to the 1995 album Last of the Ghetto Astronauts...
(1997) - Lo-Fi B-Sides (EP) Lo-Fi B-SidesReleased in 1998, Lo-Fi B-Sides was the second EP produced by the now-defunct Matthew Good Band. The EP was limited to 5000 copies and was included as a bonus with purchase of the band's 1997 album Underdogs. It became a highly sought-after collectors item by fans, occasionally commanding a...
(1998) - Beautiful MidnightBeautiful MidnightBeautiful Midnight is the third album released by the Matthew Good Band and the follow-up to the band's 1997 album, Underdogs.The album produced four successful singles and music videos, "Hello Time Bomb", "Load Me Up", "Strange Days", and "The Future is X-Rated"...
(1999) - Loser Anthems:B-Sides & Rarities (EP)Loser Anthems/B-Sides & RaritiesLoser Anthems: B-Sides and Rarities was a 2001 EP release by the now-defunct Matthew Good Band...
(2001) - The Audio of BeingThe Audio of BeingThe Audio Of Being was the fourth album released by the Canadian rock group Matthew Good Band in 2001. It was the last release from MGB and included the two singles "Carmelina" and "Anti-Pop". The album was certified Gold on March 14, 2003....
(2001)