The Matinee

The Matinee formed in Vancouver, Canada during 2007 as a six-piece roots rock outfit. Longtime friends Matt Layzell (lead vocals), Matt Rose (guitar and pedal steel), Mike Young (bass and banjo), Dave Young (keyboards and mandolin), Pete Lemmon (drums), and Geoff Petrie (guitar and vocals) came together to launch the group. From the outset they concentrated on extensive touring, delivering demanding live shows with scant outside backing or visibility. In 2007 the band issued a restrained full-length record on their self-run Blue Collar Records label, then followed it two years later with a self-titled EP. Their entry in the 2011 Peak Performance Project—a competition organized by Vancouver’s 100.5 The Peak—yielded a third-place finish and a sizable cash prize earmarked for the first official studio album. Recording proceeded at a relaxed tempo under producers Steve Berlin of Los Lobos, whose prior credits encompass R.E.M. and the Tragically Hip, alongside Steve Bays, frontman of the indie group Hot Hot Heat. The resulting album, We Swore We’d See the Sunrise, appeared on Light Organ Records in early 2013, after which the band toured in support of the release.