Last year was a huge year for our favourite singer/songwriter (who just happens to also make some amazing halibut).

Photo Credit: PatZ on Flickr

Matthew Good’s latest album, Hospital Music, debuted at #1 in Canada and climbed up the top 10 even on iTunes charts in the US where he doesn’t even have a label. We attended his concert in town, which was a part of his solo acoustic tour, and Matt playing the Commodore in 2005 was John’s first concert when he first came to Canada. Needless to say the success of Hospital Music, Matt’s solo acoustic tour and everything that has followed is pretty amazing and he deserves every ounce of praise.

Recently Matt announced his first-ever tour of the United States, as well as a full-band tour across Canada this spring. Here are some Canadian dates (read more on the mg shows page)

May 29th, Toronto, ON, Massey Hall
May 30th, Montreal, QC Club Soda
June 4th, Sarnia, ON, Imperial Theatre
June 5th, Kitchener, ON, Centre In The Square
June 6th, Hamilton, ON, Hamilton Place Theatre
June 16th, Winnipeg, MB, Burton Cummings Centre
June 21st, Edmonton, AB, Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
June 26th, Vancouver, BC, Orpheum Theatre
June 27th, Victoria, BC, Victoria Events Centre

Some key US dates include the kick off in Seattle March 7th at Tractor Tavern, March 11th in LA at the Hotel Cafe, shows in Chicago, Detroit, Rochester and Cleveland. I’m most excited about him playing the Middle East in Cambridge, MA on March 23rd and from there he heads over to New York city, and Philadelphia.

It also turns out that he will be making an appearance at SXSW (the interactive and music festival that is making everyone who can’t go extremely jealous). He’ll be at Momo’s at 10:00pm on March 15th in Austin, Texas.

Tickets for his Vancouver show on June 26th at the Orpheum go on sale Friday morning (pre-sale tomorrow) through Ticketmaster and will be assigned-seating. I would highly recommend getting a couple tickets, but not until after I get mine, k.

Boston and I had a tumultuous relationship. I moved there alone not knowing anyone or having ever visited the city before. I had a new role with my company, a new house, and new friends to seek out, which wasn’t easy. One thing that I was able to go out and do by myself (that lead to meeting all kinds of interesting characters) was going to concerts. Music has a way of bringing together longtime friends and loners.

Central Square (in Cambridge) was hardly littered with pea-coat wearing MBA’s like the rest of Boston. It wasn’t pretentious - it had dive bars, diners, galleries, and great live music venues. From a couple Mighty Mighty Bosstones “hometown throwdown” shows to punk bands and lots of local acts, I checked out venues like TT The Bears and the legendary Middle East. This scene was mere blocks away from my old loft on Pleasant Street.

I loved living in the republic of Cambridge. Every now and then I pine for the life I lead there although I’m so glad I have already been able to share a slice of these memories with John.

When Matt announced he’ll be playing a US Tour I was pretty much crossing my fingers that a Boston-area show would be included. Much to my delight, he’ll be stopping in Cambridge, at the Middle East no less.

Funny thing is, when I lived in Boston I ordered Avalanche online and it almost became a soundtrack for those times. I can’t listen to “In a World Called Catastrophe” and not think about walking to work along the frosted brick sidewalks of Harvard with the Charles River following me every step of the way.

If anyone didn’t know what to get me for Christmas I think a plane ticket to my former zip code would make me crumble into little bits of excitingness. Regardless, you can probably count on John and I taking a long weekend in March 2008.

John and I usually have pretty bad luck when it comes to venue security for sporting events or concerts however after tonight I don’t feel so targeted. Walking into The Centre for Matthew Good’s Vancouver stop on the Nothing to Hide Tour I spotted his sister-in-law, Chloe, along with her children and Matt’s parents. We chatted briefly then headed into the show, wondering how “tight” security would be as we all had digital cameras. Once we got upstairs she caught up with us and said the guard was poking through Mrs. Good’s hand bag asking if she had any food and giving her a bit of a hard time. Chloe simple said to him, “you DO know this is his mom?” and they were allowed to pass without further inspection.

The opening act was not Tegan and Sara but two girls in a band called Dala. The highlight of their set was them asking the crowd if BC has a provincial song and several audience members chanted back, “Go Canucks Go!”

Matt’s all acoustic performance was melodic, soulful, powerful and rocked all those in attendance. There was so much sound even when the audience was so quiet you could hear the zoom lens on the digital camera next to you.

Photo credit: jennzebel on Flickr

Songs ranged from Last of the Ghetto Astronauts’ Symbolistic White Walls, to Hospital Music’s True Love Will Find You in the End. He played at least one song from each album (except Audio of Being… but comment if I’m wrong). The banter and audience interaction between each set of songs was clever and genuine. I can particularly appreciate the hyper-local references. At one point Matt said something about “The C.O.Q” in reference to Coquitlam, then someone mentioned Surrey, there were more comments involving a beaver, then a voice pipes up “PoCo is kinda nice”. I thought to myself “and Maple Ridge shaping up to be lovely bedroom community“.

Another conversation with the audience was about venue, someone shouted “play Whalley”. This lead Matt on a nice little narrative about performing at Whalley’s Little League Field, walking over to the Gold n’ Guns on King George, going to the Cold Beer n’ Wine then taking the Skytrain into Vancouver, hanging out downtown and ending the night at the Roxy. I think he almost described my 17th birthday party to a tee (just kidding, Mom!) Alas, Gold n’ Guns has been replaced by a noodle house.

Rod joins Matt on stage

The show was what we expected of Matt and more. He had been rehearsing a broader scope of his catalog and it was evident tonight with him pulling out acoustic versions of Load Me Up and Pledge of Allegiance. He even threw in a cover of a Simon and Garfunkle tune, just for his dad. Rod joined him on stage for I’m a Window as well, which was super fantastic.

The review I heard from the out of town crew (Dan from Toronto and Jennie from Pittsburgh) was that it was the best show they’ve ever seen - the next cities on the tour are in for a treat. Unfortunately Duane had the flu and was unable to make it to the show, sorry buddy, but we chatted with Keira for a bit. John and I had a great night though, we hung out with some cool people (like Dan and his wife with whom we had dinner, along with the rest of the ‘Vegas Show’ crew), met some new nice folks (like Joanne who reads this blog) and enjoyed the amazing performance.

When John told me this morning he heard on the radio that Matthew Good was going to be playing the Molson Brewery I did a double take.

The Molson Brewery? The one in Kits? Near the Burrard Bridge? Matthew Good… at the Brewery? Yeah I’m sure you get the gist. Well it’s true, CFOX is doing another one of their ‘uninvited guest’ concerts, which usually take place in backyards about Metro Vancouver. They invite a bunch of people, have a lil concert and do a broadcast.

Unfortunately reading the “rules and regulations” I am immediately disqualified (and not because I’m not of legal drinking age), which pretty much sucks. I’m still looking forward to seeing how this event unfolds and maybe the terms by which I am disqualified might actually work to my advantage, at least here’s hoping.

Earlier this summer I jetted down to Vegas to take part in an event, do some live blogging, and wish a friend happy birthday.

Throughout the duration of my 36 hour escapade I ran into all kinds of interesting people, from the man at McCarran that told me it was nice to see a girl with a MacBook, to the dude from Apple, Jennie, and Tony. We were all there for the same reason, well except the Mac dude in the airport, and thanks to the magic of the internet (flickr, blogs, YouTube) we’ve all had ways to capture this moment in time. There were two guys there that wanted to sit down with Matt and tell a little story, mostly for an American audience but also to promote Hospital Music for the masses.

Max and Jason host Current TV, which is the fastest growing network in TV history, founded by Al Gore. The segment they produced is featured below, although in Current TV talk it’s a “pod”; the name given to their episodes.

Honestly, I got chills watching this. I remembered months and weeks ago, the images and the music were beautifully presented. It was somber, but that’s pretty befitting of Hospital Music in general. I would have liked to see more information about Matt, but I’m really glad it was only 4 minutes long and his website was listed at the end. It was awesome to see Suburbia played in that setting, even though it’s not on HM.

At the end I turned to John and said, “pretty good, huh?” and he said, “for only 99 cents a day, you too can sponsor Matthew Good.” Okay, I admit, that cracked me up. It was a little solemn but overall I’d say it was a 8/10. Mostly for production value, the editing, songs used, and I’m just a total sap.

To find out more about Current TV, head over to the website, and explore Max & Jason’s MySpace. Also, if you haven’t yet purchased your copy of Hospital Music, just let me know how many more blog posts I need to compose to get the point across that this is one seriously amazing album.

Update August 8, 2007: Hospital Music is the #1 Album in Canada.

Update: The record is sitting at #1 on Amazon.ca and iTunes Canada, and Born Losers as a single is #1 on iTunes USA Alternative Top Songs [MG.org]. Also, the album is climbing to #21 (so far) on iTunes USA which is incredibly groundbreaking. We talked about the album tonight with our dinner guests (featuring Rod as Himself) and shared laughs, talked music and agreed that Hospital Music is wicked awesome.

Hospital Music is in stores today. I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited about an album release. Aside from considering Matt a friend of John and me, I’ve also been a fan since before I could drive a car… and that was a while ago. In good ‘fan’ fashion I’ll share a little bit of my history…

In the spring of 1997 I went to the David Hawkes Modern Rock Circus at the Plaza of Nations. It was a two-day event put on by CFOX, David being a DJ there at the time, and featured the likes of Sloan, Hanson Brothers, Green Apple Quickstep, Age of Electric, Gob, Another Joe, and Mud Girl - just to name a few. At the end of the second night Anne, Jenny and I were all tuckered out from a day of moshing and hitting on skater boys working the booths. We decided it was time to hit the road when the next band was introduced. 10 feet from the exit I heard “Raygun”. I turned to my sister and said, “wait, I like this song, I heard it on the radio… let’s stay for it”. She and Anne agreed and as it turned out we all knew the next song, “Alabama Motel Room”… and the next one…. “Symbolistic White Walls”. We stayed for the entire set even though an ambulance arrived for some reason and wouldn’t shut off its siren. Matt thanked the crowd and signed off saying they were called “Air Supply”. I’ve been a fan since that day and can no longer even count the number of shows I have attended on my fingers and toes.

Hospital Music is a culmination of emotions, put to music beautifully although some of the subject matter is just ugly. It makes you feel angry, sad, lonely, and then loved. Some songs make me think of lovers lost, loved ones lost and lost causes while others make me appreciate my family, what I have in John, and what we’ve been through. Much like past albums remind me of being a student, going BMXing, Cambridge, the Mass Pike, and driving from Crater Lake to Napa Valley, this one will post specific memories in my mind as well. The simple acoustic stylings, to string sections and powerful vocals that are sometimes so soft but pack a sting are what will make Hospital Music one of my most prized possessions.

When I listen to ‘The Boy Come Home’, I think of Dan Lilly saying it was his favourite song, and I agreed. I hear ‘Moon Over Marin’ and I think of the studio, lit only by lamp and candlelight, sitting next to John with a pup on my lap, and Keira on the other side of the couch, who had the other pup on hers. It makes me think of all the people I have come to know over the last year and how valuable they each are. This album already reminds me of so much and I don’t even have a copy yet.

Photo credit: Dan Lilly on Flickr

You can now purchase the album in Canadian stores or online using any of the following methods.

At our place tonight we’ll have a listen and enjoy over some delicious guacamole and home-cooked snacks. I’d like to wish Matt all the best with this album.

Update: View the Live Blog here

This Friday, June 29th I will be in Las Vegas hanging out with Matthew Good and about 20 lucky individuals, getting a private performance and preview of the forthcoming album, Hospital Music.

Photo credit: Dan Lilly on Flickr

I’m in Las Vegas for a month, I might do a little campfire thing without amplification, etc, sort of like I did when I left my old apartment… Like last August’s apartment show I will have to limit the number of people, so if you’re seriously interested then best to respond as soon as you’re able. We can make it a bit of a pool party, I’ll play some tunes, and maybe even preview some of the new release. Being that it’s in the high 30’s during the day, I’ll most likely do it in the evening when it cools off a bit. As for the date, I was thinking of doing it on my birthday, the 29th [MatthewGood.org]

I will be live blogging the event, similar to the show last August in his living room [Miss604]. I must admit, warm, humid, desert air sitting by a pool doesn’t exactly scream “pick up a laptop and blog”, but this is just what I do, eh? I’d love to share this experience with the web via my blog and to those Matthew Good fans that cannot attend. He will also be streaming Hospital Music on his website that day, from start to finish, so everyone can have a listen.

Check back here on Friday evening (June 29th), I hope to have photos up - probably taken with my camera phone (since it’s easy to bluetooth them over for blogging purposes) and hopefully some awesome shots captured by Duane Storey as well (read his post about the trip here). All you have to do when reading a live blog is refresh the page, as I’ll be editing and re-editing the same post (same url) all evening. Comments will also be open.

Update: The first single “Born Losers” is available today on iTunes Canada [MatthewGood.org]

Going into tonight’s Canucks game I was justifying a potential win in many ways “they beat us before Christmas”, standing up to the grim picture the media is painting. Unfortunately the boys were a little out of it and got royally spanked by Andy McDonald and his fancy hat trick.

On a brighter note, we had the Carlsons over for the game tonight and it was a pretty good time despite the depressing display on the tele. Many thanks to them for supplying the Snappa Cappa, which we’ll have to enjoy together again sometime soon.

Speaking of super nice Vancouver bloggers, Matthew Good (brilliant singer / songwriter / recording artist / friend) has written a bookmark-worthy article on The Tyee, sharing some of his Top 5 Blog Reads. He includes such blogger elite as Raymi, Juan Cole, Raed Jarrar and Tony Pierce and shares a bit about what makes their sites worth visiting daily. He also included the following note about this here site:

Miss 604: Over the last half year I have become friendly with Rebecca Bollwitt and her husband John. Rebecca’s blog is, in my opinion, one of the few truly Vancouver-specific blogs out there, that lacks the sort of pomp and upper-crust pitfalls that plague many of the city’s self proclaimed Vancouver-specific blogs. Her genuine approach, coverage of the Canucks, contributions to Metroblogging Vancouver, and down-to-earth nature make her blog a daily pleasure to visit.

It’s a an honour to be linked off Matt’s website daily in the link section, and to be mentioned along with these other great blogs, but to have him write such a complimentary post about my little Miss604.com just makes me feel that much better about my daily portrayal of life in this fair city. Matt’s such a great person and John and I are pretty lucky to have become acquainted with him over the last while. Not to mention it’s really a pleasure to be able to discuss the real Vancouver with a fellow local… who gets it.