RUNNING FOR THE MIDNIGHT HOUR
Northcote (a.k.a. Matt Goud), who hails from Saskatchewan, is about embark on a cross-Canada tour that will hit Vancouver’s Biltmore Cabaret on June 22. BeatRoute had the chance to speak with Goud on the phone for a brief conversation and gain some insight into his music, dreams and future goals for Northcote.
Goud had found success before with his post-hardcore band Means, touring across Canada and around the United States. They found an underground fandom in an unlikely place. A Winnipeg basketball team was actually started in tribute to the band itself.
“I am a big sports nerd; however I can’t shoot a basket to save my life,” Goud confessed upon learning of this Winnipeg team’s existence for the first time and was awestruck over this discovery.
It was a relatively easy transition to a singer–songwriter career. Starting this venture while on tour with his old band, playing coffee shops along the way on tour helped him build his chops. It also didn’t hurt having a punk rock legend to look to for guidance. Playing a few shows with Chuck Ragan (Hot Water Music) is a bit of a surreal experience for anybody who grew up during this era of the genre.
Moving to Victoria three years ago to be with his partner, Matt worked at a casino while perfecting his craft. “A rehearsal space for one person is expensive,” he says about writing his record in a van by the Victoria waterfront. “I rented a cabin in Ucluelet near Tofino and in the first week I wrote five of the songs on this album.”
During the storm season this made for an easy fix and getaway to create. The album Northcote (which was released May 7 via Black Box Recordings) was recorded with producer Colin Stewart (Black Mountain, Cave Singers, Dan Mangan) at The Hive Creative Labs. The album itself is a stepping-stone to a full-force touring schedule, which includes a few festival appearances scheduled over the summer. A recently wrapped up first time tour in Europe, Goud hopes to bring this record back and to play it for as many people as he can muster to hear it. Hoping to dedicate 75 per cent of his time touring this record and “see if I can pay my rent” with music. For every musician the goal is to make a sustainable living off the art in which you have created and Goud doesn’t have rock-star dreams but that of a happy existence playing his tunes for fresh ears and familiar faces.
You can see Northcote make its triumphant return to the Biltmore on June 22nd with very special guests The Crackling.
By Latif Bains
