Matthew Good

Matthew Frederick Robert Good (born June 29, 1971) is a Canadian musician.

He was the lead singer and songwriter for the Matthew Good Band, one of the most successful alternative rock bands in Canada during the 1990s and early 2000s.

From 1992 to 1993, Good recorded short demo tapes called Left of Normal, Broken, and Euphony, which featured the acoustic songs "Mercy Misses You", "Heather's Like Sunday", and the title track "Euphony".

In 1994, he won a prize from 99.3 The Fox's Seeds, an annual competition of local Vancouver-based bands.

The prize included recording time at a local studio/recording school, where, in September 1994, Good, along with band members Steve Codling, Judy Renouf, Eran Vooys, and Ariel Watson, recorded 15 Hours on a September Thursday.

This demo tape included the songs "Second Sun", "The Ocean", and "Last of the Ghetto Astronauts".

In December 1994, the band signed a publishing deal with EMI Publishing.

In March 1995, the original band went on tour across Canada.

Upon returning home, the band split up and Matt started over with a new group of musicians.

Good formed a three-piece rock band in 1995 composed of himself, drummer Charlie Quintana (later replaced by Ian Browne) and bassist Geoff Lloyd.

Dave Genn originally only recorded with the band as a paid session musician.

The four recorded the band's debut album, Last of the Ghetto Astronauts.

The band released the album independently in 1995, after which Genn officially joined the band.

The band was not originally called "Matthew Good Band".

In fact, the first 5000 copies of Last of the Ghetto Astronauts were just titled "MGB".

After the album was released, "Alabama Motel Room" began to receive significant radio airplay, and people began requesting the song on radio and the album at retail stores calling the band, "Matthew Good Band".

At the time, the band had been having conversations about the band's name, but the band then decided that the band would be called "Matthew Good Band".

Between 1996 and 2016, with sales by Matthew Good Band included, Good was the 25th best-selling Canadian artist in Canada.

Good has been nominated for 21 Juno Awards during his career, winning four.

Good's introduction into the music scene began while he was in high school, when he was asked by members of a folk group to write lyrics for them.

Good then began singing with the group.

Good taught himself to play guitar at age 20 and continued to write songs.

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.

Although initially popular only in the Vancouver area, the band began to have more success across Canada in 1996, with the singles "Alabama Motel Room" and "Symbolistic White Walls" becoming significant hits on radio and their music videos being played on MuchMusic.

In December 1996, Matthew Good Band signed a two-album deal with Private Music.

In mid-January 1997, on the first day of pre-production for their next album, the group was notified that BMG Entertainment North America was merging Private Music into Windham Hill/High Street Records, putting a halt to the production of the album.

In mid-March, after negotiations, Windham Hill/High Street released the group from its contract.

Good was paid what he was owed for the two albums, and the group then decided to record the new album regardless of label support, using the money received from the divorce of their contract with Windham Hill/High Street to fund it.

The group then agreed to release the upcoming album under a distribution agreement with PolyGram Group Canada.

After releasing the EP Raygun in May 1997, the band released their second full-length album, Underdogs, later that year.

The album was produced by Warne Livesey, who would go on to produce every full-length MGB album and most of Good's subsequent solo albums.

The album spawned the singles "Everything Is Automatic", "Indestructible", "Apparitions" and "Rico", all which were hits in Canada.

In November 1998, Geoff Lloyd left the band and was shortly thereafter replaced by Rich Priske.

On January 21, 1999, Underdogs was certified Platinum in Canada.

In September 1999, the band released their next studio album, Beautiful Midnight.

The album debuted at #1 on the Canadian Albums Chart and featured the hit singles "Hello Time Bomb", "Load Me Up", and "Strange Days".

In January 2000, Good underwent vocal cord surgery after being diagnosed with sarcoidosis, prompting him to temporarily quit smoking.

Since the band disbanded in 2002, Good has pursued a solo career and established himself as a political commentator and mental health activist.