Matt Reid

Not long after taking up piano in 1982, Matt Reid started writing music. Inspired by experiences in school jazz ensembles, art college, and peers in the Halifax Indie scene of the nineties, Matt began performing everything from surf to prog rock to hip-hop. Matt fronted three bands and produced two full length albums over a decade before performing strictly under his own name.

In 1997 Matt began playing keyboards in Piggy, the upbeat and much loved 'Calypso Orchestra of the Maritimes.' The same year he formed the much darker art-punk group Confidence Band, known synths, horns, melodic drumming and angrily introspective lyrics. The band released the ambitiously quirky "Songs of Dance and Fractured Romance", toured the Maritimes extensively and contributed to a compilation 7" before dissolving in 2001.

Matt formed Death By Nostalgia in 2002 to perform material he had been recording with J Lapointe (Motes/North Of America). The group became known for energetic live shows and opened for many high-profile acts such as Unicorns, By Divine Right, and Les Savy Fav. The album was released in 2004 and featured guest appearances by such artists as Mike O'Neill, Scratch Bastid and Carla Gillis (Plumtree/Bontempi). The band toured extensively throughout the Maritimes as well as Ontario and the States.

In 2005, Matt took a break from performing until founding the strictly instrumental Music Inspired The Film. The group performed covers and originals inspired by the likes of Ennio Morricone, Burt Bacharach, The Shadows and Frank Zappa. Eventually the urge to write lyrics returned. Before hitting thirty, Matt vowed to stick to his strengths and began producing a body of upbeat piano pop, with a heavier emphasis on lyrics.

Matt Reid & Friends have been performing in Halifax for over a year, and have shared the stage with such acts as The Stolen Minks, Laura Peek, The Got To Get Got and Wax Mannequin.