Matt Hutch Band

Slot Kings:
Slit Slot get stoopid on tape
By ELIZABETH BROMSTEIN


What is the greatest band? The Stones? The Beatles? The Clash? Alvin and the Chipmunks? People sit up late into the night asking this question. Well, put on your footie pyjamas and shut off the lights. Extremely talented local musical
comedians and jacks of all genres Slit Slot are here to give us the answer. "We are the greatest," Matt Hutch and Peter Van Ruff inform me over beers at Squirly's.Hutch and
Van Ruff share vocal, guitar and beat duty. They're joined by drummer and relatively
new addition Andre Skinner (the guy who busks at Queen and Spadina).Bassist Cedrick
Best is absent, which is OK in this case, since Hutch and Van Ruff talk over each
other at all times. Skinner tells me he's "the best drummer in Toronto."Hutch and Van
Ruff concur. It's been difficult, they tell me, finding a drummer who can keep up with
the drum machine they often rely on. You can witness all this greatness tonight
(Thursday, October 31) at the 360. There'll be wrestlers and all sorts of crazy
shit. Hutch thinks the band may dress up as dictators. Slit Slot have been carrying on like
this for close to two years. One of those years was spent playing regularly at Beat Junkie
without a stage -- they just played on the dance floor, freestyling originals and covering
numbers by the Stones, Ministry, Curtis Mayfield, Zappa and Black Flag, jamming with
whoeverwanted to join in and getting unlimited free drinks. They've recently released their
independent first album, Snake Oil. Often hilarious, Weenlike in its experimental approach, as goofy as it is technically sound, Snake Oil explores the territory of Latin,
punk, rock and hiphop with entertaining tunes like Cocaine, Heroin and Doggy Style.
Eighty per cent of the record was recorded freestyle. Hutch, Van Ruff and Skinner each
has his own studio. They'll soon open another at the base of Mount St. Louis, complete
with 24-track ProTools and snooker tables, where bands can go, ski, snowboard,
lounge in the hot tub and maybe even record some music -- and let's not forget, bask in
the presence of greatness. You know the kind of guys, the ones who are always
recording something. "Some of the record was done on a four-track, some on a 36-track.
Some of it's live, some was recorded at a cottage," says Van Ruff. "We've actually
got enough material recorded for seven or eight records, " Hutch tells me. "The next one
is gonna be a double disc of country, German technoand death metal. Oh, and Cuban.
There'll be some Cuban in there. We've also been working on rap-a-billy." Alas, not
everyone recognizes greatness when they see it. Some people have even been known
to storm out of Slit Slot shows, offended by their attitude or language. "I guess they
just don't get that it's improv comedy," says Hutch. Others take issue with the lyrics
of songs like Doggy Style, a light samba about fucking bitches from behind.
"Some women tell me it's offensive," says Van Ruff. "But the truth is, their boyfriends are
banging them from behind later that night just like in the song. And I can't think about
what's politically correct and what's not when I'm freestyle rhyming."



July 25th, 2002 Eye Magazine


BULLETINS A-GO-GO! Gonzo electro-ragga-punk pranksters Slit Slot play The
360 July 26 in honour of their epic new Snake Oil disc, which packs enough genre-fuck
mutations and booty/blow job references to make Gene and Dean Ween toke in approval.
Opening entertainment will be provided by Droopy and funnyman Nick Flanagan. Stuart Berman



June 21st, 2001 Now Magazine

LOCAL SPOTLIGHT

Who? Dean "The Machine" Foster (left congas), Pete Van Ruff (vocals)---
Cedrick "The Limey" Best (bass) and Matt Hutch (guitar)--

Where? Saturday (June 23) with the Cowslingers at the El Mocambo-----

Sound? Musical comedy with balls----------------------------------------


Key fast facts? The crowd-baiting rap rock unit fronted by confrontational freestyler Pete Van Tuff have been antagonizing unsuspecting audiences with
their politically incorrect riffing for much of the past twoyears,although they
didn't get serious until Matt Hutch's previous outfit, Teen Crud Combo,bitthe dust. According to Hutch, it all connected for Slit Slot when they decided
to replace their drummer with a machine "we tried using a couple of different
drummers" he confides, "but we found that they're all idiots. There's something
in their constant arm movements that flips on the drama queen switch in their
brains. Eventually we just bought some drum machines and everything just fell
into place. "Slit Slot are threatening to release their self produced debut album
by the end of the year says Hutch, it'll have at least 15 different styles of music
represented, everything from roots reggae to punk to rock, some old-school hiphop and drum & bass of course. There'll be a little spoken word comedy
thrown in too. " IF - Now Magazine Toronto Ont. Canada