Rising Canadian singer-songwriter uses music as a "universal language"
Vancouver singer-songwriter and producer Matt Storm is still thrilled at how intimately music can connect people every time he steps onstage.
“My recent tour in Slovakia was the most amazing experience,” Storm told Daily Hive in an email. “We played in four different cities and the audiences were so great. They were so appreciative of live original music and so attentive.
“To be able to have that connection with people through music, who a lot of the time didn’t speak much English, felt like such a privilege. It’s times like that when you understand this universal language that is music.”
Storm is not only winning over fans in Europe, but he’s also delighting fans close to home thanks to a recent performance on Portside Live, a new online concert and interview series in partnership with Daily Hive.
Portside Live profiles popular and emerging artists while giving viewers an opportunity to get to know the band beyond the stage.
“My performance is a really good representation of the four-piece band live sound we have currently, as well as the songs I love playing,” Storm shared. “I’m also fielding some questions about my life and work as a musician/producer. I get to share my authentic self.”
The BC-based artist describes himself as being obsessed with music, discovering the power of sound when he was a young child.
“We used to play marimbas in music class when I was a little kid. If you got to the music room first after recess, you got to play the biggest one. They sounded the best and were always picked first. So it was the only time I rushed back to class from the playground. I guess even then I knew.”
Matt Storm/Submitted
Storm explains that he enjoys learning about the lives of artists and that great ones also tend to have very similar qualities.
“There are so many different ways to make art, but at the root of it is creativity,” he added. “We can never quite pin down where or what the source of that really is. For me, music is the medium.
“I like to travel and share my music with people as well as experiment with sounds in the studio. I enjoy collaborating with other artists and creating things together.”
His joy of collaboration brought him to work as Orchid Studios’ house engineer from 2015 to 2022. There he was mentored by Orchid owner Rory Macdonald and worked with a vast array of acts including Juno nominees like Desirée Dawson and IAMTHELIVING.
Matt Storm/Submitted
“The journey of becoming a producer has brought me full circle. I used to think there were these secrets to producing records that had to do with the gear or tricks that only the pros knew. But the most important thing is training your ear to figure out what sounds it likes to hear. The main source of a good record is just a good song.”
“I really love working with artists and helping them craft sounds. That feeling when we’re listening back through the speaker at what we just created from thin air, and everyone’s dancing and vibing, that’s the best feeling. A good song will make you rise to the occasion, every time.”
The multi-instrumentalist added that he wants people to know how much work goes on behind the scenes for himself and his fellow musicians.
Matt Storm/Submitted
“Musicians have to put in a lot of time and effort in order to make things happen in their careers, and to an outsider, it all seems like a fun, carefree lifestyle. Of course, the lifestyle of a musician is incredibly fun, but we work our asses off in order for it to appear that way.
“We are also eternally in the dark as to what is going to happen next in our careers. Our great successes are often immediately followed by dreadful thoughts such as ‘I’ve got nothing booked next month.’”
Storm is ensuring that he’s staying busy, including looking forward to the release of his next single, “Idle Hands,” on September 8.
“The music I write is very personal and really cathartic for me to write and perform. The only way I know how to perform is to go to that place of authenticity and share that feeling that the song gives me.
“This can be really frightening at times. Soon you realize that all the audience really wants from you is to share your true self. The more you do it, the more the audience will reward you for it. It’s an amazing thing. I’m constantly learning how to be a better performer.”
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