Happy December! As you presumably have noticed, with this update we are launching a new and improved
Matinée website with a lavish new design and about 100 times the content of our former site. In addition to
substantial improvements to the News, Catalog and Order pages,
we have added individual release pages with full tracklistings, soundclips, and reviews, plus pages for each
Artist including photos, discographies, contact information and more.
There is also a handy new Sounds page where you can listen to Real Audio clips from
every release and mp3’s of tracks from the new releases, a new Fanclub page where you
can sign up for the Matinée newsletter or view available fan merchandise, and a new Archive
page containing all past news updates, year-end lists and Matinée interviews.
We are very excited about the new site and hope you find it easy to navigate and a good resource for information on
Matinée releases and artists. A million thanks to Chris and Arianne at IndiePages for their tireless
and expert work! I am still amazed at the facility with which they distilled my miscellaneous ideas into a workable site.
If you have any comments about the design or content let us know here.
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Mary and I have just returned from a lovely trip to Australia where we had the pleasure of hanging out with our good
friends The Lucksmiths, Simpático and The Guild League. Each band played a show while we were there and it
was excellent to see them perform for the home crowd. Thanks to Marty, Emma, Mark, Tali, Nicole, and Jason for
the warm hospitality and to everyone else we met on the trip! We hope to be back soon.
Now that we’re back in California, it’s nearly time for another batch of new releases! As previewed in the last update,
next up are full-length albums from Melodie Group and The Guild League.
The new Melodie Group album is called “Updownaround” (matcd022) and it is a showcase for the
accomplished songwriting of Windmills vocalist and guitarist Roy Thirlwall. Previous Melodie Group releases have
earned comparisons to Grant McLennan and Robert Forster of the Go-Betweens, plus Echo and the Bunnymen,
East Village and Felt. Although the official release date is scheduled for January 6th, we will begin shipping
advance copies on December 15th so place your preorders now via the Order page.
Complete release details and soundclips can be found on the new release page.
The debut album from The Guild League is called “Private Transport” (matcd023) and is an absolute gem!
Featuring 13 songs with heartfelt lyrics, superb vocals from Tali White of The Lucksmiths, and a fine cadre of hired
hands from Sodastream, Poundsign, The Fairways, The Aislers Set, Red Raku, Art of Fighting, The Killjoys,
Blackeyed Susans and The Lucksmiths, this is truly a release not to miss. Check out the tracklisting and listen to
soundclips on the release page now, and watch for new soundclips later in the
week. Advance copies are available for immediate delivery from December 15th so place your preorders via the
Order page and we’ll send them out as soon as the discs arrive.
In forthcoming singles action, look for the long-awaited “Do You Dream In Colour” CDEP (matinée 037) from Airport
Girl, the debut “California Morning” 7″ (matinée 043) from a new Swedish/American band called The Young
Tradition, five new songs by Simpático on the “Club Life” CDEP (matinée 044), the superb “Northern
Angel” CDEP (matinée 046) by The Liberty Ship, and the long delayed “Mad World” 7″ (matinée 029) from
The Snowdrops all in the next three months. Look for release details on these singles in the January update.
There are several Matinée compilations in the works and all will be on the new release racks before too long.
“France On A Bicycle” (matcd010) will be the first, compiling 20 tracks from the early singles on the label
and featuring songs from Sweet William, The Lucksmiths, Sportique, Harper Lee, The Windmills, Lovejoy, Melodie
Group, Bella Vista, Remember Fun, Slipslide, Simpático, The Fairways, Monterey, Edson, and Ego. It will be the
first time on CD for 10 of the songs and an excellent introduction to the label now that the discography is spiraling
out of control.
Following a similar agenda but compiling songs from the ever-expanding list of Matinée albums, “Matinée
Idols” (matcd013) will follow with superb cuts from Sportique, The Windmills, The Visitors, The Lucksmiths,
The Siddeleys, Melodie Group, Lovejoy, Harper Lee, Airport Girl, Razorcuts, Simpático, Would-Be-Goods, Pipas,
and The Guild League. It should prove a handy companion to “France On A Bicycle” and a good way to sample
songs from each of the Matinée albums.
To commemorate the achievement of reaching 50 releases in the singles category, we are hard at work planning a
compilation called Matinée 50. Each Matinée band will contribute a cover version of a song by another
Matinée artist and we’ll pull it together on a CD that celebrates the label! All bands that have appeared on Matinée
are invited to contribute a song, and we are expecting one-off reunions from a few of the old timers so this will be a
very special release indeed!
Other releases on the horizon include a new mini-lp from Sportique, a highly anticipated Matinée single
from The Pines… the second full length from The Fairways… that long threatened full length by
Slipslide… and much more!
In December gig action, check out The Liberty Ship at two shows in Nottingham, England: Friday the 20th
@ Junction 7 with Tender Trap and The Farming Incident (£3 entry; 8.30pm start) and Saturday the 21st @ The
Social with Frankie Machine (free; 4pm start). Some great live shows are planned for 2003 so watch this space for
complete details.
Later this week we will be conducting a poll of your favorite 2002 releases through the Matinée newsgroup and every
entry will give you a chance to win 5 free CDs of your choice! If you’re not already signed up, click here to remedy that situation now. The list of
contenders includes:
Singles:
Pipas – A Short Film About Sleeping 7″ (matinée 035)
The Liberty Ship – I Guess You Didn’t See Her 7″ (matinée 036)
The Windmills – Walking Around The World CDEP (matinée 038)
The Guild League – Jet-Set…Go! CDEP (matinée 039)
Kosmonaut – Desert Song 7″ (matinée 041)
The Lucksmiths – Midweek Midmorning CDEP (matinée 042)
Albums:
Razorcuts – R is for…Razorcuts CD (matcd012)
Sportique – Modern Museums CD (matcd015)
Simpático – The Difference Between Alone & Lonely CD (matcd016)
Would-Be-Goods – Brief Lives CD (matcd017)
Lovejoy – Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? CD (matcd018)
The Lucksmiths – Where Were We? CD (matcd019)
Harper Lee – Everything’s Going To Be OK CD (matcd020)
Pipas – A Cat Escaped CD (matcd021)
Melodie Group – Updownaround CD (matcd022)
The Guild League – Private Transport CD (matcd023)
We will publish the full results next month along with 2002 Best-Of lists from Matinée artists. In the November
Mailorder chart, new releases from the Lucksmiths and Kosmonaut made strong debuts alongside a stellar batch
of recent releases. The full results follow:
10. Remember Fun – Train Journeys CDEP
9. The Guild League – Jet-Set…Go! CDEP
8. The Siddeleys – Slum Clearance CD
7. Lovejoy – Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? CD
6. Harper Lee – Everything’s Going To Be OK CD
5. Various – The Matinée Summer Splash! CD
4. Kosmonaut – Desert Song 7″
3. Pipas – A Cat Escaped CD
2. Razorcuts – R is for…Razorcuts CD
1. The Lucksmiths – Midweek Midmorning CDEP
Thanks to all of you for your patronage in 2002. Until next time, hope you enjoy surfing the new website and happy
holidays!
cheers,
Jimmy