Sunshine Express, Let's Make a Playlist

Jonathon Howe: Welcome back to Let's Make a Playlist. I am your host, Jonathon Howe. The show is overdue for its return from the summer break, and we have a lot of playlists to get to. I'll keep it short and simple as we kick things off with a local favorite who not only hits the road to represent the Niagara scene, but gives back with shows in DIY spaces back at home. Sunshine Express are maybe Niagara's most unique output in a scene of creatives exploring. unique places to take their music. I'm not sure anybody quite does it like Sunshine Express. Every show is different with an ever revolving cast of guests joining the core members for shows. You never know what to expect sonically. You can rely on a memorable experience though, and you can catch them as they are out on a run of Southern Ontario shows right now playing October fifteenth in London, October 16th in Brantford. October 17th in Hamilton before returning home for a very special day of music in St. Catharines. This Sunday, October 18th, marks Collab Fest, the all-day music festival where genres and styles collide with curated sets rather than standard festival scheduling. Musicians are empowered to collaborate and take their music in directions they hadn't before. The band goes on to break down what concert goers can fully anticipate from the experimental nature of this festival, which is running from noon until eleven PM at the NAC in St. Catharines, October eighteenth, again. I have been lucky enough to be asked to MC and hope to see some familiar faces, in addition to those who are maybe newer to the DIY scene in Niagara. I'll have ticket info in the show notes for Collab Fest, in addition to the Monumental show that Sunshine Express have booked at the First Ontario Performing Arts Center, the largest stage dedicated to performing arts that St. Catharines has to offer. As we talk about in the show, it's not something that local bands are offered often, if ever, and we need to collectively show up in support to encourage more of our bands having access to stages like that. The pack show for Sunshine Express goes down january twenty third, twenty twenty seven, and tickets are available now online. I will also shamelessly plug that my band, Green White Checkered, are going to be playing in St. Catharines October 17th at the Knack, alongside our palace Mo Killed Mike Cool, and new friends that I'm excited to meet and catch in person from the ceiling, hailing from Sarnia, and Junko Dream from London. The ticket link for that show is also in the show notes. Hope to see you there Saturday night. Now, let's get to my conversation with Matt, Jess, and Matt P of Sunshine Express. On let's make a playlist. All right, joining me this week on Let's Make a Playlist. It is the multi-screen experience, the multi-instrumental experience that is Sunshine Express. we've got multiple members of what is a band that can be shrunken down and expanded to as many as twelve, fifteen, twenty, I don't know, a hundred members, I feel like, with the way Sunshine Express operates sometimes. but let's go around so everybody can learn who and what you guys are playing in Sunshine Express. Start with Matt down in the right-hand corner, the leader of the band, I would say.
mattttttttt - s.ex: What's up? I'm Matt from Sunshine Express. Good morning.
Jonathon Howe: And Jess, what about you?
Jess: Hi, I'm Jess from Sunshine Express. Good morning.
Jonathon Howe: And Matthew?
Matthew: I'm also Matt.
Jonathon Howe: Now you guys
Matthew: Ha ha.
Jonathon Howe: are all kind of multi-instrumentalists, but I feel like when it comes to Sunshine Express, Matt, I'm gonna do Matt and Matthew if that's okay, just to differentiate for the sake of the the viewers here. But Matt,
Matthew: Yeah, let's do it.
Jonathon Howe: you kind of are the I guess lead singer, main guitar player. Is that fair to describe in the standard Sunshine Express lineup? Yeah.
mattttttttt - s.ex: I would say that's fair. I'm gonna let that one slide. That one's fair.
Jonathon Howe: And then Jess, you're playing a lot of keyboards and and really adding some really unique textures to the band. what was the I guess impetus for that? D were you always a keyboard player? Is were you always a piano player? Like where did that role in the band emerge for you?
Jess: so I actually play the sampler. it's like a a sampler, an NPC live hooked up to a bunch of pedals.
Jonathon Howe: Mm-hmm.
Jess: And I also did the the lights live. And I I grew up playing piano. I don't I don't know how much it translates to playing the sampler, but there's just like this actually it was Matt who introduced me to to the sampler and playing the sampler. But it's been fun learning how to like make it my own and just it's Something that's really interesting about using the sampler in this context is just how much fun and creativity you can add with like weird sounds, you can be tongue in cheek, you can make it goofy and silly. we try not to take things too too seriously.
Jonathon Howe: Yeah. And that sound design, like i is such a unique thing that you guys have to offer to a live show. And as you've gotten to do it more often, as you've gotten to perform more often, Jess, with the sampler, how do you how would you say that it has evolved or do you find that I guess every single gig you guys do, it's almost a chance to do something unique and different with it?
Jess: I think it really varies from like from song to song even. There are songs that especially now when we're coming together and we're creating a song together, building it from a base, there are songs that When I'm thinking about the song, maybe it requires something that's a bit more drony and atmospheric and just adds textures to the song and just like a bass level. and then going from there, it's just thinking about what samples we want to bring in. And sometimes it adds like a percussive element, sometimes it adds personality to the song. lately, like we've been experimenting with this new this jam that we've been having a lot of fun with and it samples the beastie voice. And
Jonathon Howe: Nice.
Jess: that's just been really fun to play around with. And that and that brings in elements of like percussiveness and you can really hear the distinct samples and they play like a main role in the song, but other songs like a thousand cuts, yeah, go ahead.
mattttttttt - s.ex: I feel like I feel like the sampler in our band is kinda like the force in Star Wars, where it's like the heroes
Jonathon Howe: Ha ha.
mattttttttt - s.ex: get trapped and it's like, how are they gonna get out of this one? And then they pull out something that you've never seen before with the force, because the force can
Matthew: Mm-hmm.
mattttttttt - s.ex: kinda just be whatever you need it to be. If it's Star Wars.
Matthew: Mm-hmm.
mattttttttt - s.ex: And when it's Sunshine Express, the sampler's just whatever whatever you want it to be, whatever you need it to be. And I feel yeah. We're kinda like
Jonathon Howe: That's a great way to put it. I actually
Jess: That is a great way to put it. Yeah, thank you.
Matthew: Ha ha ha.
mattttttttt - s.ex: I feel like the the whole Sunshine Express vibe, it it it kinda started this way and and has maintained this through different lineups in in different situations is like a guitar kind of like a guitar rock band with a sa like a sampler being like almost
Jonathon Howe: Mm-hmm.
mattttttttt - s.ex: your other guitar, your other voice in the band. That's kind of the the foundational thing.
Jonathon Howe: For sure. And Matthew, y we were talking a little bit off air and you were talking to me a little bit about when you guys have these expanded lineups live, that some of the arrangement stuff can fall on you and and how to I guess figure out what other instruments are going to be playing what in the sound. So what unique challenges does your role face in terms of trying to s maybe sometimes arrange something for horns, or maybe sometimes you're adding these extra elements from, you know, different genres of music, Matthew.
Matthew: well yeah, and I'm I'm not the only one that's been helping out the arranging. I think everyone's done their part in that. I think Matt and I have a bit of a different approach to it. I know for Freakfest when we had a couple people on, I tried to write everything out and just test it on like test it at home. I would just play it on guitar just to see if I liked how it sounded and then try to write it for them. so it's it's I guess a very like solo experience. experience when I'm doing it and I feel like when Matt does it it seems it's like a more like collaborative kind of thing, just like getting the people in the room and jamming it out. So yeah it's been it's been fun. I haven't like got to really exercise like that part of music in a long time. So it's been kinda refreshing to revisit it and I'm just excited for more opportunities to do that.
Jonathon Howe: Now, Matt, we've had the chance to talk a lot before. there was a lost episode of the show from back in the day. But, you know, from that conversation, from the conversations we've had in the Sunshine Express basement, you know, to me, when I what I take away from you is that you are somebody who really appreciates great songwriting and great arrangement. you know, you've expressed your love of the Beatles in the past and and bands like that. so when you're writing, how much are you envisioning the full space spectrum of what the song could be as opposed to maybe just starting out with something that is just your voice and a guitar part and you know, bringing it to the band and seeing where it grows. What what where's the the mindset when a when you're writing a song or when you're originating an idea for the band?
mattttttttt - s.ex: Yeah, shouts out the Beatles. I think a lot of the songs for me so there are some songs that are are more collaborative in H and very much us being in a room together and just w running with an idea, but a lot of the songs are more kind of like have like a singer songwriter origin and so that's where most things start and and I guess what I try to figure out for to feel s like strong about a song is having it work in sort of like just like a vocal guitar way and then if you can take something like that in that sort of simple arrangement and then translate it to another simple arrangement. Like if I can play it on a piano, which I can't play well, but if I could play it well enough then I'm like it's like these chords, these melodies, kind of this rhythm. And it's like I can tell what song it is. Like it's like its own thing just on that level where you're taking away like there's no aesthetic, there's no production, there's no arrangement to it. It's just sort of the base music information. That to me is kind of what makes like a great song a great song versus when you're playing on stage or on like a record, maybe, a lot of what people hear is performance oriented or like production oriented. And all of that stuff is really cool too and important too and there are bands that lean very heavily into that side of it. But I think for me, the kind of material that like really stands up is the kind of material where it's just like these chords, these melodies, these these rhythms and like you could you could almost think of it like covering it Like like a band performance is a way of covering or it's like you're you're covering your own song or like musical information that you wrote. And if someone else could cover that or translate it to another instrument. To me that's like that's what it's all about, like when a having a great song. You just hear you could hear someone whistling in. It's like I know what that is. Like there's this guy on the street in he performs on the street like Bar Nights, on Saint Paul and he's got like some Theremon thing. Do you know what I'm talking about? Have you have you have you
Jonathon Howe: I think I literally saw that guy like this past weekend when I was outside the dive pub. Like I'm pretty confident I know exactly who you're talking about.
mattttttttt - s.ex: Yeah, I was like, you know, walking by and I just hear doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo do And it was like because it was like a different like format, I was like it was pissing me off. I'm like, I know that song, what the hell like you know, it was like Champagne Supernova and I feel like that that so that to is like encapsulates what's like a great song. Like you can just kinda get it. And and so like our our band is very much I I think like a mix of having those kind of like like like aiming to have those sorts of songs and then pairing it with just I don't know, something like really different on the performance side, on the instrumental side and trying to be like more expansive and open minded that way.
Jonathon Howe: Yeah, I think that's a great way to put it. Jess, I wanted to ask you if you have a moment, you know, with this project, with this band. I feel like you're not necessarily I don't think any of you guys are really a band that are members of a band that look back too much. But is there particular shows or a particular lineup, a particular presentation of Sunshine Express that is your favorite or that you've enjoyed the most so far that you've executed in the past?
mattttttttt - s.ex: Sh shouts out before Matt P was in
Jess: Yeah.
mattttttttt - s.ex: the band
Jonathon Howe: I I know, I'm sorry,
Matthew: I'll just see myself out right now, guys. I'll
Jess: I like that.
Jonathon Howe: Matthew. I'm sorry.
Matthew: just get going, it's okay.
Jess: I think Matt Matt put it recently. Sunshine Express ran through. Like we've we've gone through a lot
mattttttttt - s.ex: Ha ha ha.
Matthew: Ha ha.
Jess: of lineup changes. But but it's been cool that the the core theme and ethos of the band has kind of like stayed strong. if I were to think back just off the top of my dome, a performance that was really memorable for me was when we played the main stage of Vertigo. the second year medium baby and Kirk was running that and like Finn the pedal still player was part of that lineup and we were so I think we had like a bit of a chip on our shoulder. Like we wanted to prove to them that we're like we can rock, we can be heavy, we can we can bring it to the table. And so we practiced so much for that performance and that was the first time that we decided to just really cut it trim out all the fat and just like go song song song song song and we were just like so tight and we hit every hip like beat and it it just felt really fun and the performance just felt so immersive. So I don't know about any of the Yeah, yeah.
mattttttttt - s.ex: We were like BTS up there. I do like synchronized kinda
Jonathon Howe: Ha ha
mattttttttt - s.ex: kinda moves and shit.
Jonathon Howe: I like it. Matthew Matt P I wanted to s ask you as a newer member of the band what was the process of of joining Sunshine Express like for you? What drew you to the project? How did that come to be? Because for me, I mean Sunshine Express, it is this ever-evolving project. There has been members in and out and and changing from gig to gig sometimes even just based on, you know, you guys wanting to have an expanded sound and an expanded stage presence. So for you as somebody who has this background in in working in musical arrangement and has a a rich background in in playing, obviously, what drew you to this project and and how How did it come to be to join this?
Matthew: yeah, like I I knew of them before being invited into it. I yeah, an old member had recommended you know, me to kinda fill the drum seat and it was kinda funny because they were like, I think Sunshine Express needs a drummer for a couple dates like you know, just made it sound pretty small and I was like, Okay, sure, like let me you know Like, let's hear wha what dates you have. And he sends me like eleven dates.
Jonathon Howe: Ha ha.
Matthew: And I was like it was like over a span of like a four month period. He's like, Yeah, here here here's the couple of dates I was talking about, right? It's just like this big list. And then I looked at my schedule and I was like, I think I could do all of them.
Jess: Yeah.
Matthew: And then he's like, sick And then yeah, then we met up to just, you know, get me playing the songs and just like get in a room with each other and I guess they didn't hate me or my playing too much and I guess I've just been able to stick around.
mattttttttt - s.ex: Autism magnet, too strong.
Jonathon Howe: Ha ha
Jess: Yeah.
Jonathon Howe: You know, I I think it is one
mattttttttt - s.ex: Hell yeah.
Jonathon Howe: of those things though where this project is something that takes a specific mind and a specific freedom of creativity to be a part of and to execute and to go forward with Matt, for yourself. how how do you find inspiration? And what drives you, I guess, to go in the directions that you go and not just fall back into being a simple singer songwriter or setting up a four piece rock band. What was the what was the motivation for you to to to get weird, truly?
mattttttttt - s.ex: I don't know, just being crazy.
Jonathon Howe: Ha ha ha.
mattttttttt - s.ex: Yeah, I I don't know, I don't know I don't know if know if I'm joking. It just like I always had this like maybe it's like a weird complex thing that I had since I was a kid where I don't know, it feels like if n if enough people are doing something one way, it's like there's no point in doing it. Especially in like music. I guess it's like I I just see it kinda like the point is to to try out different things. Yeah.
Jonathon Howe: I think that's like And it it like it is simp sometimes just that simple. Like I think it doesn't have to be a a crazy thought. I I I like that about you. I've always been drawn to you guys in general as a band, as a project, because of the fact that there's nothing else that I know that is like Sunshine Express for the good, the bad, the ugly, the pretty, everything. You guys just are so unique in in it it really is something that's good for the scene and good for the community. Jess, I wanted to ask you a little bit about, you know, for the shows through the summertime when the sex basement was going and you guys were hosting these home shows. I I saw you in the crowd at a lot of them. You know, whether you guys are playing, whether you have a role in the night or whether you get to just take it all in, what is your view? What do you What what how are your feelings or what are your feelings on being involved in this this creative world, this project, this world that has expanded out from the Sunshine Express universe to really serve Niagara? To serve Niagara Yeah the S E X C U E
mattttttttt - s.ex: Sex universe. It makes sex sex expanded. Cinematic.
Jonathon Howe: U.
Jess: well, a few years back, me and Matt were involved in a group kind of based in Niagara called Routine Exploits. And through that group we were doing a lot more of these kinds of events and in a very involved way, maybe a bit ambitious and and elaborate, but I found that to be very meaningful to be able to be in the community and be able to collaborate with with other people and artists and creatives in the community and pe or people who just enjoy being around that. And I don't know, I just believe so much in the the art community in Niagara and how much creativity there is. And,
Jonathon Howe: Mm-hmm.
Jess: you know, there there might be a lack of accessibility or reset resources for for people who do want to put themselves out there. So it's been really Awesome to be able to be part of something that can provide spaces for people to perform. and in alternative ways, DIY ways, which which I think are very valuable. So it's been really awesome. So even if it's like, you know, it can get stressful trying to put these things together and like accommodate everyone and everyone's needs and stuff, but at the end of the day, you're just like connecting with everyone and then you can also have those opportunities just to kick back and have fun and dance.
Jonathon Howe: I really like that. I I like what you guys have gone on to create for for all of us and you know, obviously as somebody whose bands played it, as somebody who's played it as a singer songwriter. it is something that was really cool and obviously has faced a challenge as well in the summer. Matt, I don't know how much you want to get into the tragedy that is the loss of the sex basement, at least temporarily anyways, while the with all the w heavy weather that has affected not just you but so many creatives, so many musicians across Southern Ontario. But talk to us a little bit about what you guys were doing with those basement shows and then, you know, is there a plan to maybe rebuild? Will will the sex basement rise again?
mattttttttt - s.ex: Nope. Rip sex rip sex basement. And shouts
Jonathon Howe: Ha ha
mattttttttt - s.ex: out Emerge whose amps were submerged by the same floods. The same biblical floods that rolled through Saint Catharines. Yeah. It was it was good. The sex basement was a a good run, but we've done local events for a couple of years now, and I think we've just come to accept that things can be good for a little bit but they need to to change every once in a while and so obviously having your space flooded is a good impetus just to like start exploring other things and focus more on other things. And so we've got I don't know, we got enough going on coming up. We got Collab Fest, which is a whole like local music festival thing that we're trying out. And we got the Pack. We're playing the Pack, which is nuts. But she doesn't
Jonathon Howe: Yeah, I'm really I'm glad you brought that up. I was
mattttttttt - s.ex: We got
Jonathon Howe: super excited to see that announced. see that the Performing Arts Center would welcome a local act, and you know, this show is gonna be something that is expanded as well for anybody who maybe has seen you guys in the past. It's going to be maybe a little bit bigger, maybe a little bit of a different sound. What can you I don't want to get too far ahead and I don't want to put you guys on the spot of like what we can expect from the show, but have there been certain ideas that have come to the forefront for that pack show and I I'll let any of you guys take that or you can all weigh in on it.
mattttttttt - s.ex: Pack show, biggest show of our lives. I don't know what to say. Where the for if anyone doesn't know what the pack is, it's like the the I don't know if it's like straight up the biggest local venue, but it's probably it might be the biggest dedicated kinda like music, art, performing venue. Like there's Meridian Center where The ice dogs play, but I feel like that's not exclusively about like music and the performing arts. Performing arts
Jonathon Howe: Mm-hmm.
mattttttttt - s.ex: center is like big. It's where the Niagara Symphony Orchestra plays. So if you wanna go see a big like orchestral performance in town, that's like the only place to go for that. And we're playing that room that the symphony orchestra plays. and It seems to be it th it's gonna be like the first local band, alternative band, indie band doing their own thing on the on the stage there at Partridge Hall. So it's like a big risk that PAC is taking on the event and they've been really neat working with us to kind of price it and like like make it accessible f in for a space that's like usually like I guess been inaccessible for bands like us. They're making it accessible and we got like some like like capping on the on on certain ticket prices that and like like an under thirty ticket price and and all that. And I don't know. It's just crazy. I don't even know where to where to start with it. I like I th like I can't tell if we're the crazy ones for wanting to do this or they're the crazy ones for letting us do it, but
Jonathon Howe: Matthew, what was your reaction when this show kinda came down the pipeline of something that the band was gonna do and and take on?
Matthew: I mean, yeah, I thought it was crazy. But I don't know, sometimes you just have to go for something highly ambitious like this and yeah, now we're just kind of in the crunch time and we really wanna do our best to make the show a success. And yeah, I think we're all motivated to do that and yeah, I mean there's so many things we have going on. We're hoping it all just feeds towards this momentum to get people to come out to the pack and just like get the band to just keep growing and bring us to new places. So I'm hopeful.
Jonathon Howe: I'm super hopeful for you guys. I I think it's a really cool opportunity again. That's coming up January twenty fifth. Have I got the date right? Twenty third, okay. Yes.
mattttttttt - s.ex: January tw January twenty third, twenty twenty seven. And I like one other thing to say about that, it's like it's obviously a a big opportunity for us and we're really thrilled to have that opportunity. I think there's also a big opportunity there just for the the kind of local scene, 'cause this is the first time that the pack is gonna take a chance on this sort of build this sort of format and if we can show them that this makes sense. Like if it does well enough, this might be a a a cool thing that can open up to the rest of the scene because St Catharines is great, there's a lot of artists, there's a lot of musicians and bands, there are definitely not enough venues, enough spaces to play. And this is this would be like on the the bigger side and not an easy thing for people to do casually, but it would be i I think it's a neat it could set a neat precedent. for as something for other bands in the scene to shoot for and who knows, like open up maybe other opportunities 'cause I feel like that's just like a whole nother world that the pack is connected to that we never get to see being on like our side of the music o equation in Niagara.
Jonathon Howe: Yeah, it always feels like that spot has been reserved for those bigger artists or Canadian bands that are legacy acts that have been coming around, you know, whether it be a Sloan or a Finger Eleven or something like that. Jess, talk to us a little bit about tickets are on sale right now. Can people go ahead and start grabbing those now? What what's the what what's all the details on the that side of the show for everybody who's listening?
Jess: So you can grab tickets on the pack website. I believe we can share a link somewhere. it it
Jonathon Howe: Yeah, I can put it in the show notes for sure.
Jess: takes you to the pack page with the landing page for Sunshine Express, but not not specifically the exact link to buy the tickets themselves, but you can find it, it's fairly intuitive. do either of you, Matt's, know
Matthew: Ha ha ha
Jess: offhand like the the exact ticket prices, it's eluding me right now.
mattttttttt - s.ex: Do you want me to read out the ticket URL? I could pull that up right now. The ticket sorry, that's a
Jonathon Howe: If you've got it, go for it, Matt. Yeah, promote promote the show like
Jess: Yeah.
mattttttttt - s.ex: joke. This ticket URL is crazy. It's it's like the two paragraphs.
Jess: Yeah, it is.
Matthew: Hmm.
Jonathon Howe: I whatever you gotta do. I mean, I like I say, I I'm gonna put this in the show notes for everybody to click through. you know, I'm gonna be urging on the my radio station show on on this podcast to go and check it out. Because again, like you said, this is not just a show where th you guys are taking a risk and the venue is taking a risk, but it is, you know, that you know, beacon of hope that all of us I think who are playing in bands and in the scene are saying and and looking at saying, you know, could this be the opportunity where all of us all of a sudden are, you know, on the radar to potentially play this as headliners, potentially play this as bands who get the ask to open as opposed to maybe you know, bands coming in from out of town or whatever like that, right? Like I I think the one thing that's consistent that we all can attest to and share is that this scene right now and everything that's happening in Niagara is loaded with creatives and with loaded with talent and it just needs you know some more more light to shine and I I think sunshine in particular here is you guys are taking the chance to really wave the banner for all of us and and take that next step forward. So I'm really excited for you guys. I'm stoked on all the everything you got coming up. Obviously lots of you mentioned Collab Fest. this podcast will be out before Collab Fest. So if you guys want to say anything about Collab Fest for anybody to know about that coming up in October. What what do the people need to know about Collab Fest?
mattttttttt - s.ex: people shout out to people out there listening and shit
Matthew: Ha ha ha.
Jonathon Howe: Ha ha ha.
mattttttttt - s.ex: Well, in all seriousness, I think
Matthew: Yeah.
mattttttttt - s.ex: the whole the the whole kind of like thing that brings like like like to just kind of address what you just said, 'cause I agree with it and it brings together sort of like our D with PAC RD with Collab Fest. It's like Niagara has so much potential, it has so much cool stuff and cool people in it. There aren't that many pathways to success that are like obvious when you're based here. And our whole thing, you know, Right, wrong, good, bad, ugly, whatever. It's like we're just trying to open up some different pathways to, you know, keep ourselves excited and and hopefully that helps open up other paths for other people too. So PAC is like a huge new opportunity. The other thing that we're doing, which you mentioned is Collab Fest, which is gonna be at the Niagara Artist Center October eighteenth. It's a one day, all day festival of music, primarily or like the vast majority of them are all just like St. Catharines, Niagara artists. We have a few out of town people who have come through the scene before and we're inviting them back, 'cause it feels like they're a bit connected to our community. community too. And the whole idea with Collabfest is not just to run a regular music festival, but to do something where we're inviting multiple artists to kind of share the stage at the same time and collaborate on these sorts of time blocks. So it's like you're not just gonna get like this band, this band, this band, but you're gonna get like this hour. That's sort of like this little pocket of the scene with these artists overlapping with each other. And We've left the kinda the the direction of it like a little bit open to interpretation and we're just allowing certain artists and other or like loc local organizers to kinda run with the idea that pops into their head when they hear it. So I know that there will be sets that are very collaborative where you have artists who normally do things that are totally separate and they'll just be on stage together for their entire set, like trading off songs and things like that. In other cases it's gonna be maybe more like guest features. or a band doing their sort of like their performance with original music, but finding some other creative way to invite other people or different people on stage. And there's one set in particular that matches the the sort of last thing I mentioned. I'm really excited to see that because it sounds nuts.
Jonathon Howe: I like it. I like where this is going. I like where it's headed. And yeah, I hope everyone goes and checks out Collab Fest, checks you guys out at the Performing Arts Center. This is of course a show about music, about The lost art of making playlists, of making mixtapes, mixed CDs. And I, you know, I'm glad that we have multiple members of the band because you guys, I feel like, are all gonna bring something different in terms of the music that you guys love and kind of really can show the different elements that influence and shape what Sunshine Express is. So I'm super excited about that. let's go around before we get into the playlist. When is the last time either any of you guys have made either a mixtape CD or
Matthew: I don't know. I it's
Jess: Yeah.
Jonathon Howe: Ha ha.
mattttttttt - s.ex: huh.
Matthew: I I just I just I don't know. maybe I'm I'm old school or whatever. I just like listening to albums or like I'll I'll
Jess: Yeah.
Matthew: listen to singles every now and then, but I I rarely like make a playlist. Sometimes if I'm on like a streaming platform and like I'm listening to a song and it recommends some other songs for me, that's a been a cool way to discover things and sometimes I'm just like, man, everything hits on this. So then I just like I'll save that and then just listen to it. But Yeah. Something I probably gotta do a little more. We'll see.
Jonathon Howe: I honestly I d I respect the old school album si style of things as well. Jess, what about you?
Jess: I make a lot of playlists. I'm I I'm a very emotional person. I have lots of feelings and when I'm in a certain mood or had like mindset, I only want to listen to like songs that fit that vibe. Yeah.
Jonathon Howe: Mm-hmm.
Jess: So I'm just constant like I'm in this mood and I just have certain ones that are going on. Mm-hmm.
Jonathon Howe: And Matt, what about you for yourself? The role of the playlist, the mixed CD, mixed tape in your life. When was the last time you made one?
mattttttttt - s.ex: Man, I have no idea. I make playlists. I don't know how often I actually listen to them. I ha w I have one. I was I was and while these guys were answering I was looking through my phone and seeing what kind of playlist I had. I have the the Sex Lifestyle playlist, which seems seems relevant, but then I was looking through it and it's just a bunch of crazy shit. I don't really know about what I or
Matthew: Ha ha ha.
mattttttttt - s.ex: we were thinking. But I am excited to to see because I'm going through this playlist. I know that Little Bee's music had disappeared for a little while and it's back. So we can listen to such classics
Matthew: Ha ha ha.
mattttttttt - s.ex: on the Sex Lifestyle playlist, such as fuck me remix, Twerk It Like That, Child Support Business.
Matthew: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Jonathon Howe: So I love doing shows with you guys and love hanging out with you guys. The
Matthew: Ha ha.
Jonathon Howe: weirdness and the truly left out of left field things that can come up are incredible. So I'm super excited to get to this. if you don't know, Matt is a little bit familiar with the process from the last episode, but if you guys don't know, I've got my trusty David Bowie hat here. It is filled with what I call song superlatives. So I'll read it off and whatever the first song that comes to your mind is, that's the song we're gonna throw on the playlist. And we'll go we'll go
mattttttttt - s.ex: This is scary guys, you should be really worried. I I had to do the
Jess: I'm really worried. I'm really worried.
mattttttttt - s.ex: I had to do this once in the lost the lost episode, the one that was disappeared, you know. Was dis
Jonathon Howe: Yeah. Yeah, was disappeared, but that's all right.
Matthew: Ha ha ha.
Jonathon Howe: honestly while we were making it, the whole time all I could think about was the nightmare that I was gonna be to edit. And I was like, I know I'm gonna have to give myself so much time to do this. And then it just never got to me. And I was like, Well, I guess I dodged a bullet, but then I
Jess: Mm.
Jonathon Howe: also feel bad because there was some really good stuff on there. Like Nash was being super poetic about the scene and about curating shows and guelph and stuff like that. So we'll get Nash on for another show down the line here as well and talk with him again. But Matt Since you've done the gauntlet before here, I think you gotta start this off and we'll go with for your your song, first song on the playlist, can I get a song from the first album tape C D that you ever had? Whatever it was.
mattttttttt - s.ex: First album tape C D no. It's gonna have to be Bohemian Rhapsody. I think my first C D was the the Queen Greatest Queen's greatest hits.
Jonathon Howe: Ooh, that's a great one to start with though.
mattttttttt - s.ex: We're off a yeah, off to a crazy start to this playlist.
Jonathon Howe: I I mean kind of you're you're like you're like Wainsworld. Wainsworld started with Bohemian Rhapsody too, so I like this. I like that as a
mattttttttt - s.ex: He
Jonathon Howe: first song first tape, first song CD. Jess, let's go to you. Song two for the playlist. and I will say, if you guys need a moment to like search up a song name or an artist or whatever or see if it fits the vibe, don't worry. We got lots of time. We can cut things out if we need to. But Jess, I'm gonna ask for a song that you wish you wrote.
Jess: Jolene by Dolly Parton. I that's a perfect song.
Jonathon Howe: Great pick, great pick. what you know, with with Dolly's passing, have you been going back to her catalog a lot as of late? Or is it just individual songs? Like what when
Jess: Yeah.
Jonathon Howe: an artist passes, are you you said you're an emotional person, are you the person who's gonna immediately gravitate towards the their their catalog?
Jess: in ways, yeah. I I have to say the Jolene album is one of I would say probably the most listened to album in my entire life. I the hours I
Jonathon Howe: Really?
Jess: have like for some reason like pop that on in a car and I'm I'm up. It it means a lot. So when she passed it it it kinda struck me a bit. But she's she's she's amazing.
Jonathon Howe: I like it. strong start so far. We got Queen, we got Dolly. Matt P, what do we got here for you? a song from a band you think everyone should listen to.
Matthew: man. I don't know. Have you heard of Sunshine Express? We got a new single coming out.
Jonathon Howe: I mean you could pick that if you wanted.
Matthew: We g we got a new single coming out. I mean by the time this is released, yeah, we'll probably have announced that yeah, we got a new single, To Be a Man coming out. So
Jonathon Howe: To be a man? Alright, let's throw it on there. Why not? I have not had anybody pick their own.
mattttttttt - s.ex: Should we pretend to listen to it right now or I can't like
Matthew: Yeah, hold on.
Jess: Yeah.
mattttttttt - s.ex: play?
Jonathon Howe: We'll do that like Fantano thing where I'll speed it up and I'm just doo doo do do do.
Matthew: No.
Jess: Yeah.
Jonathon Howe: I like it though. I like shouting out yourselves as well. I think that's not
Matthew: Yeah.
Jonathon Howe: a bad thing to do, and I'm here for promotion as much as you possibly can. Back to you, Matt, with hang on, I'm gonna reach deep down in here. Let's see if we can get one that I don't get all that often. I I've had this one before, but let's go with a song from the twenty tens.
mattttttttt - s.ex: I feel like we've got the the questions go into all the The wrong people. I feel like Jess is the the king of the
Jess: Mm.
mattttttttt - s.ex: twenty tens.
Jess: Can I? No, no, Matt, this is for you. This is for you. You answer this question. I I I got
mattttttttt - s.ex: Think so. This for me? I got
Jonathon Howe: I feel like you've got something. I feel like you've got something, Matt.
mattttttttt - s.ex: something. I've been I have I think I, like many others online, in the the music sphere, have slowly discovered Dean Blunt and this I don't know if he's a genius or really not a genius, but his his music's very interesting. Sometimes very boring, but then sometimes very interesting. It's almost like he makes music that's meant to be clipped into like Instagram sound bites or like TikTok sound bites. Like
Jonathon Howe: Hmm.
mattttttttt - s.ex: it it's like they're just a lot of them are based on little loops, but they're just so unique. There's like such a range and he has all these weird little side projects. If I have to choose one Dean Blunt song, I'm just looking through the list here. Check out Available by Dean Blunt.
Jonathon Howe: All right.
mattttttttt - s.ex: Shouts out to Twenty Tens. I feel like it's just a f
Jonathon Howe: Cool. I like that. It's interesting you say that too because it's like almost like you would think in the twenty twenties it'd be a really popular thing to go with you know, songs that have those little moments, those clips, those that are made to loop as opposed to, you know, the almost pre TikTok era of the twenty tens or so to speak.
mattttttttt - s.ex: It it's sorta like he was doing it first and not for that reason, but then it it feels like the culture caught up to what this
Jonathon Howe: Hmm.
mattttttttt - s.ex: like art rock underground guy was doing. And I I like he has like a pretty decent number of listeners, like monthly listeners on Spotify, and for like for his style you wouldn't expect the kind of numbers he's pulling, but I think it's just because he fits the moment so well now. And I imagine it's been a kind of gradual arc for him going from like a very obscure artist to something that is still very obscure but has like a a weirdly wide reach. I think it's super cool.
Jonathon Howe: I like it. Good pick. going back to Jess and maybe we are getting some weird ones for f mi or mixing up with them wrong members of the band, but for you I've drawn a song with your favorite guitar solo.
Jess: okay, I don't know if this is exactly my favorite of all time, but one that really sticks in my head is Matt, what is it? Blue Sky by the Almond Brothers? Is it? Yeah, I love that song. Matt made me a mixtape
mattttttttt - s.ex: Hell yeah. Yeah, that's a good one.
Jonathon Howe: Yeah. Great pick.
Jess: with that song, the first ever mixtape he made me, and I was like listen to that song constantly. I was driving my bike around. Blue skies everywhere.
Jonathon Howe: I like
Jess: Great song.
Jonathon Howe: it. That's a good pick and that's a g that's a a solid one to put on the mixtape too, Matt. What did what what made you want to throw that one on there?
mattttttttt - s.ex: That one? that's I don't know, just that song. And particularly that that guitar solo. It's like a pretty you know, in terms of like a lyrical portion of the song, it's pretty brief and pretty straightforward. And then it just goes off on that that guitar solo. And it's very not like a lot of guitar solos of that era. It's very not aggro or or flashy. It's it's like really melodic and it kinda like cascades from like this mood to that mood and it just it's super bright and optimistic. It's like it's so lighthearted and nice and I don't know, that one it's just such an outlier. I don't think anyone else has ever really written like a g a guitar song like that that holds up in that way.
Jonathon Howe: That's a great description of it too. Matt P, can I get a song for the Stoners from you?
Matthew: For the Stoners. For the Stoners. Shouts out the Stoners. Yeah.
mattttttttt - s.ex: Shouts out the Stoners. I feel like Dean Blunt would have been the see I should have gotten this one.
Matthew: Yeah. Just have a whole playlist D blunt.
mattttttttt - s.ex: Do you
Jonathon Howe: I mean Blunt is right there in the name. It's it's perfect.
Matthew: my god.
mattttttttt - s.ex: That's what I'm saying.
Matthew: Mega Mind over here.
Jonathon Howe: Ha ha
mattttttttt - s.ex: Are we trying to scare the stoners? Cause you could you this could go two ways. This could be an anti
Jess: Mm.
Jonathon Howe: It's I Yeah, you can go two
Matthew: Yeah.
Jonathon Howe: ways with it, right? You can do something that like really celebrates the culture or fits the vibe. You know, like
mattttttttt - s.ex: Freak him out.
Jonathon Howe: I feel like th the most common answer for this one is probably Sweet Leaf by Black Sabbath. I think I've had three different people say that as a as an answer when it's come up in past interviews. But Matt, I'll let you go. Matt P I'll let you go wherever you want with it.
mattttttttt - s.ex: I it's g I think it's time, Matt P to we gotta expand the the horizons of the Stoners. They've been listening to too much sweetly by Black Sabbath. We gotta
Matthew: Yeah.
Jonathon Howe: Ha ha.
Matthew: We gotta add one more song to the playlist. Okay.
mattttttttt - s.ex: That's right.
Matthew: Let me think here. Alright, you know what? Let's fuck their shit up. Let's give a bad trip. Let's
mattttttttt - s.ex: That's what I'm saying.
Matthew: let's do Let let me let me cook here. Let me cook.
Jonathon Howe: Mm-hmm.
Matthew: Let me cook.
Jess: And a song is Hamster Dance by Hampton the Hamster.
Matthew: Yeah. All right, let's do Biblical Violence by Hella.
Jonathon Howe: Biblical violence by Hella, alright.
Matthew: Yeah, yeah. That's a crazy one. They just were like, what the fuck is going on? So let's do that.
Jonathon Howe: What's w describe the song? W is there a genre you can attach it to?
Matthew: Hella's like like w one of the founding math rock bands, I'd say. So, yeah. It's just crazy. It's like guitar, drum, duo. I mean it's just Yeah, it's just music you'd listen to if you wanted to have a bad trip. If you're really high.
Jonathon Howe: Leave them looking for the one.
Matthew: Yeah,
Jess: Yeah.
Matthew: there's a lot of that.
Jonathon Howe: I like it. back to you Matt with let's see what can we get in here? How about ooh, this is a good one for you guys in general, but a song from a band in your local scene or hometown. I know there's so many bands and artists that you would love to shout out, but you know, I know you're gonna narrow
mattttttttt - s.ex: Nah, I gotta pick one. I gotta
Jonathon Howe: it down.
mattttttttt - s.ex: I'm gonna get in trouble. I'm gonna pick one and then they're gonna be like, why didn't you what about me? What about that? What about this? Jess, you want this one? You g you want this one? Anything come to mind? No? Nothing?
Jess: Sir? No. No. No. I think
Jonathon Howe: They're leaving
Jess: it's your it's your qu it's
Jonathon Howe: it all on you.
Jess: your question, dude. I'm gonna get my own.
mattttttttt - s.ex: I'm trying to think of like of things there's some stuff coming up from Kalen Bridgman. It doesn't quite answer the the question, but Kalen Bridgman has been leaking some of his new songs to me and he's Kalen is a member of the Moonlight Circus who are kind of an art rock group. Kalen is separately doing his own solo thing which is more electronic and
Jonathon Howe: Mm-hmm.
mattttttttt - s.ex: like up tempo and It's pretty crazy. It's it's really neat and I'm really excited for some of those songs he's been sharing with me. Of his stuff that's out, I feel like we could shout out All As Well is a good good
Jonathon Howe: All is well.
mattttttttt - s.ex: it's a good starter song for the the the solo Calen Bridgman experience. But it doesn't I like I don't think it it touches any of the new stuff that's coming down the pipeline.
Jonathon Howe: I like it.
Jess: I'm very excited. Yeah.
Jonathon Howe: And it's funny, you guys, you know, for anybody who follows on social media, it's almost like I wouldn't w what we call it, like a playful rivalry, a little bit of chirping back and forth sometimes with Kaelin between the Sunshine World and and with Kaelin.
mattttttttt - s.ex: We're working out a full on beef. We're we're trying to figure that out right now. How how we get the beef
Matthew: Ha ha ha.
mattttttttt - s.ex: going, 'cause we we both look around and we're like, there's not enough beef in the local scene. Who's gonna start it?
Jess: Ha
Matthew: Mm-hmm.
mattttttttt - s.ex: Probably us.
Jonathon Howe: It's time to orchestrate something. It's gonna be like a WWE situation where we're gonna have
Jess: Listen.
Jonathon Howe: something arranged for you guys. Somebody's gonna have to make a heel turn here, it's eventually. Exactly right. Somebody's gotta do
mattttttttt - s.ex: Somebody's gotta. Yeah.
Matthew: It's like SmackDown versus Raw.
Jonathon Howe: somebody's gonna start showing up to shows in black NWO shirts or something like that. Blacked out S
Matthew: Yeah.
Jonathon Howe: dot EX shirts.
Jess: Mm-hmm.
Matthew: Yeah.
mattttttttt - s.ex: Yeah. Yeah, I think both
Jonathon Howe: Yeah.
mattttttttt - s.ex: both Kalen and Sunshine Express have a a a lighthearted approach to social media, which can sometimes Well, you wanna take this chess, or should we just cut the point off right there?
Jess: What's the next question?
mattttttttt - s.ex: It was
Jonathon Howe: I would just say I'd encourage everybody to follow along, but don't take anything you're seeing too seriously.
mattttttttt - s.ex: That's yeah.
Jess: Absolutely.
Jonathon Howe: Jess, can I get a song that makes you want to quit writing songs?
Matthew: Ha ha ha.
Jess: I don't like because it's so good? Or because it's so bad?
Jonathon Howe: Yeah, it's one of those like I'm never gonna be able to live up to this. Like how how is anybody supposed to ever write something as good as this or whatever?
Jess: I don't know. I feel like I I tend to just like feel motivated by things that I I've I really like. I would say a song that I find like really it's really well done and it's always like inspiring to me, but also makes me like, it's such it's so good, how could I make something like that? I don't know. I'm working towards it. But Kill Bee Mame by Grimes,
Jonathon Howe: Okay.
Jess: that's an awesome song. and I feel like even if peop there are people who I know aren't don't have the inclination towards that genre of music, they they I've heard them like hear that song and it also like kinda like sticks in their brain with all like the cool sounds in the production and like the catchy hook. Yeah.
Jonathon Howe: back to Matt P. Let's see. Let's see what we get for you. how about I th again this is fun to give the give the drummer a song featuring your favorite bass player or bass performance.
Matthew: Hmm. Favorite bass player, favorite bass performance. I'm I'm I'm alwa I always struggle with like the favorite because it's like I like different things for different reasons or they just all kinda scratch a different itch. favorite bass player, favorite performance. I gotta think about this one.
Jonathon Howe: That's alright, take your time with it. I mean again, I think being a drummer, like the base is so critical for s locking in with you and what you guys do and I I can imagine that there's multiple four string players that have influenced you as a drummer and you maybe you want to jam along with.
Matthew: Yeah. No, y there's there's so many. There's too many. There's so many good bass players out there. Yeah, I there there's so many. I feel like I could mention this one along with like a hundred others, but one I really love is a song called Blue Matter by John Schofield.
Jonathon Howe: Good good pull for that one. when you I guess are listening along to a rhythm section, what draws you in as a drummer? Like what is it that makes a song, I guess, in the rhythm section, the rhythm parts of it jump out to you. Is there certain aspects that y you're drawn to, as when you're looking for influence or just can appreciate from your own time as a player?
Matthew: I think it's all like contextual. Like you know, some like I yeah, 'cause sometimes like I love listening to like singer songwriter music, so like if I'm listening to like the drummer or the bass player, like there's the rhythm section, and they like I love when they're able to like shape the song in like a very cool way. Like you listen to like I don't know, those like Nashville kinda like session people and like they'll just take some song like that and just n nothing they're playing is too like technically demanding, but it's just it's just all like needed. You know, it's just all like like, man, like that's like the perfect thing. It just like scratches that itch for me. Or just like listen to a bunch of fucked up shit where I'm like, you know, it's just very energetic and very intense. you know, like I love Mars Volta, I love like just listen to like metalcore, death metal and just like heavy stuff. Just something like Or just like you know, just something so high intensity or just Yeah, I don't know. I it's just I think I could appreciate the different elements for different reasons 'cause I love what the bands are like really tight and funky, but I also like listening to like punk where it's just sloppy and they kinda sound like shit, but like the energy is there. I think the big thing is just like the energy. I think if I were to like put it like boil it down to one thing, I just love like the energy and like the intensity in the rhythm section to like really drive the music forward.
Jonathon Howe: I appreciate that. I think I fell I I think that key word of energy is something that definitely, I can relate to a hundred percent. I I think any anybody really can draw energy or or notice the energy of a great rhythm section and and notice when certain players serve the song, like you mentioned the Nashville guys, right, that are just monster players where it's like The they're doing exactly what the song needs them to do as opposed to exactly what they might want to do or what their first inclination is. Sometimes it's more important to serve the song as opposed to make it your own, I guess, right?
Matthew: Yeah, and I mean gr like but it's also sometimes just needed for you to just play something totally fucking insane. Like sometimes
Jonathon Howe: Mm.
Matthew: you just need to like play something wild and yeah, like the you know, like I brought up Hella, you know, as one of the song choices. You guys will hear that and y you know terms of like serving the song, like that's you know, what he's playing is like the last thing you would imagine when you hear that phrase, but It's just so cool. And I think Yeah. I think I just love like cool drum parts. I think like I've really like come to appreciate over time just like when people could come up with like a really cool part. So yeah. Zack Hill, like the drummer in Hella, like he comes up with some crazy parts that just you know, like make you wonder what's even possible on your instrument, you know. If I could ever come even close to something like that, like I I feel like I could die happy with something like that being out there.
Jonathon Howe: Sunshine Express Mathrock imminent. I like it.
Matthew: Yeah.
Jonathon Howe: Matt, back to you, and this will be your last one of the playlists as we are on to the final round here for the twelve song playlist. and this is this is a perfect one for ya. And I might have even given you this one in the in the last episode, so we'll see. But a song for a sunny day.
mattttttttt - s.ex: Shit, we already used Blue Sky by the Almond Brothers. That's like the the perfect sunny day song.
Jonathon Howe: Yeah.
mattttttttt - s.ex: What do we got? First sunny day song that shows up Let's go with the go team, Lady Flash.
Jess: Great song.
Jonathon Howe: Why did that what was it about that one that jumps out?
mattttttttt - s.ex: it's so that's the Go Team. they incorporate a lot of samples and but unlike a lot of of of of sort of sample based music and kinda like art rock, their sound is very bright and energetic and I'd say that optimistic and and and kinda feel good. it's not never really dark and brooding. It's very, very sweet and very earnest. and so it reminds me of a sunny day in that sense. Plus it has that a little bit of like experimental sampler edge to it, which I just feel like if I'm thinking about Sunshine Express putting together a playlist, could lean more into like the the sort of sample bass music and the different styles and approaches to that.
Jonathon Howe: Nice, Jess, let's get your final contr contribution to this particular playlist and it's gonna be Ooh, I always hate when I draw this one because for some people this is an impossible answer. So I'm sorry if it's an impossible answer to you, but your favorite song?
Jess: Mm. Mm.
mattttttttt - s.ex: These are heavy questions.
Jonathon Howe: I know.
Matthew: Yeah.
Jonathon Howe: You can tell I was the kid who spent a lot of time ranking things and and writing down lists of everything 'cause when I came up with all these questions I'm like, everybody's got a favorite s no, they don't. Not everybody has a favorite song. It's like, I can do that, but not everybody can.
Jess: a song that I will at least maybe still go through phases, but a song that I will always come back to and never get bored of is Hacker by Death Grips.
Jonathon Howe: Nice.
Jess: It's such a crazy song and it's there's always I'm always hearing something else and all the sounds are so interesting.
Jonathon Howe: It's a good pick. I like that. This is a good one to add to the little playlist. I feel like it fits the vibe for sure. last song on the playlist, Mappy. Let's round it out with. Hang on, let's get let's get something really deep into the into the hat here. Let's see if I can pull something weird out. I mean, it probably it could
mattttttttt - s.ex: Let's make this a hard one to get this one. Extra difficult.
Jess: Mm-hmm.
Matthew: Yeah.
Jonathon Howe: be a hard one for you. And that is a song featuring your favorite singer or vocal performance. Ha ha ha.
Matthew: me think. yeah.
Jonathon Howe: Guy wants two Sunshine Express picks from Matt on this one. I like it.
mattttttttt - s.ex: He
Matthew: I'm contractually obligated to mention
Jess: Mm-hmm.
Matthew: Sunshine Express here, so
Jonathon Howe: Ha ha
Matthew: but favorite vocal performance.
mattttttttt - s.ex: Around the world.
Matthew: Yeah.
Jess: Mm.
Matthew: Yeah. favorite vocal performance. That's such a tough one.
mattttttttt - s.ex: Hamster dance.
Jonathon Howe: Ha ha
Matthew: Ha ha ha.
Jess: Hampton the Hamsters vocals.
mattttttttt - s.ex: Yeah, they just really d do
Jonathon Howe: Cotton I Joe.
Matthew: Yeah, yeah.
mattttttttt - s.ex: something for me.
Jess: Amazing frog.
mattttttttt - s.ex: Crazy frog. Shouts out. Sandstorm? Does that one have focals on it?
Matthew: Favorite vocab
Jess: No
Jonathon Howe: No. That one I can test to is definitely an instrumental.
Matthew: Yeah, yeah.
mattttttttt - s.ex: Yeah.
Matthew: th this is so tough. It's like picking a favorite kid. I mean I'm sure some people can answer that easily, but I think my f This is so hard man. my god, why are you doing me like this? Yeah.
mattttttttt - s.ex: Kids Bop Kids Bop does a pretty solid cover of
Jonathon Howe: I had
mattttttttt - s.ex: Wake Me Up When September Ends.
Jonathon Howe: a feeling I was gonna give you the hard one here.
mattttttttt - s.ex: They got a good one.
Matthew: Okay, let me let me let me check the playlist here. Let let me just check.
mattttttttt - s.ex: Did Kidspop ever do No, I can't s Did they ever
Matthew: Ha ha ha.
mattttttttt - s.ex: do Superbass? Cause they would do Cause the Cause they did they I was gonna
Jess: they might have done I think they would have done a version. They would have done a version, yeah.
Jonathon Howe: A hundred percent. A hundred percent they have.
mattttttttt - s.ex: say Anaconda, I'm like, there's probably not that one. Shit. Kids Bop's superbass.
Jonathon Howe: I don't think they did that one, but I'm almost a hundred percent sure that I've seen the Kids Bop T V commercial pop up and they were
Matthew: Yeah.
Jonathon Howe: doing super bass at one point. I for whatever reason that one jumps right out to me. That's so funny that you said that. I feel triggered right now.
mattttttttt - s.ex: That's awesome. I wish I had this question. I feel like I got a hundred answers for this one.
Jess: Yeah. Yeah. Susan Boyle.
Matthew: Yeah.
mattttttttt - s.ex: Yeah.
Matthew: Yeah. We've gotten all the wrong questions here. I think
mattttttttt - s.ex: Vinuma Lesh, it's my life. Whatever I wanna do. Do you know that one,
Matthew: Yeah.
mattttttttt - s.ex: J Jonathon?
Jonathon Howe: A dear.
Matthew: I there there's so many I could pick. I think one that comes to mind at the moment is The Widow by Mars Volta. Really love that song and like love that poker performance.
Jonathon Howe: I think that's a great pick and that's a great one to end on, I think right there. That really Puts a capital capital ending on this awesome playlist that I am looking over now. And it truly is like one of those ones where I'm looking through and I'm like, all of these could be almost interchangeable. Like kicking off the playlist, we've got Bohemian Rhapsody Queen. That could have easily fallen in as favorite singer vocal performance, but we
Matthew: Yeah.
Jonathon Howe: got Queen, we've got Dolly Parton with Jolene. we're shouting out Sunshine Express with the new single to be a man. Dean Blunt available, Almond Brothers Blue Sky, Hella with Biblical Violence. We got a shout-out. to Kaylin Bridgman and all is well. We got Grimes on here, John Schofield, Blue Matter, the goate. We got Deathcrips, Mars Volta. That is one heck of a playlist from Sunshine Express, I will say.
mattttttttt - s.ex: Bad trip. Like guaranteed bad trip.
Matthew: It's
Jonathon Howe: Yeah. It's a bad trip.
Matthew: Yeah.
Jess: Yeah.
Jonathon Howe: Bad trip, but could be fun in the van when you guys are hitting the road out to some of these more ex I guess further down the road, ventures that you guys have lined up and have have been known to do. So I like that. There is one last piece of this show and that is the one that I like to generally surprise the guests with. again, Matt, you have experienced this in the past. Since there's since there's three of you, I'm gonna make you each pick two Desert Island records. If Sunshine Express is gonna get stranded on the desert island but you're allowed to take some music with you, what are the two albums from each of you that you would be Bringing for the for the group occasion, I guess, in this one. We'll start with who wants to go first on this one? Does anybody have one? Okay.
mattttttttt - s.ex: I'll give I'll I'll give one first and then I'll I'll think about my other one. First one is DJ Shadows introducing. I think that's probably I'm not like the type of person to have a lot of favorite things. And I don't know if that is my favorite record, but if I'm like gunned in my head, I gotta choose one. That's probably the one. And that's just such a a seminal album. It's so cool. It's like the first from what I understand, I think it's the first like all samples record, like where the the whole thing was constructed just out of samples. Which sounds very gimmicky, it has like a very novel idea, but in execution it's it's so together, it's so cohesive in its own amazing little world. And it's still like a big thing with albums, for me, i it's like like a song'll hook you because it has something kind of familiar, something that grabs you, but like what keeps something fresh is being able to get lost in it still. And that's still one of those records that I can find myself getting lost in. It's just that thing's awful. Awesome. And it also likes such
Jonathon Howe: Excellent choice.
mattttttttt - s.ex: a big influence on getting sampler into the band.
Jonathon Howe: Yeah. Excellent choice. That was I remember being I guess we'll call it gifted that album by a music teacher back when I was in in college and you know, it was like one of those like, you're into like it's it's like E DM, Avici, TS or stuff. Listen to this and then tell me about like what you like about electronic music or sampled music and then I was like, this is mind blowing. This is way different than what anything I've been listening to on a a party night on a Friday night. This is this is something extra. So I like that pick. Jess, what about you? Yeah.
Jess: going in that same vein, it's one of my favorite albums ever, Since I Left You by the Avalanches.
Jonathon Howe: Mm.
Jess: correct me if I'm wrong, but they they spent like a whole year making that album in it's all sample based as well.
mattttttttt - s.ex: Yeah, I think so. I think I I've always
Jess: Yes, yeah.
mattttttttt - s.ex: thought of DJ Shadows introducing an avalanche since left you as kinda like like like the night and day of the same it's sort of like like different sides of the the same like sampler coin I think. Both both of those records were all made on the the Akai PCs. I know that yeah, Avalanches, Australian Duo, they like they were also working in Pro Tools and they would like trade sessions back and forth. But yeah, that one's also just like a like old samples. And it's so different. It's so different than introducing. It's so neat that people can take kind of the same idea, the same format and take it in such radically different directions. Well I'm sorry, I cut you I you got me rambling because I love that record too.
Jess: I love hearing you talk about it, so this is awesome.
Jonathon Howe: like it's a good explanation and like I think knowing both of you and I think that almost makes sense that you guys have s something that is two sides of the same coin, in in this situation. you know, was that just for you? Was that music that you were drawn to before you kind of got into this world, where or was it something that you know you kind of got more into as Sunshine Express went down that path of adding the sampler?
Jess: Well Matt introduced me to that album, like even way before I ever joined the band or was was playing Sampler and it just and even before that context is just such a good album and the the feelings it evokes, I think even like non musicians can can really enjoy it and get something meaningful out of it.
Jonathon Howe: Matt, you had a chance to think, have you got an album that you want to go to before we go back around the circle here? Matt P, what's what would be your pick for the desert island for Sunshine Express?
Matthew: I think so you said it's two albums we could pick, right?
Jonathon Howe: Yeah, I'm gonna say it's let's go two each. Usually I do five for my guests, but because there's three of you, I think it makes sense to just do two each of you and we'll do six total.
Matthew: Alright, sounds good. one for me wa would be physical graffiti by Led Zeppelin. yeah, that's
Jonathon Howe: Monster pick.
Matthew: best best Zepp album, fight me, it's the best one. There's no contest. Dude No.
mattttttttt - s.ex: You wanna go, buddy? houses house houses of the holy.
Jonathon Howe: Ha ha ha
Matthew: Take me outside. No, it's it's not even close.
Jonathon Howe: I'm I'll fight for four. I will be the cliche bastard who picks four. But I I can respect
mattttttttt - s.ex: Four's good too. Four's good too.
Jess: Mm.
Jonathon Howe: the take of of, you know, prioritizing physical graffiti over everything else.
Matthew: It's no contest to me. It's the best one. But beyond that, like I it it's like holds a lot of sentimental value to me as well. I remember my dad introduced that album to me. and yeah, it it was like one of the albums that got me thinking about music, got me excited about music in a way that I never was before. Like just it I it helped me just think musically, I guess. Like before I was exposed to, you know, other music through other people, but once I was shown this, it was kind of the journey of me like being proactive in music and being a part of it. And it's just I I think I heard it first when I was like maybe seven or eight years old. So, you know, when you've listened to an album for so many years of your life, and it just shows up throughout all these different kind of core memories of your life. You know what I mean? You listen back to and it's like, it takes you back to this first time you had this great experience or takes you back to a fucking mushroom tripper hanging up with buddies just listening to music. It's just like you know what I mean? It just takes you back through all those those memories. And yeah, so For that it holds a special place in my heart. I love like every song on there and I feel like out of just Led Zeppelin's catalog, that album to me, more than the others, just like just has such a character to it that feels like a departure from like you know, like one to four and everything else like that. So for me I thought that was a pretty cool one.
Jonathon Howe: Good pick. I I respect that pick absolutely. Matt, back to you with your second and final for the Desert Island here.
mattttttttt - s.ex: Yeah. shouts out the Beatles. We're gonna I'm gonna say Rubber Soul, and not because it's my favorite album. It definitely isn't. It's I don't think it's my favorite Beatles album. But I just feel like it's such like I like I l I listen to music for different music for different reasons and Sometimes that reason is I just w I want something on in the background that sets a certain mood or I want something that like really engages me as a listener. One big reason it's different than that, that I can listen to music is I'm driving in the car, I'm bored as fuck. I need to stay stimulated, I wanna sing. And just the the the act of singing along to something is such a such a like a great physical feeling and it's I have a whole kind of little like mini library in my head of like the records that I put on when I just wanna sing. And sometimes I don't even like the music on those records that much. But they're just they're so well constructed for that format, for that that sort of activity. And Rubber Soul is an album that definitely achieves that. That's like a super fun one to sing along to. All of the songs are short and concise and just like it's like just like constant like moving from one thing to the next. There's like there's like no filler on it and it just it also represents great songwriting and what seems like very effortless songwriting, but those guys were master technicians at that sort of construction. And so I feel like it's on the the opposite end of the spectrum of of like like from introducing of what like a lot of what good music is, which is like that. Like the core songwriting just being like super there and And it just being like easy to listen to for that reason and then having these like super novel qualities and a in a and a record like introducing and and as a songwriter and and like in a band setting, really try to strive for both of those things and try to find a a meeting meeting ground, like a like a middle point there to get those things. So rubber soul.
Jonathon Howe: Good pick. I like that and a good explanation for it too, 'cause I'm with you where I wouldn't say Rubber Soul's my favorite Beatles album either, but when I do listen to it it's like that perfect sing along record, perfect record for just having a display of songwriting unlike any other one and especially for me, I tend to write songs that end up being longer than I anticipate sometimes and sometimes listening to s an album like that it's like it's a good reset of like, yeah, I can make this a little bit tighter. I I don't I can trim the fat more than I even think sometimes and I'm not gonna I'm not gonna miss it. So I like that pick for the Desert Island. Jess to you, what's your second and final record for the Desert Island?
Jess: I would have to say Alive 2007 from Daft Punk. it's it's so fun. And I I I love dancing. I love going out to dance. I love being in in the like the thick of the music. And you can hear like the collective effervescence of everyone there and can imagine how insane it would have been in to be in the audience and the power of music to just connect everyone in that way, for them to like feel it going moving through them in the same way. is just so important and so special. And I don't know if any of the other guys have have something to say about it 'cause I know it's some it's an album that we put on a lot in the car as a group. So that's that would be my pick.
Matthew: Death punch's the best.
Jonathon Howe: Aga I tend to agree. I mean, like, again, gold standard of of dance music and and so influential too. A lot of the stuff that I I kind of grew up listening to in terms of electronic music was like either with Yeah, you know, in alignment with with Daft Punk or it was heavily influenced by it. That seems to be the stuff that I gravitate the gravitate towards the most. You can tell when you know, there's almost like an intellectual property to Daft Punk, even though technically it's it's so simple in a way. It doesn't feel like when you first dive into it that it there's a lot going on, but then the more you like actually pick out, you're like, my god, there's so much more to this than just a beat and and a a catchy rhythm. Yeah.
mattttttttt - s.ex: Hell yeah. I have two thousand seven Rocks. That's like that's
Jonathon Howe: Yeah.
mattttttttt - s.ex: like the record 'cause I I
Matthew: Mm-mm.
mattttttttt - s.ex: was I like a little There was something where I wasn't able to get into Daft Punk right away, and I think it was because it was so a lot of the studio cuts are very very repetitive and it's
Jonathon Howe: Hm.
mattttttttt - s.ex: it's made for like a certain environment. Like or it was like like th those things were made for like a certain kind of club experience. And it was something that I hadn't experienced and I was used to listening to rock music. I was used to hearing things that had like imperfection and and more kind of like spontaneity or like what seemed like spontaneous. and Alive 2007 is that record where I heard it and I finally understood. It brought like their style of music into a context where it's like, these guys are basically like Led Zeppelin. They're like a rock band. Like I can hear what it's doing with the audience and what they're doing with their arrangements. And it just has that like that awesome quality that like a really big like live rock record has. And I don't I feel like that's the one that's like that's just probably like the best that might be one of the best live albums ever, if not the best. And another big sample based album, sample based record. Shouts at the Akai N PC.
Jonathon Howe: Absolutely. Absolutely. An absolute pillar of technology for Makai. I like it. Matt P, let's round this thing out. What's your final pick for the desert island here?
Matthew: I'm gonna pick Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying by Labby Siffri.
Jonathon Howe: Okay, introduce me to that one 'cause I don't think I've heard that record before.
Matthew: yeah. He's he's the goat. I don't know. I he's such a great singer songwriter. And I was showing some of his stuff to Matt coming back from I think we were playing in London. we were driving back. But or Collingwood I think. But anyway. yeah, just like a lot of his records are just like Audiophile quality, so good. And then yeah, just like I love the songs. Like and he's just got like such a unique voice and such just a unique songwriting. Like I haven't heard anything like that from that era. And yeah, I don't know. The he he's someone I've probably like discovered in the last ten years, but yeah, just his music just resonates with me a lot and I hear some of the songs that he writes and I'm like Damn, I wish I could write something like this, you know. So yeah, so for all those reasons I feel like it's a pretty fitting desert island record. I could listen to that shit all the time and it it never gets old.
Jonathon Howe: I like it. I'll be checking it out along with everything else on the playlist and everything else in the Desert Island collection here. thanks again guys for coming on and doing this. appreciate your time. Appreciate you guys sharing so much about you know, your your roles in the Niagara scene and some of the things you guys have coming up which are super exciting and hope they're rallying points for all of us here in the scene where we can all show up in a big way for Sunshine Express and for the Niagara music scene. So once again, where does everybody check you guys out? out what do you guys have coming down the line that people can check out besides even just the pack show and the collab fest there's anything else you want to shout out now is the time
mattttttttt - s.ex: Shouts out yeah, if if you're trying to follow Sunshine Express, the place we are the most active and easiest to access is Instagram. So search up Sunshine Express or Sunshine Sex Press on Instagram, you'll find us. We're touring all over southern Ontario this next month, so I know it's gonna be about mid October when this goes up, but we still have some dates where people can catch us in a in a few different cities. Probably a city close to you if you're listening to this. And so yeah, shouts out that, shouts out Collab Fest, and once again the pack is just gonna be a huge deal and there's more to the pack. I d feel like I'm not sure how much we could say because we're like rolling out some other stuff with that.
Matthew: Should we say who else is doing it with us? Should we? Should we?
mattttttttt - s.ex: Should we drop it? Yeah, maybe we could drop the the at least the one confirmed item. Yes. Matt, would you like the honors?
Jonathon Howe: You guys reveal whatever you're comfortable with.
mattttttttt - s.ex: It's mid October, right?
Matthew: To say.
mattttttttt - s.ex: Like it's mid October? Yeah. Yeah. It's out there. It's out there.
Jonathon Howe: Come on, give us the teaser.
Matthew: Alright,
mattttttttt - s.ex: You c come on, don't hold back now.
Matthew: my god, okay. It so I don't wanna say when you're saying it like that now.
mattttttttt - s.ex: Yeah.
Jonathon Howe: Ha ha
Matthew: yeah, so we're gonna have s we're gonna have a pretty cool band opening for us and maybe you've heard of them. Maybe you haven't. You should have heard of them. If you haven't, what are you doing? it's Superstar Crush.
mattttttttt - s.ex: Let's happen. Proper. Chess.
Jonathon Howe: Superstar Crush joining the bill for that one. I'm super stoked
Matthew: Yeah.
Jonathon Howe: to hear that y they're gonna j come out and open that show for you guys as well. Obviously, they had a rip and set in the basement earlier in the year for you guys. You guys have played with them in the past as well. perfect, I would say, band to join that bill and I really, really wanna see so many folks get out for that show because it's gonna be I I don't I don't even know what to expect because I know that anything I could potentially think of and dream of that you guys might pull off, you're gonna blow my expectations out of the water. So I'm very excited for the show, very excited for you guys, excited to hear the new tracks, excited for everything Sunshine Express, and super happy that you guys came back on the show and we made this one happen. So have a good rest of the tour cycle, stay safe out on the road, have safe travels and all that, and hope everyone follows along and checks out Sunshine Express and we'll see you guys.
mattttttttt - s.ex: Thanks so much, Jonathon.
Matthew: Yes, you could
Jess: Got speed.
Matthew: you can find our links here.
Jonathon Howe: Ha ha.