The next artist in my portrait series happens to be the only guy I know who has a hat with a picture of him making a duckface on the front - and it's a truckers hat to boot ! You might know him as one of the guitarists in The Matinee's. This is Geoff Petrie chillaxing with a Gin and Tonic.
I first met him in 2011 after a gig The Matinee played at the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel, when it used to host the Friday night Westcoast Music Sessions put on by SHORE 104. Since then, I have been fortunate to see him play many times. He is quite the showman. It seems the guys in the band have a competition to see how many buttons they can undo on their shirts and still keep them on.
Geoff hasn't always been a guitar player though. His first real instrument was a 'Tom Thumb' piano with 61 keys. It was the perfect accompaniment for the first song he ever wrote, which was about his favourite stuffed animal 'Teddy Bear Red'. He took piano lessons from the age of 7 until he was 12 years old. During that time, he never learned to read music; he said he faked his way through by playing by ear. He would share the hourlong lessons with a friend of his, and would always go second so he could copy what he had heard. When the lessons became more advanced, his teacher gave him the ultimatum that he must learn to read music, but in true rockstar fashion, he quit to learn guitar.
Geoff Petrie at home
Geoff cites his older brother as being a big musical influence on his life. His brother had a band when they were growing up (with a NSFW name) and musical ability wasn't something they prided themselves on. Geoff says the biggest lesson he learned from watching them was that ambition can outweigh talent. When that band imploded, his brother started a new band with a concerted effort to improve the musicality. With this band, Geoff would occasionally also sit in on drums if their regular drummer was away. The band rehearsed at their parents house so he knew all of their songs from listening at the heat register.
Geoff also has a sister whom he credits for influencing his love and ability for singing harmonies. He would lean back against her bedroom door listening to her sing along with the radio. She would sing the harmonies and that is where he learned to search for the high parts. It was during this time that Geoff developed a not-so-secret love for Mariah Carey.
All the band members from Geoff's current band The Matinee are friends that grew up together in Coquitlam, so he definitely feels fortunate to do what he loves with his pals. He also feels lucky to have met so many amazing people through music. Their current single Temper Temper hit #1 on the CBC Radio 3 Top 30 last week and the guys have been busy in the studio working on new material. Not sure if a Teddy Bear Red remake is in the works for that one.
Many thanks to Geoff for pouring the Gin and Tonics and for and a great visit. Be sure to check out www.thematineemusic.com for music and concert dates.
