Matt Mays (born August 10, 1979) is a Canadian

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

singer-songwriter and was the lead singer of Matt Mays & El Torpedo, a rock music group based in

Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Dartmouth ( ) (Scottish Gaelic, Scottish-Gaelic: Baile nan Loch) is a Urban area, built-up community of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, Canada. Located on the eastern shore of Halifax Harbour, Dartmouth has 101 ...

, and New York City. Previously, Mays was a member of a Canadian indie band The Guthries. Mays was born in

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...

, and grew up in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

Career

The Guthries

The Guthries were a Canadian

country rock Country rock is a music genre that fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal sty ...

band formed in 1998 in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

, Canada. The band's first album, ''Off Windmill'', was released in 2000. The band toured extensively throughout Canada and the UK. Mays subsequently left the band in 2002, just prior to the release of the band's second release, the self-titled ''The Guthries''. However, following the self-titled release, the band members each began pursuing solo projects, and have not released another Guthries album.

Matt Mays

At the 2005 Juno Awards, Mays presented an award, and was himself nominated for New Artist of the Year and Adult Alternative Album of the Year for his self-titled album. In February 2006, Mays appeared with the

Symphony Nova Scotia Symphony Nova Scotia is a Canadian orchestra based in Halifax Regional Municipality, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Its primary recital venue is at the Dalhousie Arts Centre's Rebecca Cohn Auditorium. History Symphony Nova Scotia began in 1983 ...

in their Rising Star series on the

Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia, Canada, with three campuses in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, a fourth in Bible Hill, Nova Scotia, Bible Hill, and a second medical school campus ...

campus. In April 2006, fellow Canadian rocker Sam Roberts released his new album titled '' Chemical City''. Mays performed on the track "Uprising Down Under".

Matt Mays and El Torpedo

Matt Mays & El Torpedo consisted of Jay Smith (guitar, vocals), Andy Patil (bass, vocals), Tim Baker (drums), and

Adam Baldwin Adam Baldwin (born February 27, 1962) is an American actor. He made his film debut in '' My Bodyguard'' (1980). He later appeared in ''Full Metal Jacket'' (1987) as Animal Mother, and in the television series ''Firefly'' and its continuation f ...

(keyboard). The band's self-titled album released in 2005 contained the single "Cocaine Cowgirl", which received saturation airplay on Canadian rock radio in 2005, and its video heavy rotation on

MuchMusic Much is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. through its Bell Media subsidiary that airs programming aimed at teenagers and young adults. It is headquartered at 299 Queen Street West in what was o ...

. The album also contained the track "The Plan" with backing vocals from fellow Canadian musician

Kathleen Edwards Kathleen Margaret Edwards (born July 11, 1978
) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and musician. Her 2002 debut album, ''

. At the 2006

East Coast Music Awards The East Coast Music Association (ECMA) is a non-profit association purposed towards supporting the music industry in the Canadian east coast, i.e., Atlantic Canada. The ECMA hosts the annual East Coast Music Awards (formerly the Maritime Music A ...

, MM&ET were nominated for entertainer of the year, group of the year, radio rock recording of the year, album of the year, and single of the year (for "Cocaine Cowgirl"), and won all of these but entertainer of the year award. They closed out the national broadcast of the event with "Cocaine Cowgirl". As he introduced the band, host Mike Smith (Bubbles from ''

Trailer Park Boys ''Trailer Park Boys'' is a Canadian mockumentary television sitcom created by Mike Clattenburg that began airing in 2001 as a continuation of his 1999 film bearing the same name. The show follows the misadventures of a group of trailer park resi ...

'') said that they were one of his favourite bands. In ''

Maclean's ''Maclean's'' is a Canadian magazine founded in 1905 which reports on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, trends and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian ...

'' magazine,

Ron MacLean Ronald Joseph Corbett MacLean (born April 12, 1960) is a Canadian sportscaster for the CBC and Rogers Media, best known as the host of ''Hockey Night in Canada'' from 1986 to 2014 and again since 2016. MacLean is also a former hockey referee. ...

of ''

Hockey Night in Canada ''Hockey Night in Canada'' (often abbreviated ''Hockey Night'' or ''HNiC'') is a long-running program of broadcast ice hockey play-by-play coverage in Canada. With roots in pioneering hockey coverage on private radio stations as early as 1923, ...

'' listed Matt Mays & El Torpedo among the artists whose music he "never leaves home without." In 2006 Matt Mays and El Torpedo released a music video for their single "Time of Your Life ('til You're Dead)", directed by

Drew Lightfoot Drew Lightfoot is a Canadian director working in film, TV, commercials and music videos. He has also worked as an animator, and continues to use animation as a director, sometimes using stop-motion and CGI in his commercials and videos. Film ...

. The video was filmed in

Kensington Market Kensington Market is a distinctive multicultural neighbourhood in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Market is an older neighbourhood and one of the city's best-known. In November 2006, it was designated a National Historic Sites of Canada, ...

, Toronto, Ontario. This particular video features the

card manipulation Card manipulation, commonly known as card magic, is the branch of magic that deals with creating effects using sleight of hand techniques involving playing cards. Card manipulation is often used in magical performances, especially in close-up, ...

s of American comedian and magician Erik Tait. This video received notice in the magic world after it was pointed out that the card manipulation with the box is physically impossible. This particular manipulation was achieved by filming Erik's hands then playing the footage backward. The card work is also acclaimed in this video as members of the band perform some of the manipulations. Matt Mays & El Torpedo performed on ''

Late Night with Conan O'Brien ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the second installment of the ''Late Night (franchise), Late Night'' franchise originally established by David Letterman. Hosted by Conan O'Brie ...

'' in December 2006.

''When the Angels Make Contact''

Matt Mays' project ''When the Angels Make Contact'', released on November 7, 2006, is a soundtrack to Mays' unfinished film of the same name. Regarding the origin of the idea, Mays stated: "I had this album that was based on the theme of an all-nighter. It started when the sun went down and ended when the sun came up. Then I thought, 'That would make a good movie.'" The album flows with the themes of the movie, following the character J.J. Carver, a motorcyclist on a quest. The music video for the title track and the "movie trailer" were both directed by

. Although much of the movie was shot in early 2006, production then stalled due to lack of financing. Sam Roberts has a cameo role as an Australian surfer. The album features

Buck 65 Richard Terfry (born March 4, 1972), better known by his stage name Buck 65, is a Canadian alternative hip hop rapper. Underpinned by an extensive background in abstract hip hop, his more recent music has extensively incorporated blues, country ...

Skratch Bastid Paul Murphy (born September 2, 1982), better known by his stage name Skratch Bastid, is a Canadian DJ and record producer. He is a three-time Scribble Jam DJ Battle winner. He is the first-ever Canadian DJ to be nominated for the Juno Award for Pr ...

, and

Rose Cousins Rosanne Millicent "Rose" Cousins (born April 21, 1977) is a Canadian folk-pop singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Prince Edward Island, she is currently based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Career Cousins released two EPs prior to her full-length ...

, among others.

''Terminal Romance''

The last album, ''Terminal Romance'', was released on July 8, 2008. The singles "Tall Trees" and "Building a Boat" have received heavy airplay on Canadian radio, including

CBC Radio 3 CBC Radio 3 is a Canadian digital radio station operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which plays a relatively freeform mix of indie rock, indie pop, alternative hip hop, folk, country and electronic music. The service, which la ...

. Throughout July 2008, Matt Mays and El Torpedo toured with Kid Rock in support of their new album.Tour Page
On December 12, 2008, Matt Mays & El Torpedo received 5

East Coast Music Association The East Coast Music Association (ECMA) is a non-profit association purposed towards supporting the music industry in the Canadian east coast, i.e., Atlantic Canada. The ECMA hosts the annual East Coast Music Awards (formerly the Maritime Music A ...

Nominations including Group Recording of the Year and Songwriter of the Year.

Disbanding of El Torpedo

Matt Mays & El Torpedo officially disbanded in June 2009 with the departure of Andy Patil and Tim Baker; however,

and Jay Smith remained with Mays. The band added four new members, including drummer Damien Moynihan, keyboard player Matt Scott, guitar player Matt Hammond and former The Guthries member Serge Samson. Jay Smith was found dead in his Edmonton hotel room on March 27, 2013.

''Coyote''

Matt Mays released the album ''Coyote'' in September 2012, and completed a cross-Canada tour to promote the release. The tour concluded on November 17, 2012, in Fredericton, New Brunswick. At the 2014 Juno Awards Coyote received the award for Rock Album of the Year.

Awards and nominations

Juno Awards

The

Juno Awards The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's music industry. The Grammy Awards are the United S ...

is a Canadian awards ceremony presented annually by the

Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) is a non-profit organization responsible for promoting Canadian music and artists. It is famous for its Juno Awards, which recognize achievements in the music industry of popular song ...

. , - , rowspan="2", 2005 , , Matt Mays , , New Artist of the Year , , , - , ''

Matt Mays Matt Mays (born August 10, 1979) is a Canadian indie rock singer-songwriter and was the lead singer of Matt Mays & El Torpedo, a rock music group based in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, and New York City. Previously, Mays was a member of a Canadian i ...

'' , , Adult Alternative Album of the Year , , , - , 2007 , , '' When the Angels Make Contact'' , , Adult Alternative Album of the Year , , , - , 2009 , , '' Terminal Romance'' , , Rock Album of the Year , , , - , 2014 , , ''

Coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans''), also known as the American jackal, prairie wolf, or brush wolf, is a species of canis, canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the Wolf, gray wolf, and slightly smaller than the c ...

'' , , Rock Album of the Year , ,

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Singles

References

External links

MattMays.com
Matt Mays official site {{DEFAULTSORT:Mays, Matt 1979 births Living people Canadian rock singers Canadian rock guitarists Canadian male guitarists Canadian male singer-songwriters Musicians from Hamilton, Ontario Singers from New York City Guitarists from New York City Juno Award for Rock Album of the Year winners 21st-century American singers 21st-century American guitarists 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century Canadian male singers American male guitarists 21st-century Canadian singer-songwriters Singers from Nova Scotia