Secret Broadcast

July 29, 2012
Hungry Ghost is a fun five songs’ worth of raucous guitar-rock with a healthy measure of Brit-pop sneer and a touch of glammy, Dandy Warhols-esque swagger, with the slightly sleazoid churn of “Neon Love” and “Los Angeles,” in particular, evoking the loud, muscular, young Oasis that gave us Definitely Maybe. - Ben Rayner - Toronto Star

August 13 2012
Short, poppy and sweet, their songs are radio-worthy, laden with hooks and to-the-point breakdowns. It’s never long before the chorus rolls around and, by the end of a first listen, you somehow find yourself singing along. In “Killer in the Kitchen,” Secret Broadcast playfully reference ghosts, astrology and other divine concepts to intrigue and draw you in, but with a vagueness that is similar to some of the other seductive dark themes we’ve seen in the past decade or two of popular music (i.e. grunge, emo, post-punk). It’s not at all menacing, down-tempo or overly emotional, however. Instead, they approach things with less of a mystique and more casualness, in a carefree, go-with-the-flow, poppy, garage rock style that might indicate some ‘90s influences. They could appeal to fans of people like the Arctic Monkeys, but with a Calgarian accent, and recently joined talents with producer Jon Drew, who has helped such bands as Tokyo Police Club, Fucked Up and the Arkells.

Tracks like opener “Neon Love” set a mood for dancing the twist and wearing plaid, bright jeans and colourful wayfarers. It’s a youthful sounding band that many people will come to love, and indeed already have. - Cait Lepla - Beatroute

August 13 2012
Short, poppy and sweet, their songs are radio-worthy, laden with hooks and to-the-point breakdowns. It’s never long before the chorus rolls around and, by the end of a first listen, you somehow find yourself singing along. In “Killer in the Kitchen,” Secret Broadcast playfully reference ghosts, astrology and other divine concepts to intrigue and draw you in, but with a vagueness that is similar to some of the other seductive dark themes we’ve seen in the past decade or two of popular music (i.e. grunge, emo, post-punk). It’s not at all menacing, down-tempo or overly emotional, however. Instead, they approach things with less of a mystique and more casualness, in a carefree, go-with-the-flow, poppy, garage rock style that might indicate some ‘90s influences. They could appeal to fans of people like the Arctic Monkeys, but with a Calgarian accent, and recently joined talents with producer Jon Drew, who has helped such bands as Tokyo Police Club, Fucked Up and the Arkells.

Tracks like opener “Neon Love” set a mood for dancing the twist and wearing plaid, bright jeans and colourful wayfarers. It’s a youthful sounding band that many people will come to love, and indeed already have. - Cait Lepla - Beatroute

I decided to start my festival experience a little early on Saturday night, at the Secret Broadcast EP release show on Queen Street at the Rivoli. The band is playing their official NXNE showcase at the El Mocambo on Friday night (June 15) at 9 p.m., but I'm not sure I'll be able to make it as there's just so much going on! So I wanted to be sure to see one of Toronto's most promising up-and-coming acts this week, and I'm glad I did because the show was tremendous! Their set was tight, the songs were catchy, their banter was funny and they went the extra mile in their performance: Keith Heppler, the drummer, got off stage during a song with a floor tom, set it up in the middle of the dance floor and wowed the packed room with a drum solo. That's the kind of thing that sets you apart from the pack, the kind of thing people will talk about, the kind of thing that will throw off my finely curated schedule for the week because a friend says, 'You have to see this band'. - Matt Shichter - MSN Entertainment

"All it took was one performance at NxNE and now the record labels won’t leave them alone! Word spread and soon this group found themselves playing the Warped Tour et al. Their dance-rock fever is contagious - don’t dance too close!" - CBC Radio 3

"All it took was one performance at NxNE and now the record labels won’t leave them alone! Word spread and soon this group found themselves playing the Warped Tour et al. Their dance-rock fever is contagious - don’t dance too close!" - CBC Radio 3

Calgary band makes it 2-for-2 at Virgin Fests

Matt Lightstone had to move across the country to get the biggest hometown gig of his life.

The former Torontonian spent about six years looking for likeminded musical souls here, but never had much luck.

A little over 2- 1/2 years ago, he moved to Calgary, where he met John de Jesus and Bryan Craig and formed Secret Broadcast. The group recorded an EP and began gigging as relentlessly as they could, recently opening for Metric.

But it's doubtful that any gig thus far will eclipse their next show. Secret Broadcast received 13,000 votes in an online contest to win the headlining spot (7:10 p.m.) on Sunday on the Oh Henry stage at Virgin Festival.

"Yeah, it's almost like a homecoming. People have laughed at that," Lightstone says. "Toronto has a pretty thriving music scene, and I just couldn't find any musicians there that really worked out. I ended up moving to Calgary and immediately found people I gelled with."

The band is currently finishing up songs for their first album, which they hope to record in a few months. Lightstone describes their music as epic pop rock, citing touchstones like U2 and the Pixies.

"Melody is hugely important to us. We write pop songs with a rock edge," he says.

Secret Broadcast definitely belongs in the "you've got to be good to be lucky" category. Toronto's gig will be the second Virgin Festival date the band has played this year. They won a radio station contest in Calgary that got them on stage at the tour stop there earlier this summer.

"It was just absolutely amazing," Lightstone beams. "Not only did we get to perform in font of thousands and thousands of people, but it was also cool seeing all these different bands, getting to hang out back stage and beyond, seeing some of our heroes, being introduced to new music and bands I hadn't heard."

With a few more high-profile gigs like this, this Secret Broadcast will definitely get out.
-Raju Mudhar - Toronto Star

Calgary band makes it 2-for-2 at Virgin Fests

Matt Lightstone had to move across the country to get the biggest hometown gig of his life.

The former Torontonian spent about six years looking for likeminded musical souls here, but never had much luck.

A little over 2- 1/2 years ago, he moved to Calgary, where he met John de Jesus and Bryan Craig and formed Secret Broadcast. The group recorded an EP and began gigging as relentlessly as they could, recently opening for Metric.

But it's doubtful that any gig thus far will eclipse their next show. Secret Broadcast received 13,000 votes in an online contest to win the headlining spot (7:10 p.m.) on Sunday on the Oh Henry stage at Virgin Festival.

"Yeah, it's almost like a homecoming. People have laughed at that," Lightstone says. "Toronto has a pretty thriving music scene, and I just couldn't find any musicians there that really worked out. I ended up moving to Calgary and immediately found people I gelled with."

The band is currently finishing up songs for their first album, which they hope to record in a few months. Lightstone describes their music as epic pop rock, citing touchstones like U2 and the Pixies.

"Melody is hugely important to us. We write pop songs with a rock edge," he says.

Secret Broadcast definitely belongs in the "you've got to be good to be lucky" category. Toronto's gig will be the second Virgin Festival date the band has played this year. They won a radio station contest in Calgary that got them on stage at the tour stop there earlier this summer.

"It was just absolutely amazing," Lightstone beams. "Not only did we get to perform in font of thousands and thousands of people, but it was also cool seeing all these different bands, getting to hang out back stage and beyond, seeing some of our heroes, being introduced to new music and bands I hadn't heard."

With a few more high-profile gigs like this, this Secret Broadcast will definitely get out.
-Raju Mudhar - Toronto Star

“.. shimmering guitar tones and minor-key chord shifts — the kind of sound you could easily picture filling an arena within a few years’ time."
- Peter Hemminger - FFWD Weekly

Secret Broadcast are a sexy band.

I don't mean sexy in that I want to hump them (although they are boyishly handsome). Rather they're sexy in that wanting-to-have-sex-when-I-hear-their- music kind of way.

The Calgary three-piece pump out a danceable, grooving, funk-rock hybrid which has certainly caught on over the past year, both locally and nationwide. But according to singer/guitarist/ songwriter Matt Lightstone, Secret Broadcast aren't too concerned with tags.

"Sonic is a word that comes out quite often; we've been characterized as dance-rock, but it's always tough to put a label on it," he says. "Ultimately we're trying to write songs that are based on emotions . . . if it's sexy, then it's sexy, I don't try to worry about it too much"

What they do seem concerned about is maintaining the steady pace and buzz they've created over the past seven months – a stretch of time which has seen the band win local alt-rock radio X 92.9's Xposure contest (a sweet $15,000 and a slot at the inaugural Calgary Virgin Festival); jet off to Toronto to headline that city's Virgin Festival second stage; play a private show with Richard Branson in attendance (the toothy entrepreneur apparently danced his British ass off, then demanded an encore . . . and you don't say no to the guy who signed Mike Oldfield and The Sex Pistols); open sold-out shows for Metric and The Stills; and even find time to go out on the road with the portly-but-still-angsty Matt Good.

So take all of the above, combine it with growing buzz in the UK and you have three guys who seem to be feeling equal parts excitement and anticipation, and just a hint of nervousness (not unlike losing your virginity to the hot but sensible girl in English class) for what's to come next.

But Secret Broadcast are jumping in the sack prepared.

With a bit of their contest money, they've enlisted producer Laurence Currie (Holy Fuck, The Gandharvas, Wintersleep, Sloan) and are consistently writing for their new record.

"We've been really looking forward to doing a full-length album . . . We've been busy writing for a long time, for the last month or two we went off the radar because we've been focusing on it," tosses Lightstone, reinforcing the fact that they're moving in new directions. "We have a lot of upbeat songs, we've diversified a bit. With the new stuff, there's acoustic numbers, some cello and ebow, and some full-on rock songs. It definitely varies, but we're trying to create an album. Most of my favourite albums ebb and flow like that and that's what we're going for."

With tours planned for Canada and the UK in the coming year, Secret Broadcast are not going to remain Calgary's big sexy secret for much longer.

-James Callsen - SoundProof Magazine

Things really got going earlier this year for Secret Broadcast thanks to one drunken night at a computer.

That moment would eventually lead to the Calgary trio winning Oh Henry!'s "What Feeds Your Hunger" contest search for Canada's best up-and-coming band, and subsequently a slot at this weekend's Virgin Festival in Toronto.

"Our drummer [Bryan Craig] was drunk one night and created a profile for us on the contest's website and completely forgot," says guitarist/vocalist Matt Lightstone. "And then we got a call when we found out we had made the top five, and at that point, we really started a campaign."

That's not bad considering there were over 300 bands in the contest and the judging panel included Virgin overlord Richard Branson and Toronto's 102.1 The Edge radio personality Alan Cross.

"Bryan just uploaded a couple of songs that night and completely forgot about it, but once we found about the top five, we started actively campaigning and our local radio station [Calgary's X92.9 FM] started really supporting us," continues Lightstone. "They mentioned the contest every time they played us, and also posted a blog.

"It was a really grassroots operation. We had a lot of street teams and our friends doing a lot of work."

Lest anyone think Secret Broadcast won the contest merely on the amount of campaigning they did, keep in mind the judging panel ultimately had the final say. The contest was based solely on the songs uploaded to the contest website, and the strength of Secret Broadcast's songs (from their five-song Plastic Fantastic EP) won them top honours. With the dreaminess of Doves, the sonic guitar work of early Radiohead and the grandiosity of The Verve, Secret Broadcast combine the best of mid-'90s U.K. guitar pop bands without sounding derivative or, worse, unoriginal.

"All three of us [Lightstone, Craig and bassist/vocalist John De Jesus] have very different influences," says Lightstone. "I think we've managed to go in without any preconceptions and just try to write music.

"I think when a lot of bands first meet each other and they bond over the love of a common band, they end up sounding like them. And I think what's worked for us is that we didn't really bond over any particular band."

Lightstone believes that he's found the perfect bandmates in Craig and De Jesus. What's scary is he would never have found them if he didn't decide to move from a place where things didn't seem to be working for him.

"I moved to Calgary from Toronto probably about four years ago," recounts Lightstone. "I'd been searching for band members in Toronto for a really long time, but couldn't find anyone.

"And when I moved out here, I found Bryan and John and we clicked immediately. I think it's one of those indefinable things. As soon as we started playing together, we just knew. All three of us were really excited about what we were producing and we knew we were on to something. And the writing process has always been the three of us creating songs rather than just one principle songwriter, and I think that's really helped the sound we've built over the last couple of years."

As part of winning the "What Feeds Your Hunger" contest, Secret Broadcast were given a slot on the Oh Henry! stage on Sunday at Virgin Festival on Toronto Island. The outdoor setting could actually be more fitting for their soaring guitar pop sound.

"We actually won a local competition in Calgary put on by X92," says Lightstone. "They chose five local bands they thought had potential, and I think there were about 400 applicants for that process.

"Each of the five bands got cash and a spot at Virgin Fest Calgary. So we played that show back then and it was absolutely phenomenal. I guess you can say we're really lucky or something's working for us."

-Brian Pascual - ChartAttack

If you're looking for the next hotbed of Canadian talent, Calgary's definitely a contender -- in recent years, the city's fertile music scene has spawned notable acts like Chad Vangaalen, Women, Woodpigeon and more.
Add indie-rock trio Secret Broadcast to that list -- though they first came to listeners' attention in 2007 with their well-received 'Plastic Fantastic' EP, they've just gotten around to releasing their debut full-length, 'Exploding Spiders' (the title is taken from a Jack Kerouac quote).
The album was helmed by Juno Award-winning producer Lawrence Currie (Sloan, Wintersleep, Holy F---) and showcases Secret Broadcast's atmospheric rock sound, anchored by big guitars and retro-ish synths. It's the kind of spiky pop with deep hooks that bands like Metric or the Stills (two acts Secret Broadcast has opened for) trade in.
The trio -- singer/guitarist Matt Lightstone, drummer Bryan Craig and bassist John de Jesus -- certainly has the "epic" thing down. They sound like they have twice the members on the album's dozen tracks, many of which share a high level of intensity. The uncharacteristic arrangement of a tune like 'I Am Sound' -- a reworked version of a fan favourite from the EP -- helps set it apart.
While the song's still large in scope, thanks to Secret Broadcast's driving rhythm section and killer buzzy guitar lines, instead of simply following the tired old formula of racheting up the layers of melody as fast and loud as possible, there's a nice variation of tempos and instrumentation throughout to keep things interesting.
You never really know where the song's about to take you, but with Lightstone's urgent vocals and the hooky "Don't turn it around" chorus, you'll want to stick around through its sonic twists and turns to figure out the secret to this rising act's unique sound.
Catch Secret Broadcast live on their cross-Canada tour, beginning Sept. 4 at Lydia's in Saskatoon.
-Tabassum Siddiqui - Spinner.com

Secret Broadcast - Shatter
The best thing to come out of Calgary since, well, ever, Secret Broadcast proves it’s possible to make basic rock ’n’ roll actually seem interesting. Imagine Radiohead if they’d formed in the early ’80s, and you only start to get the idea. - The Georgia Straight (Vancouver)

Fresh from Calgary as the winners of the What Feeds Your Hunger contest, apparently beating out over 300 bands from across Canada, Secret Broadcast rocked the Oh Henry side stage. And I must say, the ladies loved it. Especially when lead singer Matt Lightstone started taking off his jacket while stating, "It's f*ckin' hot!" which was followed by a estrogen-filled onlooker to yell, "Take it all off!"

Sadly, the Secret Broadcast stayed fully clothed, but they still managed to heat up the stage. The band sounded great, looked stylish as all get out and the crowd (the biggest I had seen at the Oh Henry stage all day) was loving every minute.

- MuchMusic.com

Secret Broadcast
Shatter
A Canadian group who adopts the sound of our favourite 90s bands from the UK.

Pearly Gates Music
I Woke Up
Apparently these Seattle boys' music was influenced by "breaking (their) toes on the shower tile." Okay, then.

Pissed Jeans
False Jesii Part 2
Four high school grads create their own fusion sound of brahs and heavy punk. Another Sub Pop Records gem.

Dolores O'Riordan
The Journey
As soon as O'Riordan releases solo material and supporting tour plans, she cancels them all to reunite with the band that put her on the map-- The Cranberries. [Sounds Like: The Cranberries, Sinead O'Conner "light"]

Cranberries
Zombie
Mid-90s female fronted sensation - The Cranberries - announce their plans to reunite for a tour and possibly an album! [Sounds Like: Dolores O'Riordan, Smashing Pumpkins with female vocals]

- ExploreMusic

The Georgia Straight once hailed Secret Broadcast as "the best thing to come out of Calgary since, well, ever".

It's been nine months since the three Calgarians set their sights on Toronto. Now, Matt Lightstone (vocals, guitar), Keith Heppler (drums) and Jeffrey Lewis (vocals, bass) are spreading their music like a fever. Their showcase at The Painted Lady included old songs off their 2009 album Exploding Spiders as well as new tracks like the groovy number "Neon Love" that they've recently recorded for their next album produced by Jon Drew (Arkells, Tokyo Police Club). For anyone that missed their set and wonder what they sound like, imagine your favourite bands from the 90's blended nicely together without the unpleasant aftertaste of feeling like you've heard it all before. - Sticky Magazine

"Secret Broadcast are a fantastic up and coming band with some great music...and I'm sure they will have a successful music career ahead of them."
-Sir Richard Branson
Chairman of the Virgin Group. - Virgin Fest Press Release

How do Toronto-via-Calgary rockers Secret Broadcast pass the time while driving in their tour van? They've answered that question with an intimate performance video for their song "Killing Time."

Filmed in a spacious van, this clip shows them playing the rocking tune from their album Filthy Souls while driving down the road. This is much more elaborate than you'd expect from a performance in transit; they've got a full drum kit set up, plus a couple of battery-powered amps, with the entire rocking performance captured live.

All goes well for three minutes, but they bungle the very end of the song when they get pulled over by the cops. In case you were wondering — no, this ending wasn't staged.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_yrVKCaXn0 - Exclaim!

Toronto-based rockers Secret Broadcast have released a new music video for a song called "Killing Time."

You can check it out below. If you do, stick around for the unplanned ending ... the part where their moving vehicle is pulled over by the police.

In the video, which was shot with three GoPro cameras, the band is seen performing "Killing Time" in a van. Lead singer Matt Lightstone drives while drummer Keith Heppler plays a kids' drum kit. The guitar and bass amps are battery powered.

All goes well for about three minutes, but they bungle the end of the song when they get pulled over by the cops. By the way, the band assures us the ending is not staged. It's just a shame we can't see the aftermath ... or the cop, for that matter.

Anyway, not that we're suggesting you should skip through the video, but the first police siren is heard at 3:05. The inevitable "Oh, shit" moment arrives at 3:26.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_yrVKCaXn0 - Guitar World

Toronto-based rockers Secret Broadcast have released a new music video for a song called "Killing Time."

You can check it out below. If you do, stick around for the unplanned ending ... the part where their moving vehicle is pulled over by the police.

In the video, which was shot with three GoPro cameras, the band is seen performing "Killing Time" in a van. Lead singer Matt Lightstone drives while drummer Keith Heppler plays a kids' drum kit. The guitar and bass amps are battery powered.

All goes well for about three minutes, but they bungle the end of the song when they get pulled over by the cops. By the way, the band assures us the ending is not staged. It's just a shame we can't see the aftermath ... or the cop, for that matter.

Anyway, not that we're suggesting you should skip through the video, but the first police siren is heard at 3:05. The inevitable "Oh, shit" moment arrives at 3:26.

For more about Secret Broadcast, visit secretbroadcast.com. - Guitar World

Ranked #41 of 103 Songs

Artist: Secret Broadcast

Song: "More Than Friends"

Melodic guitar driven rock tune from this former Calgary band that's now based in Toronto. Their whole album has hooks aplenty. — J.B. - CBC Radio 3