New Song of the Week – Matlen Starsley Band: “Makin’ Good Time”

Hailing from beautiful Vancouver, Canada, the Matlen Starsley Band are a five-member collective of seasoned and accomplished musicians who came together in mid-life to recapture some of the energy and passion that got them into the music business to begin with, and in the process create some great music. Comprised of Dennis Matechuk (lead vocals), Kevin Star (guitar & vocals), Don Lennox (bass & vocals), Jim Wesley (drums) and Darryl Hebert (keyboards, guitar, accordion & vocals), all are either former or current members of the Bryan Adams Band, The Ray Roper Project, Bad Moon Riders, Touchdown, Fandango, and Bad Allen and the Muscle Cats. Collectively, they’ve played thousands of shows in venues ranging from intimate clubs to major festivals in front of 20,000 fans, and bring a wealth of experience to the creation of their engaging style of music drawn from country, blues, roots and Southern rock.

In July 2019, they released their terrific debut album Rollin’ Again, which I later reviewed. Unable to tour or play live during most of 2020, the guys spent time writing and recording songs for their second album, due out later this year. The first single from the new album is “Makin’ Good Time“, which I’ve named my New Song of the Week. The song is a rousing Southern rocker, with feel-good lyrics about going out on the open road, experiencing freedom from responsibilities, and feeling the sun on your skin and the wind in your hair. “Wind on our backs, nothing but blue sky. Ain’t got no destination. No time or place we got to be. Makin’ good time, just gettin’ away.“

Musically, the song features the band’s reliably awesome mix of bluesy and slide guitars and jaunty honky-tonk piano, enhanced by a spirited horn section that really dials up the energy level. Dennis’ warm, earnest vocals are backed by the delightful Chandra Russell, whose soulful croons add some nice texture to the track. I love the many little touches the guys employ in their songs, like Kevin’s slide guitar mimicking a rolling train when Dennis sings the lyric “We’ll go down to the station tonight, we’ll hop on up when that train rolls by.” It’s a fine song that makes for a good time indeed!