Rod Matheson was feeling isolated in 2012. His daughter spent her evenings doing homework on her computer, his wife would drift toward the TV, and Matheson found himself feeling down and disconnected in front his own computer screen.
So he switched off the computer and picked up his video camera and headed to a concert at the Vogue Theatre, where he shot the local opening act Maria in the Shower.
It felt good.
“I’ve struggled with depression throughout my life and I was just at a point where I was feeling kind of bleak. Whenever I was around music, it just made me feel wonderful,” Matheson said. “I basically gave up my TV time in the evenings to go out and make this happen and when you stop taking in that daily dose of negativity that is TV, everything from the news to dramas to reality shows… and you replace that with something inherently positive like music, that just lifts your spirits in phenomenal ways. I’ve found that music is my medicine.”
On Boxing Day, Matheson will post his 1,000th video of the 1,000th song he’s shot in 1,000 days on his YouTube Channel,
His offerings range from bootlegged videos of Roger Waters, Ben Harper and African superstar Kidum in concert, to lesser-known indie bands playing in bathrooms, elevators and kitchens.
Once Matheson upgraded to a camera with a stereo mic, he hit a snag. The more established venues weren’t so keen to have him shoot there anymore (while operators of the Rogue Folk Club, the Rickshaw and the Rio theatres welcomed him). He also discovered artists who were signed to record labels were much more difficult to access.
But lack of access to big-name acts became a blessing in disguise.
“One of the things most surprising to me is how doing this and… just trying to find everything I can out there, has completely altered my taste in music,” the 50-year-old said. “I was a mixed tape guy in the ’80s and made my mixed CDs in the ’90s, so I’ve always sought out music and compiled it and shared it since my college days. But listening to recorded music is completely different from the live music experience.”
Watching performances at cozier venues, Matheson gained a new appreciation for country music, folk and bluegrass. Â
“Especially at the smaller acoustic performances, they… affect me in a completely different way.”
Indie bands began to approach him, sending MP3s and links to their websites. Matheson wasn’t interested in having a listen.
“I like to be a clean slate,” he said. “That’s part of what’s truly exciting about it for me.”
Matheson lets artists choose the location and he records most of the songs in a single shot.
“It’s a real challenge and I’ve gotten real good at it,” said Matheson, who worked as a videographer from 1985 to 1992, adding that he focuses on making the footage feel unpolished and intimate.
Robyn Jacob of Fist Full o’ Snacks contacted Matheson and he shot her and three other women singing a capella in the Bloedel Conservatory at Queen Elizabeth Park, while birds whirred around them.
At the recent East Van Opry show at the Rio, Matheson shot Seattle group in the backstage bathroom.
Matheson has an eye for talent. He posted recent Peak Performance Project winners on day 77 and last year’s Peak winner, , on day 251.
Matheson has curated the songs in the way they relate for him, creating a “video album” for himself, an archive of B.C. indie artists and capturing a slice of the city’s history.
His channel features everything from Big Band ensembles to solo artists. EveryDayMusic has seen nearly two million views and listed 3,598 subscribers as of Monday morning.
While Matheson hopes viewers enjoy his videos, he wouldn’t encourage anyone to passively digest what they see for hours online. Instead, he hopes a taste of what’s available will encourage everyone to get involved in their community and to see who’s playing at their local café, community centre and coffee shop.
With the finale of EveryDayMusic in sight, Matheson is dreaming of his next project. He’d like to travel across Canada as a “random musical adventurer” and shoot what he finds and, perhaps, create a “webisodic” series.
He envisions a documentary that touts music as food for the soul.
“The commodification of music is very similar to the commodification of food,” Matheson said. “[Labels] have taken everything that’s good out of it and they just keep force-feeding us the same crap. Pop music is very much like junk food and soda these days. No matter how much we realize it’s bad for us, we can’t get enough of it.
“[Chef and food educator] Jamie Oliver said real food comes without a label, and I’m starting to think the same thing’s true in the case of music,” he continued. “Music is absolutely integral to our health and well-being and that there’s a kind of music that’s particularly good for us… this acoustic, homegrown type of stuff.”
