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INTERVIEW WITH MATTHEW HORNICK


Matthew Hornick is a member of shy kids, a band of filmmakers from Toronto.

Interview by Rebeccah Love

'Terminally in Love with You', a collaboration between shy kids and CHOIR!CHOIR!CHOIR!

Do you think Toronto is an artist-friendly city?

It certainly seems so to me. Ever since we started releasing music and videos as shy kids there's been a healthy dose of local support from venues, publications, and the music community in general. Even though some of the famous venues have been going under lately, there seems to be a thirst for live performances from people who live here, so I'm sure new spaces will arrive in their wake. We've got The Creator Class, government grants, and a penchant for birthing superstars.. (Drake, The Weeknd, Bieber..). It's seems like a great place to be for an artist as far as I can tell.

What's your favourite neighbourhood in the city?

Probably Kensington Market. I lived there for almost seven years. The area has amazing food, cheap groceries, great bars, beer, music, and an eclectic troop of locals... It also feels like the centre of the city, so nothing seems too far away.

How would you describe your personal aesthetic?

Earthy, melodic, warm, playful, serious, concentrated.

What has been one of your favourite moments with the shy kids?

I think it may have recording the live string quartet we had play on I was in New York. I had mapped out the string notation in MIDI, but hearing those ideas that were made on the computer come to life with phyiscal instruments was a truly magical moment.

What does shy kids mean to you?

On a personal level shy kids are very important to me: we're a band, we're best friends, we're a business, we're a collection of artists with different ideas that, every now and then, converge and integrate in a beautiful way. We challenge one another, debate with one another, make fun of one another, all, (hopefully), in the direction of someplace better.

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