Phillip Hong
23 August, 2007

"Sparkle Eyes", the melt-your-heart love song from Matthew de Zoete is sure to romance audiophiles out of the cynicism of love nowadays. The soft chords to the calm singing is a great track from someone whose roots are firmly rooted from practising piano and singing songs at a younger age.

The quirky part is the track was written under some very different circumstances than it would be for most love songs.

His latest track is available from Toronto Experimental Artists in their latest compilation CD, TEA Volume 9. Matthew recently did an interview with us about his life in music so far, and the "automotive" circumstances under the creation of the track "Sparkle Eyes".

PHIL: How did you get into music?

MATTHEW: My mom has always played guitar, so I grew up with her playing and singing folk songs and children's songs. As a family, we would sing together around the campfire while camping or whenever the mood struck us at home.

I took piano lessons from age five to 12, and a few months after I quit piano, a cousin of mine showed me a few Nirvana songs on guitar. I believe "About a Girl" was the first song I learned to play. So I fiddled around with those and some Neil Young songs friends showed me, and I went from there.

These friends and my mom taught me chords, picking patterns, and other songs. After a while, I started exploring the guitar on my own, and pretty soon I started writing my own songs.

PHIL: How did "Sparkle Eyes" come about? It's quite a romantic song.

MATTHEW: A friend of mine came to me one day saying he had a new girlfriend and wondering if I'd write a song for her from him.

He's an auto body specialist, so he offered to de-rust and repaint my car in exchange for the song. It sounded like a good deal and an interesting song-writing exercise, so I agreed.

He gave me a print out of an email she sent him as a starting point. The email mentioned something about him being the sparkle in her eye, so I guess that image caught me. While working on the song, I couldn't decide if it should be from him to her or from her to him, so I chose to sit on the fence and make it a duet.

So while the song has certainly taken on romantic overtones for myself personally, it started as a favour for a friend and a way to get my car repainted.

PHIL: Has the internet contributed to your success? If so, how?

MATTHEW: Sure, the internet has contributed to my success. It makes booking and promoting shows much easier. Plus, it allows many people you would otherwise not reach to discover your music.

The internet and music both deal with allowing people to communicate and connect with each other, so they seem to work well together. Music is about expressing yourself and reaching others, and the internet is a great facilitator for that.

It obviously contributes to pirating, but I think that is compensated for by the exposure it gives musicians.

PHIL: Any new tracks planned for a future run?

MATTHEW: Definitely. I've just started working with Dave King (who produced my first record) again, demoing songs for a new full length to be recorded this fall and winter and released next spring.

I have a good stack of new songs, some of which we've been playing at live shows already. Dave and I will be working with Paul VanDyk, the upright bassist I've been touring with for the past 18 months, and I'm quite excited about the songs and recording process.

PHIL: Do eyes really sparkle, in your opinion?

You'd have to ask the girl from the song.

Phillip Hong is a co-host and reporter on Centre Street, our current affairs programme featuring alternative stories and interviews.