The Waking Eyes

History

The band formed after the break-up of two other Manitoba bands, The Pets from Steinbach and Novillero from Winnipeg. In 2002 The Waking Eyes released a full-length album, Combing the Clouds. This was followed up by their 2004 album, Video Sound. The line up in the band changed when bassist Russ Dufault left and Joey Penner was introduced.

The band has been on several tours, having traveled all across Canada, as well as into the United States and to overseas locations such as Germany for POPKOMM's "Kick it like Canada". In 2005 the group was nominated for a Juno Award for New Group of the Year but lost to Alexisonfire.

The Waking Eyes spent the better part of 2006 holed-up in their Winnipeg jam space, writing and demoing songs for their next album. Pre-production took place in Winnipeg during February 2007.

The band recorded the follow-up to Video Sound in a Winnipeg studio in May 2007 with producer/engineer John Paul Peters (formerly of The Undecided).

The Waking Eyes' new record, Holding on to Whatever It Is, was released digitally via iTunes on July 1, 2008. The band released the record on vinyl in September 2008, and CD copies became available November 4, 2008.

Discography

Music videos

Radio singles

Side projects

As of July 2010, The Waking Eyes are on hiatus, allowing the members of the band to concentrate on other musical projects. Matyas is currently touring with Imaginary Cities, a soul-pop band he formed with Winnipeg singer Marti Sarbit. Their debut CD, Temporary Resident, was released in early 2011.

Meanwhile, Peters released the debut album by his other band, Royal Canoe, on July 6, 2010. Titled "Co-Op Mode," the CD was written and recorded in 2006 and features collaborations, co-writes and performances with all of the members of The Waking Eyes, as well as Nathan Blanchard, Jo Snyder, David Wiebe, Andy Freund and Tom Keenan. Royal Canoe's current line-up includes Peters (vocals, keys, guitar), Brendan Berg (bass), Bucky Driedger (guitar), Matt Schellenberg (keys), Michael Jordan (drums) and Derek Allard (drums). The new, most successful collaboration "Royal Canoe" are currently touring with Bombay Bicycle Club with their latest album "Today We're Believers."

Other Waking Eyes side projects include Terrier (Matyas' solo material), The Mothers Brothers Band (Matyas' collaboration with Ewan Currie of Saskatoon's The Sheepdogs), Milk (a joke hip-hop act featuring Matyas and Peters), Racket (pronounced "Racket in Brackets" - a Ratatat-like dance act fronted by Peters) and The Lesser Baldwins, a rumored collaboration between Peters and Winnipeg actor/musician Tom Keenan.

Peters is also heavily involved in Winnipeg's music scene, writing, recording and/or producing for/with The Liptonians, Slattern, Demetra, Ruth Moody, This Hisses and Triunfo do Gato.