From the Inside - Music Lives

When I first moved back to Guelph this summer after being away for a few years, it became clear that the local music scene had changed. Aside from being a few years older with the regular transition of musicians and venues, there was a clear mark left by the pandemic on our live music landscape in Guelph. But maybe not in the ways that one might expect.

I won’t kid myself into thinking that it wasn’t hard to be a musician during COVID, or worse, a venue owner. But when I got back to town and set upon getting reacquainted with what was happening locally, I was shocked to see how much was actually happening. There has been more music, more local bands, and more shows happening across the city than ever before. If you don’t believe me, I have an archive of 10+ years of music listings to prove it.

But beyond the actual shows, there’s also some amazing stuff happening locally to support musicians in Guelph run by folks who are really passionate about fostering this community into a thriving scene. One of those people is Matt from FTI (From The Inside) Studios.

If you’ve had the chance to meet Matt, you’ll know what I mean. His enthusiasm for supporting musicians and artists is obvious, and he’s helping spread his love through the socials, online, and in person. I asked him some questions about FTI, how it came to be, and where he’s headed next.

What is FTI Studios and how did it come to be?

FromTheInside Studios is my happy place. FTI Studios is a worldwide platform for independent creators to be recognized for who they are and what they create, and also network with other creatives in a variety of realms. Whether it is a visual artist, musician, content creator, fashion designer, or anything realm not mentioned – if the person has a passion for seeing others flourish while they build a portfolio of incredible work, FTI Studios is the place for them to be.

FromTheInside Studios was established in April 2020 officially, but I think I knew it was what I wanted to create and operate a few months before the Instagram page launched. In late 2019, a Kitchener/Waterloo-based collective, Cemetery Sound, hosted regular events at a comfy, welcoming venue called Harmony Lunch (Which to this day I am sad is closed, it was such a special moment in time that I hold it near to me and am very nostalgic for) and I believe it was at their November 7th event when I saw my best friend, Emerson Corleone (Aidan Hunt), do what he does best, and that is performing poetic and sonically luscious raps on catchy beats and also have the crowd mesmerized while doing so. At the same show, I was introduced to another Kitchener/Waterloo performer, STEVEDAVE, and I remember being so drawn to his music because it sounded so different from what I regularly listened to (Shout out to Aidan for showing me that there is music outside my box of Justin Timberlake, Macklemore, Tyler The Creator, just to name a few of my 2019 music taste) – and after the show, I messaged STEVEDAVE the following: “Phenomenal set tonight man! Second time catching ya at Harmony Lunch, your energy is sick!” (Photo attached for reference). After a few messages back and forth, I followed up “whenever you need a shoutout on your music or new stuff you’re doing don’t be afraid to hit my dms — (message continued for awhile)”, and it was that moment that I knew I wanted to create a platform for independent artists to share their art. Fast forward to April 2020, @FromTheInsideStudios on Instagram was created and became a platform for independent creators to shine while being introduced to other creatives and fans of independent artists. This though would go on until August 2023, because FTI Studios took an unexpected hiatus that went on for almost a year.

My good friend and stellar photographer, Dalton Hunt, once told me that ‘who you are as a person is what you will do great at in life’, and although I do not like the attention focused on me, I do enjoy helping people achieve their goals and connect with like-minded people who will be very beneficial to their artistic endeavours and a great connection to have as a friend.

Why were you holding a RELAUNCH concert, what is the backstory?

There were honestly a few key factors that happened for The RELAUNCH concert to happen. I’m going to take it a few months back to July 2024, when the idea of FTI being a platform again after a year-long hiatus was finally welcoming instead of daunting.

In July 2024, I was in a mental rut trying to figure out what the next step in life was. This was because my day-to-day was getting very repetitive, and I didn’t have a passion project to work on at the end of the day. Plus, hearing friends and family talk about FTI in the past tense never really sat well because It made me realize that the three years that I just put into the platform is a ‘was’ instead of a ‘is’. So, I pitched the idea of FTI coming back to a few close friends, but in a more focused, refreshing, and healthy way.

FTI’s first stint (April 2020-August 2023) was incredible, I was working with a phenomenal group of individuals worldwide to make FTI produce content weekly (Enigmatic Entity, ArtyTheGamer, GraysonLevac, Mega-Matt, Timmy 2Cans, Flyxo, OneEyedBanddit, Dylan Lorriman, just to name a few) – but I was burning myself out in the process. I was writing weekly newsletters, good morning shows, networking with new creators, and pitching new ideas, and didn’t realize while all of this was going on – that FTI was becoming my personality and I was running on empty.

So, when I pitched the idea of bringing FTI back, I had made a promise to those close to me that it would be how I wanted it, and I would try my best to balance work/life/FTI (Spoiler alert, FTI quickly became my personality again). The group I pitched it to was VERY excited which got me even more excited, so the next step was to figure out what exactly this new FTI rebrand or should I say RELAUNCH would look like!

I collaborated with Dylan Lorriman of COUCH Apparel to bring the new FTI to life.

After a few Discord calls, iMessage chats, and spontaneous ideas sent back and forth, it took all of one message from Dylan showing what a potential ‘FTI Mascot’ could look like – and I was SOLD!

From that point, having FTI rebranded from the ground up, a solid foundation of what I wanted the new FTI to look like, and who I wanted to be involved, I needed a way to announce FTI IS BACK but also that FTI IS BACK with a bang!

On a Discord call with Dylan, Dylan pitched the idea of having an in-person event, where we can make FTI come to life. Mind you, up until this point, FTI has solely been an online platform. I knew creators from Guelph and surrounding areas, but I never actually hosted or collaborated on any in-person events. I was very hesitant because after being on a one-year hiatus, being strictly online since the beginning, it was a big gamble on whether A) Artists would be a part of the event and B) People would come out to enjoy a night full of independent artists (Second spoiler alert, I was very wrong, The RELAUNCH blew my expectations out of the galaxy).

October 15th, 2024 – FTI announced the RELAUNCH Concert.
November 8th, 2024 – FTI presented the RELAUNCH Concert.

On paper, it looks like we only had three weeks to prepare for this event, but behind the scenes, we had started the prep in September. If I wanted to make FTI’s first in-person event memorable for everyone who attended, and a full circle moment for me, I knew I needed to collaborate with the artists who have been with FTI (and me) since the early days! The line-up of musicians saw the multi-genre artist, average james., the mastermind of the microphone, Emerson Corleone, the experimental and incredible, SHOOP, and the stellar DJ, tayrow. For vendors, we had my favourite cool and comfortable streetwear brand, COUCH Apparel, and everyone’s favourite pin maker and Punk Rock Flea Market host, PressedByNick! Photography and videography were beautifully captured by one of my favourite humans on this planet, Stefano Campagnolo. Noise Floor Productions collaborated in hosting the event, and Danielle Onisto and Dalton Hunt made sure the whole day was as smooth as it could be and made the night indescribably amazing.

To finally answer the question, we held The RELAUNCH concert because it was not
only the culmination of everything the iteration of FTI was about, but it was also setting a new standard for the future of FTI. I am very fortunate to have so many friends, family members, and supporters, who cheer on both FTI and the FTI Community, but it was always online, so being able to host something in person for people to experience FTI right in front of them was something I didn’t know I was yearning for.

Funny enough, it was also redemption because in August 2018 I hosted a concert at the Red Chevron in Guelph, and let’s just say a 19-year-old hosting a concert may seem like an unusual thing, but the concert itself was one you had to be at to believe.

Can you do a quick recap of some of the highlights from the event?

I am happy that you put the word ‘quick’ in the question because I could name at least fifty memorable moments from that day, but let me try to note some. Hopefully at some point this year The RELAUNCH Vlogumentary will be on our YouTube channel so that we can relive the entire day together!

Alex Clelland, one of my longest and closest friends on planet Earth, travelled from Nova Scotia to experience The RELAUNCH concert.
Renting a smoke machine from Long and McQuades as a last-minute addition for tayrow and SHOOP’s set.
Stefano (@Hometownsh00ter) followed the crew around all day with a camera documenting every possible moment.
The crew signing the 1/1 poster that was later given way (Shoutout to my cousin, Julia)!
The doors opening and watching people’s faces light up when they came into the UNDERGROUND and saw the atmosphere we were all creating together.
tayrow’s DJ set kicking off the show made me know that The RELAUNCH was here, and it was happening.
Walking onto the stage to kick off the night. I was terrified about being the MC all night, but the moment I looked into the crowd, all I saw was so many lovely and amazing faces, and I knew it was going to be an amazing night.
Emerson Corleone setting the tone and letting everyone know who he is and what he is all about (Truly a one of a kind performer and human being, I am very grateful to know him)
SHOOP’s set as a whole. From the smoke setting the tone, the backdrop featuring the masks that would later be seen on his new album (DON’T MAKE THAT FACE, IT’LL GET STUCK LIKE THAT is now streaming), the way he immersed the crowd with his music, and my favourite part – the room of 130+ yelling “WE LOVE SHOOP”.
average james.’ set was out of this world! Truly! My Uncle Fran thought we booked a band out of Toronto for this show, and when he found out that the members were Guelph-local, he was shocked! The whole band put on such a beautiful performance, and it was the perfect bow on top of an already perfect night.
Closing the night with my mom and my girlfriend. Hearing the crowd give all of their love and energy to my mom by cheering for her was something that I will remember, forever. My girlfriend, Danielle, was my rock throughout the whole show, and for the room to reciprocate the love to her was so dang beautiful.
There are so many other moments I want to list, but I hope this is enough!

Where is FTI headed from here? What can people expect to see?

Honestly, this time around, I’m enjoying the journey and I don’t have a concrete idea of where I want FTI to head because I want this to be an enjoyable and healthy experience for myself. In its original conception, I really wanted FTI to be the go-to platform for independent artists to share their work and network with others, but I realized that mentality was hypocritical because it went against the mission statement of FTI. Which was making sure that there were ‘infinite’ outlets for portfolios to be shared and creators to network with. I think this time, as long as FTI is very digestible, understandable, and streamlined for both creators and spectators, the future will be very bright! At the end of the day, it would be amazing for FTI to be my full-time job, but I am not in any rush to do
that at the moment. Let’s travel this road together one day at a time.

As of what FTI is offering at the moment, here is the weekly rundown!

Monday, we reveal a new creator/collective of the week. This is a video presented by me! I give the FTI Community a summarized insight into a creator/collective from the community, how they connect with FTI, important milestones to mention, and where the FTI Community can find them! This video is published on our Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube!
Wednesday, the highlighted creator/collective shares a video that highlights a standout project from their portfolio OR an important milestone in their career. This video is also published on the platforms mentioned above.
Friday, we end the week with the In Your Studio Podcast! The respective creator/collective joins me to have an in-depth conversation that covers their portfolio, history, the person/people behind the brand, and a lot more! The podcast is published on major podcast platforms with a video version on YouTube!

While all of this is happening, we use our other resources (Instagram Stories, Twitter, Discord, etc) to share what is happening in the community! For example, if an artist has a new song, but they are not the creator of the week, their song will be shared on the previously mentioned outlets. I want to make sure there are always ways for creators to share what is happening. Instagram Stories, for example, is a very helpful resource to get all messages across!

Can you list some of your favourite local artists? Who are you really excited to
see play in town?

Ah! This question will be very similar to answering question #03! However, I am going to change the question up a bit and focus on musicians in the FTI Community! I’ll do my best to keep it short and sweet!

SHOOP, Emerson Corleone, average james., Straats, Excuse Me., Animal Boy, CJ Cooper, mindysounds, Johann, whereisluna, STEVEDAVE, Frantic Lullabies, Sina’s Frequenices, Whensday, Flyxo, PALMREADER, Anxiety Weekend— I could go on FOREVER with this list!

Where can folks find FTI online and how can artists get involved?

It is VERY easy to find us online! FTI’s main hub is Instagram (@FromTheInsideStudios)! However, we also have a social presence on the majority of popular social media sites! Twitter (X), TikTok, YouTube, and we have a Discord community too! A big goal for 2025 is to build FTIStudios.com! When it comes to fruition, I really want the FTI website to house artist profiles, online shows, in-person event announcements, FTI merchandise, artist merchandise, archives, community calendars, and so much more!

It is really easy for artists to get involved too! I am always a message away on our Instagram hub or email (FromTheInsideStudios@Gmail.com)! Wholeheartedly, I am more inclined to answer an Instagram DM versus an email, but anywhere works!

Thank you Music Lives for allowing me the platform to talk about FTI Studios and give a small look into the world that I’ve been very fortunate to create with an amazing always-expanding group of creatives and individuals who enjoy supporting independent creators.