Catching up with Restrickted Music (aka. Matt Strickland)

ROB MURRAY: I’m joined in studio now by a musical artist Restrickted, known to many people around here as Matt Strickland. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you. I think we met probably close to when I first started working here, you were this kid who would hang out with us at Canmore Eagles games all the time.

MATT STRICKLAND: Yeah. All the time. When you started here and you were doing your morning show with Desiree, I met you around then. Things have gone up from there for sure. I

RM: I know as a teenager growing up here you were really interested in getting into the world of DJing. You did a few local gigs around here. I think we did a co-show together at the Alberta Winter Games a long time ago.

MS: We did that in 2014, and we worked together at the Eagles games quite a bit. I’ve been doing school dances weddings out here, and then moved my way out of town and kept going up from there. Growing up in Canmore, it was just a lot of local support and a lot of local love, so it was really nice to have in this community here.

RM: You’ve come a long way since that time. What’s new? What have you been doing with your musical career?  

MS: I just opened for Marshmallow at the Calgary Stampede for Cowboys Music Festival. We had a crowd of 8,000 people which was absolutely insane. Lots of energy, a lot of fun. Outside of that, I’ve been doing a lot of touring. I’ve been a touring act for about five years now, including stops in the US, across Canada, playing some shows in Invermere and stuff. It’s been a roller coaster. It’s been up and down. I’ve been playing all over the place and having a lot of fun with it.

RM: Any highlights so far, other than the Marshmallow gig?

MS: I play a lot in Calgary. I’ve sort of built quite a name for myself in Calgary, playing Palace Theatre, also Back Alley. A lot of the nightclubs there, a lot of big scenes there with some big names.  Sickick was one of my most recent, Blasterjaxx, bigger name DJs that are coming to Calgary, getting opening slots for them, direct support, stuff like that.

RM: What’s the appeal of being a DJ to you? Why do you love doing it?

MS: I love music. I love entertaining a crowd. I love just being a part of what gives people the motivation to dance, especially after the pandemic. Everybody was locked inside for a couple years and getting back into the music world is really nice because everybody just wants to party. They want to have a good time. They want to get involved. They want to dance. When you play something and you make somebody move, it’s sort of like “Wow. I’m doing that.” It’s really kind of cool.

RM: What’s next for you? You have another big tour coming up?

MS: Yeah, I’m touring with Stereos starting in the Spring. That tour was postponed from this last year, but we’re going out. I believe it starts in March. We’re starting in Edmonton, working our way to Calgary, and then across Canada from there.

RM: Are you getting into doing original music as well?

MS: Yeah, I’m producing an EP right now. It’s just a little slower in the studio but we’re hoping to release that early Spring. We’re getting some vocalists from Ontario and BC, and one from the US down in South Carolina, I believe.

RM: Have you managed to make this a full time thing?

MS: Not quite. We’re very close. We have to get that EP out and then get some stuff with social media worked out. I think we’ve got it within the next year, for sure. That’s awesome. I

RM: How can people find you on social media? How can people stay connected with you?

MS: All my social media handles are the same at Restrickted Music.

RM: I’d imagine it’s been a little while since you’ve been here in town.

MS: It’s good to be back in the Bow Valley. It’s, it’s nice to catch up with some old friends and family. I haven’t had a chance to really get into the Bow Valley a lot recently and spend some time with those friends and family, so it’s good to be here. It’s good to see people from when I started, playing club shows at Tavern 1883 and working into other events from there and into Banff.