Matty Matheson from The Bear joined his old punk friends to form Pig Pen after decades apart. The celebrity chef reunited with Wade MacNeil from Alexisonfire and Daniel Romano for their hardcore band. These musicians grew up together at small punk shows around Niagara during the late 1990s. Everyone knew each other because only twenty people attended most concerts back during those days. The pandemic gave them time to finally make music together as adults.
Matheson sang for Hanging Hearts before becoming a famous chef and television star. His old band broke up after ten shows when their guitar player left for college. MacNeil and Romano built successful music careers after their teenage years ended. Matheson worked long restaurant shifts that prevented him from playing music for many years. The group recorded their debut album Mental Madness during a 48 hour studio session.
Their new music sounds like classic 1980s hardcore punk without modern influences or irony. Mental Madness features straightforward power chords and aggressive drumming throughout every track. Matheson brought reference songs from Cro-Mags and Born Against to inspire their sound. The band wrote all their material during the recording process rather than preparing beforehand. Critics questioned whether Matheson could handle singing after 25 years away from performing live music.
Matheson sang for Hanging Hearts before becoming a famous chef and television star. His old band broke up after ten shows when their guitar player left for college. MacNeil and Romano built successful music careers after their teenage years ended. Matheson worked long restaurant shifts that prevented him from playing music for many years. The group recorded their debut album Mental Madness during a 48 hour studio session.
Their new music sounds like classic 1980s hardcore punk without modern influences or irony. Mental Madness features straightforward power chords and aggressive drumming throughout every track. Matheson brought reference songs from Cro-Mags and Born Against to inspire their sound. The band wrote all their material during the recording process rather than preparing beforehand. Critics questioned whether Matheson could handle singing after 25 years away from performing live music.
