Born and raised in Coquitlam, British Columbia, vocalist/guitarist Matthew Good was touring the Canadian coffeehouse scene with his acoustic folk act when in 1995 he suddenly had a change of heart. Dropping out of the tour, Good formed his own rock band inspired by the works of indie-rockers like the Pixies and the Afghan Whigs.
Relocating to Vancouver, the appropriately named Matthew Good Band, which featured guitarist/keyboardist David Genn, bassist Geoff Lloyd and drummer Ian Browne, self-released their debut album, Last of the Ghetto Astronauts in 1995. Selling over 22,000, the album became one of Canada's highest selling independent releases and generated a massive buzz around the band.
The group soon signed to A&M Records and the album was re-released, followed shortly by the 1997 Raygun EP. The band's sophomore album, Underdogs, was released in late 1998. Soon afterward, Lloyd left the group and was replaced by Rich Priske.
The MGB's next offering, Beautiful Midnight, was released by Universal Canada in 1999 and was a resounding success, cementing the band's status as premiere rockers north of the border. In 2001, the album was released in the U.S. by Atlantic, and the band announced plans for their first U.S. tour.
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