Black City Lights, hailing from Maple Ridge, B.C., is a three-piece band that fuses rock, pop, funk and reggae into a tight little package. The band was originally conceived in the winter of 2005, when Matt Hauer and Tristan Smith, who had been band mates for the majority of their high school years, became frustrated with previous and current projects and decided to form a “ska band with out the hornsâ€. After a few failures and ex band mates, the two realized the frailty of that idea and the band died for a few years…
The true beginnings of Black City Lights came together in the early summer of 2007, when Matt and Tristan, once again frustrated with past and current musical projects, decided to bring Black City Lights back together, as a way to vent and have fun. NaÔve and unprepared, the pair booked their first gig, later realizing the major flaw in this plan… They lacked the required low end that could only be provided by a skilled bassist. Luckily, Matt Genereux answered their call.
During their first practice, the trio noticed they had quite the chemistry, and they immediately wrote the song “Wooden Kimonoâ€, a song with which they have opened every show they have played to date. Crowd response and positive feedback further confirmed to the trio that were truly part of something special. Now into their second year, the band still continues to write songs, following their mantra of “simple pop songs with funky verses and big rock chorusesâ€, and play to an ever expanding fan base.
