Algonquin College alum co-authors book about Canadian punk rock scene

Matt Bobkin and Adam Feibel step up to the stage with relaxed smiles, their voices warm as they welcome the audience to their book launch.

In Too Deep captures a pivotal seven-year surge, from 2000 to 2007, when punk broke into the mainstream, and how Canadian artists played a central role in that cultural breakthrough.

“What this book proves is that there is world-changing art in our own towns and our own provinces,” Bobkin said. “All of these artists had to go through the States in order to get the attention they desereve from their own country and I think that’s bullshit, and I think that should change.”

After building years of experience, Bobkin and Feibel earned the trust and access needed to speak directly with big-name artists. Most reporters start at the performer, but Feibel and Bobkin dug deeper and gained trust through the grapevine.

“It’s a point of pride for it because, yeah, we did do a lot of interviews for it,” Feibel said. “I think that’s a strength of it, we’re not amateur writers fanning out over these artists that we love—we did the work.”

The book referenced many artists, including Sum 41, Avril Lavigne, Billy Talent, and Marianas Trench and how they had an impact on the early 2000s.

“We have nine big chapters on the nine big punk exports—that’s insane,” Bobkin said. “There’s no other genre where you can get that many from the same country, that all at some level—that’s not the (United States) —where you can get some level of global notoriety.”

Their voices carried through the room, with both excitement and humility as they spoke about the journey that brought their book to life; years of late nights, deep research and a deep love for the music that helped shape their generation.

“We wanted to showcase just how difficult it is for Canadian artists to break through internationally,” Bobkin said. “All nine of those chapters deal with, in some way, the struggle of breaking into the States and being Canadian, and we really wanted to show that it is weird that it happened. Why did it happen with pop-punk of all genres? Of all movements?”

Through exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes stories from managers, producers and friends of the artists, Bobkin and Feibel show how these performers brought a new spotlight to the music scene.

“We can stretch it out and tell the whole story,” Feibel said. “We get to do the interviews that no one’s done before and find out things that no one’s, you know, the stories that people haven’t told before. All that’s in the book.”

Kaitlyn Filip, Feibel’s partner, talked about In Too Deep with care and shared the dedication and work these men have spent years on, while keeping up with their day jobs.

“I am so proud. It’s been four years in the making, they started working on this book forever ago, it feels like,” Filip said. “It’s so exciting to finally have the book out, and then to be able to celebrate it with all his friends and family. We are so excited.”

Mardi Weltman, Bobkin’s aunt, also attended the book launch and shared the reasoning for Bobkin’s dedication, which was written for her parents, Harry and Sally Weltman, Bobkin’s grandparents.

“I’m here to celebrate my nephew and his friend and their work documenting Canadian music,” Weltman said.

As they wrapped up their speech, Bobkin nailed home the importance of their work.

“If you find a cool local band, share it on social media, tell your friends about it, tell your American friends about it,” Bobkin said. “They should start with us—the love of Canadian music has got to start at home.”