Matthew Kliewer

The Fast Romantics, an up-and-coming Calgary-based indie pop band, have shared the stage with the likes of the Flaming Lips, Stone Temple Pilots, the Fratellis, the Stills—and now a host of Berklee student and alumni acts at the college's 3rd annual CMJ Music Marathon Showcase.

The group's guitarist—and online student—Matthew Kliewer (currently working towards his Professional Certificate in Artist Management) submitted his band to represent Berkleemusic at the showcase. After being chosen, each member of the Fast Romantics made the trek to the states to perform.

"We just did a national tour of Canada, and we released our album a few months ago. We were just in New York about a month ago, and loved it. Now we're back for the Berklee show!"

Berkleemusic caught up with Matthew right before the Fast Romantic's set at the Bowery Poetry Club, where he talked about the band's success and how his online music business courses are helping them move forward.

"There are so many different ways of handling a band's business," says Matthew. "We needed some help, so going back to school [with Berkleemusic.com] was crucial and beneficial to the band."

Matthew finds his music marketing coursework especially helpful. "There are a lot of really interesting ideas as far as marketing. It's really opened our eyes. We thought we were doing really well, but I started taking this class and I realized there are a lot of ideas we hadn't even thought about yet. It's really pushing us to think outside the box."

Learn more about the Fast Romantics at fastromantics.com.