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‘The Bear’ Actor Matty Matheson Announces New Hardcore Band, Pig Pen

"We just wanted to hangout and see what's up," Matheson explained. "This is our band. We are Pig Pen."

Matty Matheson

Matty Matheson

Aaron Wynia

Matty Matheson, the Canadian chef and actor known for his role on FX Series The Bear, has turned his attention to the world of music, announcing new hardcore band Pig Pen.

The new outfit was detailed by Matheson via social media on Tuesday (March 18), explaining that the project’s origins can be traced back a few years. “A few old friends got together a couple years ago and wrote and recorded 10 songs over 2 days,” Matheson wrote. “We just wanted to hangout and see what’s up. This is our band. We are Pig Pen.”


Despite not having a particularly well-known musical history, Matheson is joined by Alexisonfire guitarist and backing vocalist Wade MacNeil, while Daniel Romano joins on guitar, Ian Ski Romano on drums, and Tommy Major on bass. “Just when you thought I couldn’t possibly join ANOTHER band,” wrote MacNeil on Instagram. “WE GO AND START PIG PEN.”

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Pig Pen have also announced their debut show, which is scheduled to take place at Sneaky Dee’s in Toronto on April 25. Joined by Best Wishes and Pluto’s Kiss, tickets to the event are already sold out, though a waitlist has been launched.

Currently, no details in regard to whether Pig Pen will be releasing music have been announced, though a teaser clip of the band’s sound indicates that they have spent time in the recording studio at some point.

Matheson rose to fame as a chef in Toronto in the early 2000s, going on to be named the executive chef of Parts & Labour until its closure in 2019. Alongside his culinary career, Matheson launched an entertainment career thanks to hosting roles on television series such as Dead Set on Life and It’s Suppertime!.

In 2022, he rose to wider fame when he joined the cast of The Bear, portraying the character of handyman Neil Fak. As part of his role on the show, he and the rest of the cast were nominated for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a comedy series at the 2023 and 2024 Screen Actors Guild Awards, winning the latter.

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This article was first published by Billboard U.S.

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Brent Fitz
Courtesy Photo

Brent Fitz

FYI

Music News Digest: Winnipeg Street Named for Prolific Rocker Brent Fitz, Calgary's YYC Awards 2026 Nominees

Also this week: Bill Durst receives the Mel Brown Award, more summer festival lineups and an anniversary show for Music for Mavericks in Edmonton.

On August 7, Winnipeg hard rock multi-instrumentalist Brent Fitz was honoured by his hometown in a street-naming ceremony. Bellavista Crescent in his old neighbourhood has been given the honorary name Brent Fitz Way to celebrate the prolific Winnipeg musician.

After a stint in popular prairie rockers Streetheart in the mid-'90s (he still plays with them), the drummer, bassist and keyboardist has toured and recorded with such major hard rock stars as Alice Cooper, Vince Neil, Slash, Theory Of A Deadman, Econoline Crush, Sass Jordan, Harlequin, Gilby Clarke, Triumph, and Bruce Kulick of Kiss and he is currently a member of Toque.

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