CREDIT: AMANDA GRANT
(From left) Nathan Lamb, Matt Trocchi, Steve Lourenco and Andrew Dal Cin are Half a Dino, a collective that books shows at APK Live. Half a Dino will release a compilation album of local artists' songs this month.

If you have heard of APK Live (340 Wellington St.), then you have no doubt heard of Half a Dino and vice versa. If you haven't, then you should know that APK Live is a venue that features tons of bands and great entertainment, and Half a Dino is a production company that books live music shows at APK Live. Matt Trocchi and the rest of his Half a Dino team have been hard at work with their new album, a compilation of songs from local artists and bands, due out September 27. I got the chance to do an interview with him to talk about how the album came to be and about his love for local talent:

On the new album, you feature 12 local artists. What about these artists caught your eye?
"It's all bands that we have worked with for the last 12 months. We have met them through playing in shows and at Canadian music events. We kind of decided that we wanted to work with a group of people that was pretty diverse. There were a lot of other bands that we could have included, but we wanted a little bit of everything to put in there. Every band that's on the album we've booked a show with in the last year."

You guys recently held a CD release show here in London. How was the CD received?
"Well that event was kind of like a thank-you to everyone involved with it and to give the people who were involved with it a chance to listen to it before the actual release date. It went over well, though. I think everyone was really proud of the work we put together. September 27 is the actual release date and when we will actually have it available for sale to the public. We put it on Bandcamp on September 17, just to give people a chance to listen to it beforehand so they will get excited for the show."

Are you always looking for local talent to work/play with?
"Yeah, definitely, we always try to get local bands exposed and pair them up with some of the bigger bands coming through. There is always a need for more popular local bands. There is always room for more and we are always on the lookout."

For more information on Half a Dino and APK Live, visit apklive.com. Also be sure get Half a Dino's new album in advance at bandcamp.com, or on the actual release date on September 27.