National Dust - Welcome to Utopia (2000)

July 2000 saw the band going into the studio to record their follow-up album with Young Dave Alcock (local producer/engineer and member of Calgary's pop-punk heroes Chixdiggit) behind the board. The recording made good on the promise of the past year's live shows, revealing more layers of the already-established Dust sound. With the crack rhythm section of Watson and Clarke and the soulful playing of Leacock fleshing out sonically what the debut album only hinted at, Matheson's personal, bittersweet life-stories took on a whole new life in the studio, and the new album, entitled "Welcome to Utopia", proved to be the mature, well-crafted rock and roll record National Dust fans were waiting for.

The new album's release was celebrated with a show at the Night Gallery Cabaret on December 2, 2000, and there was no mistaking the impact this band has had on local music fans. With the crowd (including punk-rockers, indie-rockers, folkies, cowboys, bikers and bankers and at least one member of the Calgary City Council) swelling to 200 people over capacity, and a steady stream of patrons being turned away at the door half an hour before National Dust even took the stage, the band's adage "the song's the thing" rang true once again. Play good songs, the rest takes care of itself.