Five years ago, Matt Fernandes approached me about an idea to start the Rock Candy blog. He wanted to focus on Indie bands that might not otherwise receive coverage and provide a voice to that community.

He was mindful of Kevin C. Johnson's popular Blender blog and was careful to avoid any duplication of effort. Because he worked as a News Researcher, he wasn't paid to blog about music. Rock Candy was a labor of love, primarily done on his own time.

Matt was laid off from the Post-Dispatch last week.

Over the years, he wrote about shows at venues such as Firebird, Old Rock House and Off Broadway. He attended music festivals, dug up old concert reviews, conducted interviews and provided original photography. And he accomplished his goals by providing fresh, original Indie music content to readers. His contributions will be missed.

The STLtoday website is too dynamic to keep Rock Candy up much longer, and it wouldn't be the same without Matt. So I'll eventually be taking it off the site. But I wanted to explain to his loyal readers what happened before removing the blog. Matt is a good guy. Wish him well, or better yet, offer him a job.

- Charles Williams, Online Entertainment Editor