That being said, I'm going to participate, but I'm going to do it here, instead of on facebook. (The goal is to satisfy my narcissism, as well as motivate me to start using my blog again.) Enjoy!
Day Thirteen - A picture of your favourite band or artist.
This is actually a topic that's been on my mind a lot about lately. In making some new friends lately, and with one in particular, we have had lengthy conversations about our favourite music, and in sharing music, there was one band that was first on my list.
The Matches. Period. Hands down my favourite band. The photo above is from 3 April, 2008, when I saw the Matches in Chicago at the House of Blues. After their set, All Time Low disgraced the stage, and I bailed to use the toilet. Upon exiting the bathroom, I saw Shawn Harris standing by their merch table. I walked over, and when he was finished talking to whomever was there before me, I greeted him and preceded to have the most star-struck conversation of my life (to this day, I've only bested it once).
In hindsight, I wish I would have held my composure better so I could have better articulated how much I adore the Matches. At the emergence of the pop-punk machine, lead by the likes of Fall Out Boy, I honestly feel like the Matches were doing it better; they were doing it with class and flair. In an age where being "unique" had become another music cliche, they did something genuinely one-of-a-kind. The music was catchy, but with depth; the lyrics were thoughtful and meaningful, yet they also had the perfect amount of clever snark. The first time I heard the Matches' album Decomposer, it was a moment of anagnorisis. I have never listened to music the same way again.
When they played "Salty Eyes" at the concert that night, Shawn asked everyone to sing along, even if they didn't know the words, because he didn't know the words when he wrote the song. I put a link to that song specifically on the title of the song (there's a really awesome "making of" video here, if you're interested). If you don't listen to any other song, listen to that one. It's the second most beautiful song ever written, because--and this is a quote from Shawn himself--everyone agrees "Hallelujah" is the most beautiful; Shawn just said he was trying to write something to rival it.
Okay, so this has become a bit gushy, and I'm sorry for that. There's just no amount of hyperbole I could ever use to describe how remarkable of a band they were. Unfortunately, that is in the past tense. They've gone on "hiatus", with no foreseeable chance of reuniting. Since, Shawn has been making music with a new group; they call themselves Maniac. But I'll save them for another blog...
In hindsight, I wish I would have held my composure better so I could have better articulated how much I adore the Matches. At the emergence of the pop-punk machine, lead by the likes of Fall Out Boy, I honestly feel like the Matches were doing it better; they were doing it with class and flair. In an age where being "unique" had become another music cliche, they did something genuinely one-of-a-kind. The music was catchy, but with depth; the lyrics were thoughtful and meaningful, yet they also had the perfect amount of clever snark. The first time I heard the Matches' album Decomposer, it was a moment of anagnorisis. I have never listened to music the same way again.
When they played "Salty Eyes" at the concert that night, Shawn asked everyone to sing along, even if they didn't know the words, because he didn't know the words when he wrote the song. I put a link to that song specifically on the title of the song (there's a really awesome "making of" video here, if you're interested). If you don't listen to any other song, listen to that one. It's the second most beautiful song ever written, because--and this is a quote from Shawn himself--everyone agrees "Hallelujah" is the most beautiful; Shawn just said he was trying to write something to rival it.
Okay, so this has become a bit gushy, and I'm sorry for that. There's just no amount of hyperbole I could ever use to describe how remarkable of a band they were. Unfortunately, that is in the past tense. They've gone on "hiatus", with no foreseeable chance of reuniting. Since, Shawn has been making music with a new group; they call themselves Maniac. But I'll save them for another blog...
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