The Matches played music together for over 10 years. They released 3 albums on an indie label, cultivated thousands of desperately loyal fans, and toured the world. But they began as our very own local boys.
Before they were The Matches, The Locals built up a fan base by a technique they developed called Commotion Promotion. Commo-Promo involved playing acoustic guitars and singing outside of venues as shows ended and ambitious flyering missions. What started as a high school band in 1997, The Locals had built the L3- Live Loud Local scene at iMusicast in Oakland, CA. The Locals—in collaboration with the other East Bay Allstar bands Solemite and The K.G.B.—would put on L3 shows at least monthly. These bands, which all had impressive fan bases, would play with less well-known local bands, thereby promoting them and exposing their fans to other local music.
In 2002 The Locals faced a lawsuit by Chicago-based band Yvonne Doll and The Locals. They chose the new moniker The Matches. Rumor had it that the name was a reference to The Clash. I had not yet seen The Locals, but I swore I would never call them by their new name.
The Matches released their debut album E. Von Dahl Killed The Locals in 2003, and were soon courted by major labels. The Matches were different than The Locals; they were more grown up. They abandoned ska. But a lot of things remained the same. They still stayed after their shows to talk to their fans. Their songs were still manic and danceable. They still put on Hell3, the annual Halloween L3. They didn’t play at all of them, but they still happened.
In 2004 they signed to Epitaph Records and re-released E. Von Dahl. Solemite and The K.G.B. folded, and The Matches were left as the main local band, though many of their fans were disillusioned when they signed a record deal. They played the last show at iMusicast in 2005, a Hell3.
Decomposer came out in 2006, and it was a huge change from E. Von Dahl. Nine producers worked on the album, and it showed. The 2008 release A Band in Hope was another drastic departure from their earlier work. Their bassist left later that year, and he was replaced. They announced a hiatus in 2009, and played their last show to a sold-out crowd at The Fillmore in San Francisco, where they used to serve nachos when they were in high school.
These are the bare facts of what used to be The Matches. I can explain all that to people, but for some reason it doesn’t convey why I am a die-hard fan. There are a few key components which made their fans so passionate. Perhaps they will give you some insight into the world of a fan girl. Band boy- fan girl relations, self-deprecating songs, and loyalty are three of the major factors that kept me a fan.
All concert goers between the ages of 12 and 21 are enamored with band boys. They always know where they are in a room. They also know all sorts of sensitive personal information about them, some of it real. And they pray their favorite band boys remember who they are. The Matches don’t remember all of their fans, nor did they go to prom with any of them; but they did turn them down like gentlemen. The Matches almost always came out into the crowd after their shows. They talked to flirtatious 15 year olds. They signed countless Chucks. Adolescent girls would literally line up to talk to frontman Shawn Harris, and he would talk to every one of them, gotdangit. Shawn used to get into the mosh pit with us at iMusicast! And they walked the very narrow line of being close with their fans, but not too close. I can tell you a few shocking stories of band boy - fan girl relationships, but the Matches really kept it to a minimum, especially in their later years. I really respect that. They put in all the effort into talking with their retarded ass fans and did not exercise their right to tap that.
I didn’t create many Matches fans. I really can’t expect anyone to like them based on their albums. You had to see their live shows! I wrote my college essay on them, and I got into colleges with it, thankyouverymuch. There are a few aspects of their songs that I think other can appreciate, even if they dislike the genre that The Matches get thrown into. (I don’t want to say what it is, I get so embarrassed!)
The Matches don’t have any dumb love songs. There are no songs about “take me back,” “you’re so beautiful,” or “I just want to be with you.” The one song they have with “love” in the title is about Shawn hoping his ex has found out second hand that he’s seeing someone else: “tangled in taxis with another/ hope you heard!”
One of my core values is self-deprecation. If you can’t laugh at yourself, I’ll do it for you! The Matches don’t brag or whine. They mostly just make fun of themselves. They make fun of their pathetic lives: “since all my candles fit on one cake/ took from my folks all the advantage I could take/ repaid them with a wave;” “aching in my head/ I’m banking in the red/ and compulsively charging CD’s to my account …now it’s too late in the day for a matinee/ and I ain’t got the money to pay for you anyway/ what should I say?” “I’m a mark for their marketing plans/ I’m Americancer/ a MySpace romancer.”
And they make fun of their failed attempts at romance: “She said I’ll fall asleep before I fall in love/ your stories bore me, boy, let’s make something up right now/ she pressed inside my shirt then gave me a shove/ said ‘what do you really know?’… will you like me?... I get a laugh/ but I’m not joking/ you think I’m joking;” “My Doe is a little bit psycho/ but she look alright with the lights low;” “Come now, what’s your name again? I’m not implying come morning I’ll need to know/ but you never know.”
Self-deprecation is tied in importance with loyalty in my book. The Matches reference their shows and fans! “Our handstamps fade/ and I cringe at the stupid names we’re called…sweating in the dark we’re freed as the weight of the week disappears with a thud…every weekend we are massing/seeking sonic escape…we bleed audio blood!” “When you belong to a song, you belong;” “Mother would trip if she saw the way that girl wears her clothes/ to the L3 shows.”
The Matches always came home. No matter where they went, they always came back to Oakland and played for us. From time to time they would play secret shows that just their alert fans would know about. Things like that really meant a lot to us. While some fans felt betrayed when they signed with Epitaph and started touring more (with the WORST bands,) they never had a home other than Oakland.
Not only were the Matches great to their fans off stage, but on stage as well. They would sprinkle us with water when it got hot, sometimes giving their bottles to particularly dehydrated fans. The crowd would always rush the stage at the start of the set, and the Matches would make sure the people in the front row didn’t get too squished. That’s really considerate! Not all bands do that! I think my favorite moment was at an ‘acousticast’ (acoustic iMusicast) show that they were added to at the last minute where Shawn sat on the floor in the middle of the pit and sang with us.
Right before their last show, The Matches released a 10-song album online which lacked a coherent title. I’m sure part of the reason they released it was to make money, but I also know they did it because their fans wanted the new songs. They could have just called it quits, but they gave their fans everything they could before it was all over.
One of the L3ers started meowing during the humming part in Track 11, and it stuck. After years of this—we could tell it annoyed them—they literally stopped the set to ask us to not meow. They had everyone meow one last time, and then that was it… except that we kept meowing when they started up the song again! They didn’t play Track 11 much, so I can’t tell you how many more chances we had to mess up their song. But at their last show, they let us meow! I know that sounds trivial, but it meant a lot. It meant they would miss us.
I have damn good reasons for loving The Matches, but maybe “you had to be there.” Whether or not you care for their music is irrelevant. The Matches are a hard-working, loyal, and talented band. So many things made them a great band that the fact that I liked their songs was just icing on the cake. There is something about The Matches that just clicks inside of each of their fans.
