================================
*Heaven Sweep Me Away*
Feature
================================
~A special Matchbox 20 feature of the issue (con't)~
M: Does it upset you that the press called you 'one hit wonders' and now with "3 am" being so big they are calling you 'two hit wonders'. And Rolling Stone particularly has been very tough on you calling you guys imitators and then you won the readers poll
for best new band.
A: That to me was the best justice in the whole world. That one award to this day is my favorite thing in the whole world.
M: Oh come on, what about the Blockbuster Entertainment awards? You guys are up against Hanson and the Spice Girls?
A: See what I mean, life's tough. I didn't even know we were up for that. MMMbop! Kyle and I love singing Hanson tunes whenever they're on the radio. We just start getting really hyper and dance around. We love that stuff. I've been accused of
singing the Backstreet Boys before. Oh no! Don't print that! It'll ruin my career! They are huge in Europe. Everywhere you go, people are like 'Backstreet Boys?' and we're like 'no, matchbox 20' and they are like 'ok, bye!' It's really funny. What were we
talking about?
M: Rolling Stone.
A: Ah, yeah. See we haven't gotten a lot of critical praise or acclaim. I think it doesn't bother us as a band because if we'd only sold five thousand albums, it would've bothered us a lot, but we are like almost at four million albums now and it's like who cares what they think? The critics don't enjoy our album but there are four million people out there in the world who do. When people call us a one hit wonder and then we come out with another hit and they call us two hit wonders that's nuts. I could care a less if somebody listens to the whole album and doesn't like it but a lot of critics only listen to a few songs. I can say this because I didn't write any of the songs on the album, but man, this album is pretty deep. There are a lot of songs on there that are great and I think one of the reasons we are doing so well is from people telling their friends, 'look man, it's not about one or two songs on the album, the whole album is good.' Every fan that has ever written me a letter has told me that this is one of the albums where they don't have to fast forward through crap, and they can enjoy most
of the album. Who knows how many hit songs we're going to have off of it, but for the love of God, it does not suck! The critical stuff can be both funny and frustrating and sometimes you wonder if the people have done their homework and research.
M: What about the Grammy nomination that you guys received for best rock song?
A: Yeah, that's the award show we are most excited for, we're busy that week but we are flying up to New York for that award show.
M: So what are your plans today?
A: Man, I just got some amazing clothes! The stylist lady just came up and is giving us all of these clothes for the next tour. When I'm 10 years old I was like 'mom, I don't want to get new clothes' but somewhere along the line I changed over and now I'm
like holy shit its really cool to get new clothes.
M: Well, thanks a trillion.
A: My brother, you be good, it was my pleasure.
================================
*It's Better Than Nothing*
Merchandise
================================
~Find out what's out now and how to get it~
They have some *cool* stuff for sale at the concerts that I've never seen before.. a baseball cap (black with "Matchbox20" in white and red and "yourself or someone like you" on the back in white).
And there was 4 types of shirts for sale...
1)Black shirt with the pic. thats on the front of the cd, and "Yourself
or Someone Like You" on the back
2)A red shirt with "matchbox 20 stole my baby" on the front, and a (cartoon) picture of a woman who looks like she's from the '50's pushing a baby carriage
3)A black shirt with the tourdates on the back and a (cartoon) pic of a baby
4)A *small* blue shirt with that (cartoon) pic of a baby on front
-Tabitha
mb20girl@iname.com
If you have a Sam Goody musicstore locally check it out for a matchbox 20 poster!! Should be like $5.99 and it's a color pic with them in black. All of the band members are looking other ways except Rob is looking forward. It says Matchbox 20 across Rob's waist. It's a promo pic sometimes found on the web. Sams are also known as Musiclands in some places. Hope ya find it!!
-KrissyCorb@aol.com
================================
*I Hang On Everything About You*
Article
================================
~The Article of the Issue~
Sent in by: violet_femme@hotmail.com
~Thanx a lot for sending this in for the 'zine!!~
================================
*It's Nothing It's So Normal toYou*
Reviews (CD, vid, TV performance, etc.)
================================
~How they rate to you~
Well, I JUST have to comment on the AMA's. I was disappointed and all, but at least there are the Grammy's. Anyhow...I loooooooooooved the way Rob moved when he sang "Push". It was lovely. Just wonderous. I loooooooove how he moves to the music, it's like he is really into it. I also loved how they...matchbox 20...looked. They looked wonderous as always.
-Casper
Qeencasper@aol.com
Matchbox 20 Lights Sunrise on Fire
By Marc Weinroth
Sun-Sentinel Staff Writer
Guitar driven melodies and emotional vocals dominated an evening in which Matchbox 20 escaped the "imitation rock" title that unsatisfied critics have given them. It was also a night where the band from Orlando proved they are a permanent mainstay in the modern rock genre.
In a sort of homecoming for guitarist Adam Gaynor, whose family resides in South Florida, the five piece band careened quickly but successfully through a sixteen song set featuring all of the tracks from their four-time platinum debut album Yourself or Someone Like You.
Lead singer Rob Thomas spoke with the sold out crowd at Sunrise Musical Theater about their happiness in being "home in Florida", after touring relentlessly for the past year, and just beginning the first leg of their '98 tour. "Whenever I go to South
Beach, my clothes just seem to fall off," Thomas said, to which a few hundred adoring female fans shrieked.
But this band is not all about looks. They rocked the crowd early, opening with "Busted" and "Argue." It was immediately evident that the group has spent much time on the road from their chemistry and stage presence. The band seemed mature as they constantly moved around the stage, reaching out to fans in the far corners of the venue.
Thomas' raw emotion and vocal talents were visible on "Kody" and "Shame," two slower tracks that discuss depressing subject matter. Although the topics are very emotional for Thomas, they were conveyed to the crowd on an intimate level as if it were a personal conversation.
The band's huge radio hits "Push" and "3 am" progressed into sing-a-longs, with the same emotion that listeners expect from the album versions. Effective lighting was added to the visual aspect of the show, with spotlights used to emphasize solos and strobe lights blinding the audience during the climaxes of the band's formulaic,
emotionally building songs.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the show was the band's consistency and likeness to their album. Unlike many untalented groups who have radio hits but fail to attain a comparable live sound (hint: Spice Girls), Thomas sounded identical to his vocals on the album tracks, with a few alterations here and there.
Besides the album tracks, Matchbox 20 also played three older songs: the heavy "Tired" and "You & I & I", and the poetic, acoustic "Dear Joan," which Thomas performed alone. A cover of Marvin Gaye's "Mercy, Mercy Me" was an added incentive for fans with its psychedelic guitars and eerie vocals.
The show concluded with "Long Day," the band's first release from over a year ago. Thomas energetically performed the upbeat track, which features various tempo transitions. The band adjusted nicely to each other's modifications and displayed their effectiveness for one last time.
The opening act, Cool For August, must be commended for their performance of an energetic ten song set, complete with a cover of Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car," one of the night's most memorable moments. They performed perfectly, exposing the audience to hits like "Don't Wanna Be Here" and "Trials" from their debut album
Grand World.
With Matchbox 20's increasing popularity and maturity, it appears there is much to look forward to from them in the next few years. Matchbox 20 is on fire.
-HarcW@aol.com
Everyone does reviews of concerts, and the CD, and the videos so I thought why not do a review of Rob's hair?! Being in love with the band, I have every single TV appearence on tape--this includes the Push video (with short hair), the 2 Letterman shows (with 2 different lengths), the Leno show (with one the same as the 1st Letterman show), the American Music Awards nominations (semi-long, but sexy), and the 3AM video (in my opinion, perfect). In the CD thingy, he has a really short do, which is hot, but it makes him look like he just got out of the army or something. The Push video has the Caesar look going, which is pretty cute, but now that I see what he looks like with longer hair, the Caesar isn't my first choice. The pictures of him from the most recent Rolling Stone article (the best new band article) and the one from the Launch cover are my favorites. If you disagree, or even agree with my choices, give me a little e-mail and let me know. You can even e-mail me if you think that I'm pretty lame to have nothing else to do with my time on a Tuesday night at 10:45 than talk about Rob Thomas' hair...but then again, it is a Tuesday night at 10:45.
-Jessie
AMHoney3@aol.com
================================
*If You’ve Never Heard The Silence*
Poll #4
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~Your opinions concerning Matchbox 20~
-Poll wonderfully compiled by Michelle!!
Thanx to everyone who participated!!
1. Have you ever traveled to another city to see Matchbox 20 play?
Yes - 63
No - 76
1A. If so, where?
Asheville, NC - 2 votes
Charlotte, NC - 2 votes
Dallas, TX - 2 votes
Milwaukee, WI - 2 votes
Orlando, FL - 2 votes
San Antonio, TX - 2 votes
Kansas City, KS - 3 votes
Pensacola, FL - 3 votes
Austin, TX - 4 votes
Birmingham, AL - 4 votes
Chicago, IL - 4 votes
Detroit, MI - 4 votes
Philadelphia, PA - 4 votes
New York, NY - 5 votes
Washington DC - 5 votes
Fortworth, TX - 7 votes
And all recieving 1 vote each:
Allentown, Akron, Atlanta, Baltimore, Baton Rouge, Boston, Camden, Cincinnati, Delaware, Fayetteville, Ft. Lauderdale, Houston, Kahukes, Laconia, Layfette, Minneapolis, Montreal, Mountainview, Ottawa, San Fransisco, Seattle, Syracuse,Tampa
2. Do you belong to a Matchbox 20 mailinglist?
Yes - 88 votes
No - 46 votes
3. Do you collect matchbox 20 bootlegs?
Yes - 61 votes
No - 77 votes
4. What band would you like to see open for Matchbox 20?
"Something short"
"I couldn't care less as long as I saw them"
"Any band that kept it short so I wouldn't have to wait for Rob"
Our Lady Peace - 19 votes
Third Eye Blind - 17 votes
Cool For August - 10 votes
Creed - 7 votes
Sister Hazel - 7 votes
Counting Crows - 5 votes
Days Of The New - 4 votes
Wallflowers - 4 votes
Ben Folds Five - 3 votes
Blink 182 - 3 votes
Bush - 3 votes
Cowboy Mouth - 2 votes
Dishwalla - 2 votes
Live - 2 votes
Tabitha's Secret - 2 votes
Tonic - 2 votes
Veruca Salt - 2 votes
All recieving one vote:
311, Metalica, Pearl Jam, Mercy River, Fat Amy, Five way Switch, Freddy Jones Band, My Friend Steve, Natalie Imbruglia, Spice Girls, Edwin McCain, Marcy Playground, K's Choice, Grant Lee Buffalo, Ray, Everclear, Seraphyn, Pet Engine, Fat,Spank The Monkey, Silver Jet, Toad The Wet Sprocket, Barenaked Ladies, Reel Big Fish, Big Phat Richard, Black Lab, Chalk farm, The Gufs, Coward, Knee Deep Shag, Elephany Ride, Letters To Cleo, Jayhawks, Dave Matthews Band, Edna Swap, Limp Bizkit, Superdrag, Mr. Reality, Naked, Summercamp, Sugar Ray, Mighty Joe Plum, Nixons, Local H, Fountains Of Wayne, Ivy, Better Than Ezra, The Neilds, Betty Serveert, Smash Mouth, Sponge, Blessed Union Of Souls, 7 Mary 3, Age Of Electric, The Superjesus, Save Ferris, Grand Street Cryers, Knee Deep Shag
5. Do you keep in e-mail contact with a member of the band?
Yes - 5 votes
No - 132 votes
================================
*Pull Out Some Hope for Me*
Interpetations
================================
~How you interpet a song, vid, lyric, etc.~
I think the song 3am is about Rob and his relationship with his mom. The lines where he talks about how she is taking care of him totally describe it. Okay that's all I have to say about that. I love Kyle okay byebye.
-Zekial923@aol.com
I know you are probably sick to death of hearing about Song interpretations, but I have to put in my two cents worth. I think "Long Day" is about a person's struggle with manic depression. He asks someone to "pull out some hope", so he has a reason to continue living.
When he says "'I'm sorry about the attitude I need to give when I'm with you,cause no one else'll take this shit from me", he's referring to uncontrollable mood swings, and the person he's singing to understands and wants to help.
"And I'm so terrified of no one else but me, I'm here all the time, I won't go away.", He is scared of what he has become, how he has no control over these moods and feelings, and no matter what he does, he can't escape his own worst enemy: himself.
"Well Im surprised if you believe in anything that comes from me" He is amazed that this person is still here.
I myself suffer from manic depression, and this song when it came out, almost made me cry. It still does today. I'm not one of those macho, manly guys who is too tough to cry, I just cant do it, as a result of my own fucked up head. If anyone wants to, they can visit my webpage at http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/3849 it's still under construction. My music section isn't even in yet!
-Chad Silverstein
realcaliban@hotmail.com
================================
*Funny How it Comes to Pass*
Concert Reviews
================================
~Matchbox 20 concert experiences~
On February 14, Valentine's Day, Matchbox 20 played at the Fox theatre in Atlanta. This was part of the 99x radio station concert, Chinese New Year. They played last after in order: Drivin' & Cryin', Sister Hazel, and Third Eye Blind. It was a kickin' concert. Matchbox 20 of course was the best and their rendition of 3 a.m. was the best that it has ever been. It was the best I had ever heard it at this concert because they had the audience going and everyone was singing. They played Push, 3 a.m. and all of the other hits that have we've had the pleasure of listening to on the radio. It was an awesome concert. The guys really know how to make Valentine's Day great!
-ParMAndy@aol.com
San Frantastic!!!
Date: July 10, 1997
Venue: Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco, California
Opening Acts: Ugly Beauty, Camus
Setlist: Argue, Girl Like That, Damn, Back 2 Good, 3 am, Stop, Shame, The Name Game, Real World, Hang, Time After Time, Tired, Kody, Push, Busted, Long Day
This shows was the first of three times I've seen MB20 in the SF Bay Area and definitely the best of them all. The Bottom of the Hill is a little hole in the wall club in the outskirts of the city, at the base of some hill whose name I can't remember. Not much more than a box with a quasi-elevated stage at one end. Capacity maybe 150.
I purchased tickets online from www.ticketweb.com, which was definitely a cool experience. You don't get an actual ticket, your name is placed on a guest list of sorts. I'll never worry about forgetting my ticket at home. Anyway, we got there really early, so early that we heard part of the soundcheck from the sidewalk. Afterwards, we bumped into the band boarding their bus for a break.
The setlist varies a little from later "big" venue shows. The crowd's quietly chatting as they open with Argue, but gets more into it during Damn. Rob exchanges dialogue with various members of the crowd and comments on what each song is about and where he wrote it, which gets some funny comments from the back of the crowd. Stop is a non-album track. Following Shame, they play the Name Game. If you don't know, it's where the band has everyone yell out their name at once, thereby somehow giving the crowd a "name." Rob names us "Heather," and not "One Hit Wonder" which was courtesy of some punk in the back. Great version of Real World, better than the album version. Yes, Time After Time is the Cyndi Lauper tune, covered here by a solo Rob. The crowd doesn't seem to recognize the song at first, but as the first verse unfolds people begin to sing along. This song was definitely missed at later shows, as it seems to bring the crowd a much-needed dancing break. Tired is a new song. Rob declares Kody "my favorite one." Push kicks in and the crowd erupts, as much as such a small crowd can, with more singing. Rob "busts" out the the now-familiar CB microphone for the intro to Busted.
The energy builds in the crowd as the song progresses and once again nearly explodes with frenzied dancing and head-bopping. The stage is so small the bassist (his name escapes me) is trying to refrain from jumping around and crashing into everyone like an escaped idiot. Like always, they end with Long Day, probably one of my favorites. During the mid-song break down (for lack of a better word), Rob thanks Ugly Beauty for touring with them, as it's their last night together. The head-boppers and dancers go home happy, as the band breaks loose once again and ends the show filled with energy. I saw a video camera bouncing around in the crowd during the show and later heard it was recorded by someone sitting near the bar.
It was a strange thing to watch them on Letterman a week later, and then hear they opened for the Rolling Stones in the fall. Like I mentioned in the opening, this was the best MB20 performance I've seen in the SF Bay Area. They had a lot more energy than their Kamp KOME II performance, which the band aptly named "our worst performance ever" during a Lovelines interview. It was obvious they were a band "on the way up," genuinely giving it their all to gain fans. I'll bet they gained close to 150 that night.
-Andy Brooks
albrooks@ucdavis.edu
Hi guys, I thought I'd give you something to look forward to. On March 11 Matchbox is playing Milwaukee, WI and I'm going to be there. Last time I just met Rob while walking around. This time I will be meeting him cuz I got BACKSTAGE! Yep, there's a mutual friend of mine who works there and told me he'd get me back there! So, this is it for issue 6, I'll have a backstage review for issue 7! C'ya then.
-Kari in Milwaukee
KGorski545@aol.com
This was from back in November but oh well. Okay, me and my buddy Lara (Longday8) got to see the guys on November 4th here in Chicago. It was General Admission so we decided to leave a little earlier. Well there was some traffic because everybody was rushing to get to a Bulls game. But we got there about an hour early and there was like nobody there! We went in to the Riviera Theater and took a look around. We went down into the front, took one look at the huge guys and a group of like druggies up in the front, and we turned back and went for the seats. We probably would've been killed down in front. So anways, we were early so we decided to go get our shirts and stuff before the show started and not afterwards where there would probably be a big stampede of people. We came back and we waited for what seemed like forever, but finally we got to hear Lili Haydn. I thought she was pretty cool, and I got her CD later on. We thought about going outside to meet her, but we decided against it. After another loooong wait, (and the crowd moshing to Blur's Song 2 over the sound system), mb20 came out. Everybody was screaming and yelling like crazy. Except for the two women next to us. They were dressed in all black, and they just sat there. They didn't get up for one song, and one of the ladies was even talking on the phone. I don't know why they were even there. Oh yeah, almost forgot. When we were walking into the Riv, we passed the tour busses and we thought we saw Adam, but it was the bassist for Lili Haydn. And we saw the girl with the long blonde hair who was also with Lili...she was the cellist I think. Oh well. That's it. Really boring I know. But I'll come back with a much more interesting one when I come back from the Chicago concert on March 8th!!!
-VerucaSad6@aol.com
I saw the guys in Charlotte NC on February 6th which was ok cause I had balcony seats---but I saw them February 7th in Asheville NC and I had the best time!!!!!! I had 3rd row seats and on the last couple of songs they let us run up to the stage so I was on the stage!!! Things were done differently at each show. In Charlotte Rob came out and did a new section to "Hang"--it was beautiful--It went something like " have you forgotten me or do you just not love me anymore"--something like that!!!--but in Asheville he came out and did "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper--both were good, but I wanted to hear that song he wrote again--it was just so cool how he came out by himself in the spotlight and played acoustic to it!! I loved it!!! Cool For August were great too-- especially when Rob came out and sang "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman with them!! The whole concert was amazing but Asheville was a better one due to my wonderful stage view!!! I loved them and have became quite fond of Cool For August as well especially since they are great friends with Matchbox---- also very talented!!
-Daisy0977@aol.com
