The Matches
| The Matches | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Oakland, California, United States |
| Genres | Pop punk,alternative rock |
| Years active | 1997–2009, 2015–present |
| Labels | Epitaph |
| Website | thematches |
| Past members |
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The Matches is an American pop punk band formed in 1997 in Oakland, California. The band is composed of vocalist and rhythm guitarist Shawn Harris, lead guitarist and backup vocalist Jonathan Devoto, bassist Justin San Souci, and drummer Matt Whalen. The Matches have released three studio albums and are currently unsigned after their contract with Epitaph Records expired.
On July 9, 2009, the Matches announced on their MySpace and Facebook pages that they were taking a "", saying that, "our time to start new projects has come". On June 17, 2010 Shawn confirmed to Triple J that he had left the band. The Matches announced a one-time reunion show with the original lineup in May 2014. The show sold out, as did an additional eight shows and a following tour in Australia. The band announced additional reunion dates and new songs in 2015.
The band was formed as "The Locals" in 1997 by Justin San Souci, Matt Whalen, Matt Esposito, and Shawn Harris. At that time, all four members of the band were at Bishop O'Dowd high school. Matt Esposito then left the band to enroll in the US Naval Academy, and Henry Dietzel was recruited to take Matt's place. Dietzel remained with the band until late 2001 and upon leaving he was replaced by Jon Devoto. In those early years, the band played ska music—creating songs like "People on the Block", "Studio 5866", and others.
Gradually, their style started shifting towards alternative rock. Their influences included fellow East Bay punk/pop-punk bands like Green Day and Rancid, as well as more mainstream bands and musicians like Elvis Costello, David Bowie, The Who and Joe Jackson. The name "The Locals" soon led to copyright infringement complications when Yvonne Doll, the frontwoman for the Chicago indie rock band also called "The Locals", contacted the band and asked that they change their name.
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