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Bleeding Audio

Play trailer Poster for Bleeding Audio 2020 1h 31m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 5 Reviews 100% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
Told through the eyes of quirky, charming, and humble bandmates Shawn Harris, Jon Devoto, Matt Whalen, and Justin San Souci, Bleeding Audio details the rollercoaster career of the Oakland band, The Matches. Like many acts in the early 2000s, they were set to be the next 'big thing'. After building a tight-knit music community in California's Bay Area, The Matches broke out and became an internationally touring act. An eclectic group of artistic weirdos, the band grew a thriving cult fanbase worldwide, yet remained virtually penniless. Their story overlaps with the drastic changes of the music industry since the takeover of the digital revolution--from declining sales to excessive touring, to illegal downloading and streaming. With interviews from some of music's biggest names like Mark Hoppus (Blink 182), Nick Hexum (311), Tom Higgenson (Plain White T's) and more, Bay Area filmmaker Chelsea Christer's uplifting tribute tracks The Matches' history and recent reunion to dig deeper into the challenges the average musician faces in the digital age of the industry--and the community that keeps artists alive.
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Bleeding Audio

Critics Reviews

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Randy Myers San Jose Mercury News 06/08/2022
3/4
An illuminating portrait of the pitfalls and the triumphs of an indie band that has had more than one life and not a lot of business sense. Go to Full Review Richard Whittaker Austin Chronicle 11/16/2020
The Matches may not be your new favorite band, but you'll still care about what happened to them. Go to Full Review Edward Douglas The Weekend Warrior (Substack) 05/25/2022
Just an amazing rags to riches story with a suitably satisfying comeback epilogue. It is everything Anvil: The Story of Anvil could and should have been. Go to Full Review Luke Y. Thompson Films Gone Wild 12/24/2020
The central conflict remains band versus changing industry - which is akin to one that film reviewers, among others, know all too well firsthand. Go to Full Review Alan Ng Film Threat 09/07/2020
8/10
Seek out Bleeding Audio and enjoy. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Overly Honest M 10/18/2022 MOVIE REVIEW Bleeding Audio rated – star star star star star Genre: Documentary Year Released: 2020 (Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival), 2022 (Wide release online) Runtime: 1h 31m Director(s): Chelsea Christer Stars: Shawn Harris, Jon Devoto, Matt Whalen, Justin San Souci Where To Watch: on digital and video on demand on Friday, May 27 At first, I assumed this was a documentary about one band (The Matches) and their subsequent rise, fall, and relatively regular reunions. I was partially correct, but also, there was so much more to uncover here. The film itself was a story of The Matches with interviews from band members Shawn Harris, Jon Devoto, Matt Whalen, and Justin San Souci; however, it was so much more. Interviews with icons such as Mark Hoppus (Blink 182), Nick Hexum (311), Tom Higgenson (Plain White T's), Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman, and Justin Pierre of Motion City Soundtrack gave the film a rounded feel that helped highlight the other topics brought up throughout the film. Everything from the struggles of life on the road to the pitfalls of signing with a major label and everything else in between. Director Chelsea Christer previously had two short films (SIERRA, WE'RE JUST LIKE YOU) to her credit before embarking on a journey to tell the story of The Matches back in 2014 during one of their reunions. Such an essential film in the history of music had a long-fought trip to be made. Christer credits the incredible fanbase of the group for helping two separate Kickstarter campaigns. If you love music, there is something in this film for you. The film covers the story of the rise of digital music from Napster to fully digital albums. Easily one of the most telling music documentaries I've seen (and yes, I'm biased because the film covers my growth and love of music adjacent to the story being told.) It's truly a story within a story; while The Matches' journey is the focus, the part that caught me was how their rise was also a lesson on the world of music we don't often see. The band pointed out that friends and family saw them touring, making videos, releasing CDs, etc., and assumed they were doing great financially. Yet, they mainly were broke because of the logistics involved in the music industry. I can't fault the general public for assuming this, as I would've. My thought was if a band was out doing all of these things, that they were reaping the rewards for it. Sadly that isn't the case, and it makes you wonder what the music scene would look like if it were a little more level of a playing field. What if bands that created great music succeeded because of that and that alone! For more reviews and my YouTube channel, please visit linktr.ee/Overlyhonestmoviereviews Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Find my social media accounts on most platforms simply by searching Overly Honest Movie Reviews. I'm always happy to hear from my readers; please say hi or send me any questions about all things movies. See more Read all reviews
Bleeding Audio

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Cast & Crew

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Chelsea Christer

Director

The Matches

Self

Mark Hoppus

Self

Nick Hexum

Self

Jannette Bivona

Producer

Chelsea Christer

Producer

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Bleeding Audio

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Movie Info

Synopsis Told through the eyes of quirky, charming, and humble bandmates Shawn Harris, Jon Devoto, Matt Whalen, and Justin San Souci, Bleeding Audio details the rollercoaster career of the Oakland band, The Matches. Like many acts in the early 2000s, they were set to be the next 'big thing'. After building a tight-knit music community in California's Bay Area, The Matches broke out and became an internationally touring act. An eclectic group of artistic weirdos, the band grew a thriving cult fanbase worldwide, yet remained virtually penniless. Their story overlaps with the drastic changes of the music industry since the takeover of the digital revolution--from declining sales to excessive touring, to illegal downloading and streaming. With interviews from some of music's biggest names like Mark Hoppus (Blink 182), Nick Hexum (311), Tom Higgenson (Plain White T's) and more, Bay Area filmmaker Chelsea Christer's uplifting tribute tracks The Matches' history and recent reunion to dig deeper into the challenges the average musician faces in the digital age of the industry--and the community that keeps artists alive.
Director
Chelsea Christer
Producer
Jannette Bivona, Chelsea Christer, Erin Persley
Production Co
Abandon Hope, CT-SF
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
May 27, 2022
Runtime
1h 31m
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