Bleeding Audio

2020

1 hr. 31 min.

Documentary

List

100%

7 Reviews

Tomatometer

100%

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Audience Score

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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Jesse S

It was exciting to witness the band's journey through this thoughtful rockumentary. As a fan of the band, it was touching, enlightening and oh so nostalgic <3

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/30/23

Full Review

Sandra D

I've been a long time fan of the Matches (over half of my life!), but believe me when I say my high praise of this film is totally unbiased. I had always wondered why what I thought to be a relatively successful, well-known band hadn't reached the soaring success of their contemporaries on major labels. This documentary wasn't just a history lesson on my favorite band, but a crash course on just how hard it can be to make it on your own in a constantly evolving music industry. It put so many pieces into perspective that I, a musician myself, definitely needed to hear. Aside from that, this dove *deep* into the foundation and history of a band I thought I knew too much about but clearly had so much more to absorb. This documentary is full of heart, features incredible live and archival footage, and is an utterly fantastic piece of cinema that ANY music lover deserves to watch. If you aren't a fan of the Matches before, I guarantee you will be after this.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/26/22

Full Review

Perfect R

One of the best docs ever made!!! I've shown almost everyone I know this film. Some of whom don't know The Matches. But they all leaving saying the same thing. IT WAS INCREDIBLE!!! Truly not only one of the best music documentaries in history, one of the best all around documentaries. Inspiring and devastating.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/25/22

Full Review

jordan w

Bleeding Audio is a beautiful film following a band most have never heard of. Despite this fact you'll find yourself invested in their journey and rooting for the band. The film is a truly unique look into the music scene of the early 2000's, and the internet threatened to destroy the entire music industry. I absolutely loved this film and would recommend everyone to watch it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Overly Honest M

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.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/21/22

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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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Randy Myers

San Jose Mercury News

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.

Rated: 3/4

Jun 8, 2022

Full Review

Richard Whittaker

Austin Chronicle

The Matches may not be your new favorite band, but you'll still care about what happened to them.

Nov 16, 2020

Full Review

Tony Asankomah

GhMovieFreak

If you love bands and always excited about getting to know about a new band and their music, this is a film that you would enjoy.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 6, 2022

Full Review

Alejandro Turdo

Hoy Sale Cine

Bleeding Audio changes our general conception of what actually means to be successful. What happens if your dreams don’t come true? How far are you willing to go? Where do you settle? This story is not just about the music, it is about so much more.

Rated: 9/10

May 29, 2022

Full Review

Edward Douglas

The Weekend Warrior

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.

May 25, 2022

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Luke Y. Thompson

Films Gone Wild

The central conflict remains band versus changing industry - which is akin to one that film reviewers, among others, know all too well firsthand.

Dec 24, 2020

Full Review

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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
Executive Producer: Ryon Lane, Morris Ruskin, Stephen Wade, Cory M. Wagner, Stephen Zelenka
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): May 27, 2022

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