Epitaph Tour review with Matchbook Romance interview.
The first ever Epitaph Tour is officially over. The bands all had a great time so thanks to everyone for coming out and showing your support! Below is a short review and interview with Matchbook Romance guitarist Ryan DePaulo from the Starland Ballroom show in Boston. Article from the Aquarian.
SCATTER THE ASHES/FROM FIRST TO LAST/MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK/ MATCHBOOK ROMANCE
Starland Ballroom/March 5
SAYREVILLE, NJ---It's 2005 and the music industry is rocketing. Labels are selling lots of records and tours are off the hook. There are certain labels that should not only be recognized for their outstanding rosters but also for the tours they put together. Epitaph Records is by far the best label in my book. After being around for three years Epitaph decided to put together their first tour. The Epitaph Tour which hit Starland Ballroom on March 5 included Scatter The Ashes, From First To Last, Motion City Soundtrack and Matchbook Romance. After hearing about this a few months ago I decided to go check out the tour for myself.
After Scatter The Ashes were From First To Last, a post-hardcore punk rock band. From First To Last had an outrageous stage performance. I could definitely say that they were one of the heavier bands on the tour. Towards the end of their set the singer crawled amongst the crowd diving into the pit holding the microphone up so fans could scream along with the band. This got the crowd ready for Motion City Soundtrack who were next. Motion City Soundtrack played their hit songs, "My Favorite Accident," "The Future Freaks Me Out," and "Capital H," off their CD I Am The Movie. Their song "Capital H," had the crowd bursting with energy. Kids were jumping up and down, and crowd surfers were piling on top of each other. Towards the end of their set they played two new songs, "Better Open The Door," and "Timed Turned Fragile," which will be released off their sophomore album on June 7. Word has it that "Commit This To Memory" was produced by Mark Hoppus of Blink-182.
The headliners were Matchbook Romance, personally one of my favorite bands on Epitaph Records. They played songs off their albums Stories And Alibis and West For Wishing. Popular favorites were "Promise" and "My Eyes Burn," which got the crowd going insane. Matchbook Romance announced that "My Eyes Burn," has currently made number 13 on MTV2s and Fuse's charts for best video. Matchbook Romance had everyone in the room singing/screaming their heartfelt lyrics as loud as they could. Security guards were practically diving into the audience to save fans from being sucked into the crowd.
After Matchbook Romance's set was over I was able to get a quick interview in with guitarist Ryan Judas DePaolo.
KM: How has the tour been?
Ryan Judas DePaolo: Tour is great! Shows have been selling out and the crowd has been very responsive.We have a great line-up of bands too, so it's awesome.
What do you think of the line-up?
Ryan Judas DePaolo: The line-up is awesome! All the bands have a different vibe, so there's really something for everyone.
How do you feel about headlining Epitaph's first tour?
Ryan Judas DePaolo: Headlining has been awesome 'cause we're totally taken care of. We are able to have our own bus and a full rew so the stress level on everyone is pretty low.
When should we expect a new release
from Matchbook Romance?
Ryan Judas DePaolo: We're working on writing the record now and aiming for an early Fall release. There is no tentative title yet though.
All in all, Epitaph's first tour with Scatter The Ashes, From First To Last, Motion City Soundtrack and Matchbook Romance was a huge success. Hopefully we can expect to see more amazing tours from Epitaph. To learn more about artists on Epitaph Records you can check out Epitaph Records online at www.epitaph.com
by Karen Mitchell