Matchbox Twenty


Matchbox Twenty is an American rock band formed in Orlando, Florida, in 1995. The group currently consists of Rob Thomas, Brian Yale, Paul Doucette, and Kyle Cook.
Matchbox Twenty rose to international fame with their debut album, Yourself or Someone Like You, which was certified 12× platinum in the United States and multi-platinum in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. Their second album, Mad Season, released in 2000, charted in the top three on the Billboard 200 and was certified 4× platinum in the United States. Their third album, More Than You Think You Are, released in 2002, was certified 2× platinum in the United States.
The band then went on hiatus in 2004 after rhythm guitarist Adam Gaynor's departure. As a result, Paul Doucette took over rhythm guitar when the band reunited in 2007. They released a compilation album, Exile on Mainstream, which was certified gold in the United States. After the release, the band toured to support it. Matchbox Twenty then took another hiatus while Thomas resumed his solo career, but reunited again in 2010. On September 4, 2012, the band released their fourth studio album, North, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. Their fifth, Where the Light Goes, was released on May 26, 2023.

History

1995–2001: ''Yourself or Someone Like You'' and ''Mad Season''

Rob Thomas, Brian Yale, and Paul Doucette were part of the band Tabitha's Secret, which was based in Orlando, Florida, with fellow members Jay Stanley, Brandon Goldwaite and John Goff, before splitting to start a new band. After recruiting Adam Gaynor from Criteria Recording Studios in Miami and Kyle Cook from the Atlanta Institute of Music, the band named themselves "Matchbox 20" and earned a recording contract with Atlantic Records. Doucette suggested the name after combining two words observed on the softball shirt of a man where Doucette was waiting tables.
Matchbox 20 released their debut album, Yourself or Someone Like You, in 1996. While their first single, "Long Day", was a radio success in the west coast, the album soon spawned several Top 40 singles throughout 1997 and 1998, including "Push", "3 A.M.", "Real World", and "Back 2 Good". "Push" and "3 A.M." did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100 chart due to the rule in effect prior to 1998 that required a song to be released as a single in order to appear on the Hot 100. "Real World" and "Back 2 Good" proved to be the band's first entries into the Billboard Hot 100, after the rule was terminated. The album eventually shipped more than 12 million copies in the U.S. alone, achieving a diamond certification. In 1998, Matchbox 20 recorded a live version of their single, "3 A.M." for release on the charity album Live in the X Lounge, benefiting United Cerebral Palsy research.
Before recording their second album, Thomas collaborated with Itaal Shur on a song called "Smooth" for Carlos Santana's comeback album, Supernatural. Thomas was supposed to act only as a songwriter for "Smooth", but Carlos Santana had him sing for it after hearing the song's demo. "Smooth" was the album's lead single and became a hit in 1999. Thomas won three Grammy Awards for writing and performing on "Smooth": Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Popular Music Collaboration with Vocals. In 2000, Matchbox 20 adopted the spelling "Matchbox Twenty" and released their second album, Mad Season. The album, on the strength of several successful singles, including "Bent" and "If You're Gone", was certified 4× platinum in the United States. The video for "Bent" made fun of singer Thomas's increased fame from "Smooth" by showing the other band members assaulting him. The next two singles, "Mad Season" and "Last Beautiful Girl" were not as successful.

2002–2004: ''More Than You Think You Are''

For their third album, More Than You Think You Are, the band used more of a pop punk/pop rock sound. Thomas shared the songwriting efforts with the other band members on several songs. The album was recorded at Icon Recording Studios in Hollywood, California. Additional recording at Bearsville Studios and Hit Factory in New York and was released on November 19, 2002. The album was produced by Matt Serletic, who at the time was the current chairman for Virgin Records. The album again spawned successful singles "Disease", "Unwell", and "Bright Lights". The album was not as successful commercially as the previous two, and received mixed reviews from critics. However, the album had an enormous radio presence for well over a year.
Director Bill Draheim documented the band throughout the process of making More Than You Think You Are. The documentary Theresville was an online extra.
During 2003, the band released EP, consisting of six songs. The EP featured previously unreleased live and acoustic versions of songs like "Push" and "If You're Gone", as well as a new track, "Suffer Me". In 2004, the band released a live DVD, Show: A Night in the Life of Matchbox Twenty, filmed in Atlanta and featuring 20 songs, including all of their previous successful singles.

2004–2010: Hiatuses, side-projects and greatest hits album

Before taking a hiatus later that year to allow other members to pursue side projects, such as Paul Doucette's solo band The Break and Repair Method, rhythm guitarist Adam Gaynor officially left the group. Rob Thomas released a solo album, …Something to Be, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The album featured four successful singles: "Lonely No More", "This Is How a Heart Breaks", "Ever the Same", and "Streetcorner Symphony". In January 2007, Rob Thomas released a single, "Little Wonders", which he wrote for the Disney movie Meet the Robinsons.
The group reunited and began performing during 2007, with the release of their retrospective album Exile on Mainstream, on October 2, 2007. "How Far We've Come" was the first single from the new album, which was followed by the second single, "These Hard Times". "Exile on Mainstream" included four other new songs and a complete collection of all eleven of their previously released singles. The album was also released in the new MVI format, which included two video interviews discussing the six new songs and eleven greatest hits, plus extras including a photo gallery, U-MYX, buddy icons and wallpapers. "How Far We've Come" was released on the band's Myspace page in July 2007, with the video released on September 6, 2007. Matchbox Twenty toured during early 2008 with Alanis Morissette and opener Mutemath. The band began their US tour on January 25, 2008, in Hollywood, FL, and concluded in Las Vegas, NV, on March 18, 2008, before heading to Australia and New Zealand, where the Australian band Thirsty Merc was the supporting act. Following Australia, Matchbox Twenty visited the UK for the first time in five years to play six concerts in Cardiff, Wembley, Birmingham, Glasgow, and Manchester. Matchbox Twenty performed at the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup award ceremony.
When the band finished touring later during 2008, Rob Thomas began work on his second solo album, Cradlesong. He stated in an interview to Billboard that he expected that the other members of the band might begin work on Matchbox Twenty's next album without him. At the concert at Mohegan Sun Casino on December 18, 2009, Thomas said that he was not frequently playing Matchbox Twenty songs at his 2009 tour stops because the band was planning to tour together in 2010.

2010–present: ''North'', focus on tours, and ''Where the Light Goes''

At the Taste of Chicago on July 2, 2010, Thomas said that Matchbox Twenty would be recording in the fall for their fourth studio album. On September 4, 2010, while on VH1's Top 20 Music Video Countdown, Thomas stated that Matchbox Twenty was planning to start working on their next studio album in mid-September and that he was 80% sure that the album would be released sometime in 2011. Rob Thomas posted on Twitter that he was "heading out next week to start writing the new mb20 record" on September 13, 2010. It was stated on Matchbox Twenty's web site that the next show they will do together is on January 1, 2011, in Oklahoma. Matchbox Twenty played a one-off live show in Temecula, California, on July 9, 2011, but no new material was played. During the show Rob Thomas stated the show was a "love letter to our fans". North was released on September 4, 2012. The album's first single, "She's So Mean", was released on June 12, 2012. In 2012, the band embarked on a worldwide tour, the North Tour, to promote the album. The tour continued as the 2013 Summer Tour, when they co-headlined with the Goo Goo Dolls.
On April 9, 2016, Kyle Cook left the band citing a communication breakdown between the members, but returned in 2017. In 2017 the band toured with the A Brief History of Everything Tour with Counting Crows. Duo Rivers and Rust joined them as an opening act. Doucette described the tour as a celebration of the band's history - stating it "was always going to happen. It just took a bit for everyone to realize that." He said that the band had no plans to release new albums soon at that time and were focused on touring. The band was set to undertake a North American summer tour in 2020 alongside The Wallflowers. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the tour was rescheduled three times, first to 2021, then to 2022, and then to 2023. The band played a one-off performance headlining in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada for the Churchill Park Music Festival in July 2022.
On June 20, 2022, a video was posted on the band's Twitter account, confirming that a new album is in the works, despite Rob Thomas denying this in interviews the previous year. Having had to make their fans wait for three years to see them on tour again due to cancellations, Kyle Cook suggested that they should make a new album.
On March 1, 2023, the band announced a new single, "Wild Dogs ", would be released March 17. On the day of release, the band revealed that their fifth studio album Where the Light Goes would be released on May 26, 2023, via Atlantic.