MATCHBOX 20 ****

Matchbox Twenty (originally spelled officially as Matchbox 20 aka MB20) is an American rock band, formed in Orlando, Florida in 1995. The group currently comprises Rob Thomas (lead vocals, piano), Paul Doucette (rhythm guitarist, drums), Brian Yale (bassist), Kyle Cook (lead guitarist) and Ryan MacMillan (drums, percussion).

Matchbox Twenty rose to international fame with their debut album, Yourself or Someone Like You (1996), which was certified diamond 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 double platinum in the United States. However, it was not as successful as the previous two albums, despite its singles receiving significant airplay.

The band then went on hiatus in 2004, and rhythm guitarist Adam Gaynor left the band in 2005, after performing on the first three studio albums. As a result, Paul Doucette took over rhythm guitar, and the band re-united and released a compilation album, Exile on Mainstream, in 2007, which was certified gold in the United States. Matchbox Twenty is currently on hiatus, and its members are focusing on solo work. However, the band did perform together on January 1, 2011 and stated they are currently working on a new record.

History

Formation (1995)

Rob Thomas, Brian Yale, and Paul Doucette were part of the band Tabitha's Secret which was based in Orlando, Florida, with fellow members John Stanley and John Goff, before splitting to start a new band (what was to become Matchbox Twenty). 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 won a recording contract with Atlantic Records.

Yourself or Someone Like You (1996–2000)

Matchbox Twenty released their debut album, Yourself or Someone Like You, in 1996. While their first single, "Long Day", was a rock radio-only success, 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 sold more than 12 million copies in the U.S. alone, achieving a diamond certification. In 1998, Matchbox Twenty recorded a live version of their single, "3 A.M." for release on the charity album Live in the X Lounge, benefiting autism research.

Before recording their second album, Rob 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 huge 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.

 

Mad Season (2000–2002)

During 2000, Matchbox 20 renamed themselves to Matchbox Twenty and released their second album, Mad Season. The album, on the strength of several successful singles, including "Bent" (which peaked #1 on the Hot 100 chart) and "If You're Gone", was certified 4x platinum in the United States. The video for "Bent" made fun of singer Thomas' 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.

More Than You Think You Are and hiatus (2002–2007)

For their third album, More Than You Think You Are, the band revived more of a rock sound. Thomas shared the songwriting efforts with the other band members on several songs. The album again spawned successful singles "Disease" (written with Mick Jagger), "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.

During 2003, the band released EP, consisting of six songs. The EP had never before released live and acoustic versions of former songs like "Push" and "If You're Gone", and also a new track, "Suffer Me".

In May 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.

In February 2005, rhythm guitarist Gaynor officially left the group, which had been on hiatus to allow other members to pursue side projects. Rob Thomas released a solo album, …Something to Be, which debuted at #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.

Exile on Mainstream and the future (2007-present)

The group reunited again 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 (Music Video Interactive) format, which included two video interviews discussing the six new songs and eleven greatest hits, plus extras including a photo gallery, U-MYX (to remix "How Far We've Come"), 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 18th, 2009, Rob 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.

At the Taste of Chicago on July 2nd, 2010, Thomas said that Matchbox Twenty would be recording this fall for their fifth studio album. On September 4, 2010, while on VH1's Top 20 Music Video Countdown, Thomas stated that Matchbox Twenty is 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 13th 2010. It was stated on Matchbox Twenty's web site that the next show they will do together is on January 1st 2011 in Oklahoma.