Music
Press
"There are swaggering bands, bands who are in your face. And there are bands who get hold of you somewhere else. I think it's kind of a heart thing, an intimacy thing. Like you know them and they know you. I think Match Party are one of those bands. They have a heavy, almost hardcore sound that is driving, with bold power chords. What you hear on "Rapture" is a band playing at the height of their powers. Recorded and mixed at Project IO Studios, Hoboken, NJ, they don't gloss over or try to enhance Match Party's rough, menacing sound. It's a live, in studio feel that's an extension of what their live show would be like."
- Jersey Beats Magazine, Issue #78
Discography
"Open Hand" EP, released in November 2001
"We Can Go Where We Wish" LP, released in July 2006
Photos
Bio
Match Party is a band based out of New Jersey/Metropolitan Area. The band consists of three members: Adrian, Shawn, Aris. The concept has been in existence since 1993, when founder, Adrian Spoleti, asked a friend of his, Steve Petras, who was the bass player for seminal local band I.D.K. at the time, to form Match Party. The name for the band came out of a newspaper article depicting how orphans and families wanting to adopt children would come together in casual gatherings, coining the phrase "Match Parties".
After many lineup changes over the years, the current trio has been together since the summer of 1999. Recording of their first CD ensued a year later, in the heat of a small studio at 325 Pacific Street in Paterson, NJ. The resulting debut EP, "Open Hand" was officially released on November 14, 2001.
After playing shows around the area in support of "Open Hand", Match Party took a break from gigging to direct all of their focus on songwriting. They spent months creating with one another, yielding positive results, and attempted to take their new music to the public. A string of bad shows followed--everything from being cut off after two songs due to terrible booking to PA's cutting out to being stopped so a cover band could hog the stage and make the club owner some fast cash was thrown into their laps. They decided to regroup in the comfort and seclusion of their practice space, and the connection they made as a result of sheer frustration was stronger than ever, which reflected in massive amounts of songwriting that covered the entire landscape of rock music.
In February of 2004, the group began recording its follow-up, this time with the intent of releasing a full-length album. Their producer, Rich Sarnicola of the band Heterogene, took them on a completely different journey than the one they took with the debut EP, having them track separately rather than live in the same room, and recording them in multiple locations. Everyone involved learned a tremendous amount about their individual and collective techniques and passions for music. More important than anything, the resulting product was something that all parties involved were extremely proud to attach their names to.
The twelve-song, hour-long album was titled "We Can Go Where We Wish". The title is taken from lyrics to its sixth track, "In Time". Both of these titles represent the hope that Match Party never lost and the perseverance to succeed on their own terms, which they thrive upon. The album itself takes its listener on multiple journeys and induces several moods during its sixty-minute playback time. It properly captures Match Party's mission statement that people can in fact go where they wish if they never give up on themselves, and that they can use setbacks as motivation for future strengths. "We Can Go Where We Wish" was officially released on July 7, 2006.
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