About

 

Get Bluegrastronauts!

The Matchsellers are Warsaw, Indiana native Andrew Morris and Julie Bates of Kansas City, Missouri. Their exciting, gritty, and often hilarious stage show has been developed over half a decade of constant touring across the US and Europe. The two met while living in Germany and began exploring traditional American music from abroad. In their subsequent travels through the States, they collected influences from various regional styles of American folk music. While a focus on humor and absurdity permeates their show, they are dedicated interpreters of tradition whose excellent musicianship, songwriting and taste are never overshadowed. They have been featured on various NPR and international radio stations as well as blogs including The Bluegrass Situation, Dying For Bad Music and more. Recent notable performances include an Official Showcase at Folk Alliance International (MO), The Red Dirt Ball (OK), John Hartford Memorial Festival (IN), Boulevardia (MO), Beaver Island Music Festival (MI),  Kendalville Bluegrass Festival (IN), Bluegrass Battles Hunger (MO), Old Mill Fest (TX) among others.

The Matchsellers’ new album Bluegrastronauts, release in March 2018, is old-time in outer space. It’s a far away galaxy as close as your first cousin. It’s a 100,000 mile an hour horse-and-buggy. After almost 5 years of life on the road and 2 full-length albums under their belt, The Matchsellers teamed up with Chad Graves (of the Hillbenders) and Betsey Beymer to complete this project of extraterrestrial bluegrass.

Recorded over a 2 week period in Springfield, MO, by Chad Graves, Bluegrastronauts hints at humor and love, uncertainty and absurdity. The four Midwesterners blend voices and instruments to create a sound that is somehow stuck between years gone by and those yet to come. They are at times wild and at others sincere, performing songs steeped in tradition and melody, but with a refreshing viewpoint.

For booking and general information contact them: thematchsellers [at] gmail.com

Upcoming Shows

May 5 Private
May 10 Virginia Ave Music Fest, Square Cat Vinyl 8pm, Indianapolis, IN
May 11 Southgate House, Newport, KY
***Full band with Chad Graves and Betsey Mae***
***May 13 Mountain Stage, Charleston, WV w/ Kat Edmonson, NRBQ, and Lindsay Lou***
***May 14 House Show, Charleston, WV (contact us for details)***
***May 15 Folk Club of Reston-Herndon, VA, 7:15pm***
***May 17 Purple Fiddle, Thomas, WV***
***May 18 333 Coffeehouse, Annapolis, MD $12***
May 19 Ballast Point Brewing, Daleville, VA
More…

 

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Videos

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Photos

(Click images for high-resolution file)

Logos (Click images for high-resolution file)

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Press

“…a bluegrass sound and an idiosyncratic sense of humor…echoes of the Wilders’ bluegrass and Western Swing– and lyrics like nobody else in town… their brand new point of view is a refreshing surprise.”  – KCUR, Kansas City

“Bates and Morris have an undeniable musical chemistry, creating a natural blend of rhythm, melody, and vocal harmony. Morris drove the beat with his tight strumming and had too many fine blues solos to count, while Bates added idiomatic embellishments and dominated on the fiddle classic ‘Orange Blossom Special.’ … The audience was simply enamoured with The Matchsellers, demanding an encore to which they happily obliged…if you enjoy down-home bluegrass and wild, gritty country-folk, then you must see The Matchsellers” – KCMetropolis, Missouri

“They played in barns. They played in strangers’ homes. But one thing these two rolling stones certainly didn’t do was gather moss.” – InkFree, Indiana

“What a wild and wonderful sound!” – WBOI’s Meet the Music, Indiana

“The Matchsellers may look like yet another charming, predictable bluegrass duo, but only if you aren’t actually paying attention.”  – 90.9 The Bridge, Missouri

“…a twisted sense of lyrical humor paired with energetic Americana music” – Norman Transcript, Oklahoma

“Unbelievably talented, wry witted, sardonic, and occasionally slapsticky–this couple is bound for glory!” – Wild Rose Moon, Indiana

“… these two incredible musicians are absolute masters of their craft. They have perfected a beautiful blend of old, new, and original and perform it with such accessible and endearing sincerity, you can’t help but fall in love with their music.” –Local Talent Stew, Indianapolis

“American emigrants folk music played on East German rooftops…”  – Dying for Bad Music, Germany

“A New Class of Bluegrass” – Carbondale Nightlife, Illinois

“Solid perfection!” 5/5 stars – Tuning into the Obscure, New York

Panel 5

Contact

For all booking, radio and other inquiries email us at:

thematchsellers {at} gmail.com

or use the contact form below