Press — BLEEDING AUDIO

Reviews and features

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3/12/2021

Review: Bleeding Audio

“That bands from my era are finally going to start getting the praise they deserve. That’s what documentarian Chelsea Christer has done here. A loving tribute to a band that was always just one creative step ahead of the curve…Structurally this is about as well as one can put together footage of this nature. A testament to Christer’s talent and hard work. A-.”

-William Eguizabal
Film Snob Reviews

3/8/2021

Bleeding Audio Review

“What the thing that impressed me the most was Chelsea Christer’s direction within the documentary. I felt like I was apart of the band’s journey, the inclusion makes you invested, and Chelsea does a great job of bringing you behind the scenes of how it all unfolded…Chelsea Christer’s well-crafted direction brings you behind the scenes of the heart and soul of the Matches. Bleeding Audio is one of the best music documentaries I’ve ever seen. 4/5 Stars”

-Richard Valero
Music City Drive-In

2/17/2021

Bleeding Audio

“Bleeding Audio director Chelsea Christer knows what it’s like for a listener to fall in love with a band. Her new and lovely documentary about punk/ska/rock band The Matches opens with a variety of people showing off tattoos they have of lyrics from songs by the band…Bleeding Audio brings you along to an ending that is somewhat surprising. That is unless you’re the kind of person who’s ever loved a band like it was a person. If that’s you or even if you just like music and music documentaries, Bleeding Audio is sure to please.”

-Don R. Lewis
Hammer to Nail

2/17/2021

Bleeding Audio (2021) Review

“Chelsea Christer’s documentary attempts to figure out why it never happened for The Matches, and the result is a bittersweet--but mostly sweet--tribute to these guys who made all the right moves and couldn’t break through the way they wanted to…What’s so refreshing about Bleeding Audio is that it eschews the “Behind the Music” treatment. There’s no sex and drugs, just rock and roll…The reason Bleeding Audio succeeds is due to Chelsea Christer’s ability to lock in on both the band’s passion, and the passion their fans feel toward them. If a documentary filmmaker can capture a subject’s passion, 90% of the battle is already won because passion is infectious.”

-Ian Hrabe
Movie Jawn

2/16/2021

2021 Slamdance Film Festival Review Of “Bleeding Audio”: It Is The Holy Grail Of Alternative Punk Band biography…And So Much More!

“…Director-Producer Christer lets her players tell their stories. In hindsight, each individual story is woven together in the narrative into an enjoyable and detailed look into the long hours and no-to-low-pay endemic to the majority of young musicians with dreams of fame and fortune. The stunning and creative original artwork, part of The Matches’ branding, adds visual depth to the documentary and moves the plot along at a ‘just right” gallup…The documentary “Bleeding Audio” engagingly and epically charts the one amazing alternative punk band’s birth, life, “death” (that isn’t really a death) and triumphant resurrection as an older and wiser band of P.M.P.s (punk music professionals). My wish is that the documentary is deemed “Oscar-worthy” and that it goes on to become a feature film. See “Bleeding Audio” to find out why The Matches is the answer to each of those questions.

-Vernon Nickerson
The Art of Monteque

2/12/2021

Bleeding Audio (2021) Review

“Christer creates something that is an essential watch for any music fan. It doesn’t matter if you like rock or pop, Bleeding Audio takes you through an underdog story in which the humble band finally gets the justice they deserve. Easily the best musical documentary of the past year, Bleeding Audio is a delightful watch for everyone - not just the die-hard fans of The Matches. 9/10.”

-Charlie Vogelsang
Indie Visible

2/12/2021

Slamdance Official Selection ‘Bleeding Audio’ Review

“Bleeding Audio adds so much flavour to the generic music documentary style because ‘The Matches’ were just so much fun to watch… It is always a wonderful thing to see people come together through the power of music and that is exactly what this documentary gives us. This gave us the chance to explore the music industry through a different lens.”

-Amanda Guarragi
Candid Cinema

11/14/2020

Sound Unseen Review: Bleeding Audio

“Director Chelsea Christer clearly comes at this Kickstarter-funded documentary with a fan's ear and eye. But here's the catch, and why Bleeding Audio is a must-see for any musician, or any fan of music… The Matches were a band on the margins, just on the cusp, and get hit so hard by a trifecta of emerging streaming technology (damn you, Napster!), an unfair deal, and then a staggering act of mismanagement that leaves Blink-182's Mark Hoppus (who produced their second album, Decomposer) literally slack-jawed.

It's a gut punch moment, one that reminds you exactly how easy it is for a band to vaporize, and all their potential to be lost…But the underlying thesis, that the industry has no interest in midsize bands, or talents that take some nuanced handling, is undeniable. The Matches may not be your new favorite band, but you'll still care about what happened to them.”

-Richard Whittaker
The Austin Chronicle

10/27/2020

‘BLEEDING AUDIO’ Film Festival Review

“Christer’s linear approach to telling the Matches story allows the audience to become drawn more into their story. Honestly, I felt like I was watching a feature film on the band more than a documentary. The concert scenes recorded in the film is some of the most thrilling concert footage that I’ve seen on film. The final concert and the film’s conclusion actually took me to an emotional place I sure as hell wasn’t expecting to be taken to in a film like this.

Bleeding Audio is a documentary that any fan of rock music should see. It shows the life and death (and life) of a band that should have been bigger than what they were…I’m willing to say this, but I believe it with all my heart – Bleeding Audio is one of the BEST rock documentaries…EVER.”

-Bob
Project-Nerd

10/26/2020

Denver Film Festival to feature Colorado filmmaker's new documentary about '90s band The Matches

“Director Chelsea Christer’s 2020 documentary “Bleeding Audio” is the story of the Icarus-like band that flew close to the flame of fame, but never caught fire. She paints their tale over the backdrop of today’s challenging digital music industry.”

-Jennifer Mulson
The Gazette

9/28/2020

Bleeding Audio The Matches Story

“So what happened to the band than many felt were sure reach the pinnacle heights of greatness? A question that has gone unanswered for many years may just be getting some light shone on it with the release of a new film/documentary called Bleeding Audio; named after one of the bands songs, Audio Blood, which was a firm A must watch for any music aficionado 10 out of 10 with the fans.”

-Zool
Kewel World

9/22/2020

'Bleeding Audio' Review: An essential watch, The Matches' documentary reflects the reality of being in a band

“Not only an important but an essential watch for anyone who passionately wants to make a living out of being a professional musician, whether in a band or solo, 'Bleeding Audio', carefully and sensitively peels the layers of what appears to be a highly glamorous lifestyle for what it really is — a long-winded journey with more lows than high where your only constant motivating factor, other than the music you make and play, is hoping one day your album's gonna grab people's attention.”

-Abhinav Singh
Meaww

9/18/2020

The Matches: Face The Music

“Bleeding Audio is a music doc sure to hit a few emotional chords. Current and archival footage contrasted well with interview and animated segments to fill out this narrative. This is a great debut feature for Director and Producer Chelsea Christer. Hopefully this is a front runner of a promising career for her.

This is a recommended watch for any artist, music fan or just people who miss the sense of community that comes from a live show. “

- OC Movie Reviews

9/17/2020

BLEEDING AUDIO (2020) San Francisco Doc Fest

“Bleeding Audio just grabs you and pulls you in. It’s the cinematic version of a story one of the band’s managers tells of coming into the end of a set, having no idea who the band was, but they knew they wanted to hear more. I wanted to hear more of the Matches’ music.”

-Steve Kopian
Unseen Films

9/9/2020

The Matches Light Up Their History With BLEEDING AUDIO

“One of the best aspects of the documentary is the breakdown of the perception of success versus the reality of the situation. In a way rarely conveyed correctly or even at all, the film nickels and dimes us all the way to showing us how the band probably would have made more money working part-time fast food jobs than touring the country and playing sell out shows every night…Many a documentary would have glorified the constant gigs and life on the road, but this is one of the first ones to truly paint a realistic picture of it all…
Bleeding Audio donates a pint of that sonic plasma and shows that while not always successful in the eyes of record label accountants, the passion and drive for success in the world of music doesn’t have to be harmful either.”

-Brandon Peters
Why So Blu

9/4/2020

‘Bleeding Audio’ Documentary Review: A Top Shelf Love Letter to Pop-Punk

“Overall, even if you’ve never heard of The Matches, Chelsea Christer and team developed a top shelf love letter to the band, the fans and the songs that brought them together. It’s a vibrant dissection into the music and music industry at large and I hope to see more from Christer. From one fan to another, whether you find yourself liking the music, the movie or both just know, “you belong.””

-Tony Helm
Film Speak

9/4/2020

BLEEDING AUDIO

“Bleeding Audio has all the critical ingredients of an exceptional music documentary. First is the music. 90s rock coming out of the Bay Area was exceptional. The Matches were hard rock/ punk with little bits of everything else (like ska). After watching the doc, I headed straight to my streaming service, and they’re on my playlist now. Seek out Bleeding Audio and enjoy.”

-Alan Ng
Film Threat

9/3/2020

The Life of a Match: Preview ‘Bleeding Audio,’ a New Doc Chronicling the Rise and Fall of Mid-2000s Band The Matches

“Bleeding Audio captures the nuance of the Matches’ story perfectly, and the tone of the film matches that of the band’s music. Quirky, candid and clever, it tells the story of a band that met its (first) end prematurely for a variety of reasons, the uncertain nature of the music business at the time playing a key role.”

-Adrian Garro
Rock Cellar Magazine

9/3/2020

‘Bleeding Audio’ Trailer: What Does It Take for a Band to Break Out in the Digital Music Industry?

“To chronicle their rise and fall, and their eventual reunion, director Chelsea Christer made the documentary Bleeding Audio, “an intimate portrait detailing The Matches’ promising career, defeating break up, and inspiring reunion, as they reflect on what success really means for musicians in today’s digital industry.””

-Hoai-Tran Bui
Slash Film

June 28, 2016

There’s going to be a documentary about The Matches, and it looks awesome.

“Some brilliant souls have decided to make a documentary about the Matches, and it looks like it's gonna be amazing. The movie is called Bleeding Audio, and it's all about the Matches, their career and break up, and about how they’ve been able to navigate the digital age of music with their reunion.”

-Kika Chatterjee
Alternative Press

Interviews

10/22/2020

“Award-winning film-maker Chelsea Christer joins Wingman Steve and Chris-183 to chat about her recently released documentary 'Bleeding Audio' about a band we all love, The Matches. Her documentary answers the question 'why were these guys not the biggest band in the world?' and we get some behind-the-scenes background on the film, the band, and recreational marijuana.”

-High School Never Ends: A Pop-Punk Dad Podcast

10/20/2020

“Christer traces her “a-ha” moment in making her first feature documentary to free marketing videos. When the director learned The Matches were reuniting, she offered to make “VH1-style ‘Where Are They Now’ videos” for the band. The idea was to make the reunion “as big and exciting as possible.” But it was during the preparatory interviews for the videos that something happened. She says, “As I learned more about their [the band members] story, I heard about the trials and tribulations they went through as a band. While their story was inherently very unique, it was a story that a lot of bands had been going through in the digital shifts. When the second show sold out in seconds and went from a reunion show to a reunion tour,” that was the sign of a special story that needed to be told.”

-Peter Wong
BeyondChron

10/12/2020

“We're joined this week by filmmaker Chelsea Christer for an in-depth discussion of her already award-winning debut feature, Bleeding Audio. This documentary details the rise, fall, and return of the legendary Bay Area alternative rock band the Matches.”

-Three Friends Go To Criterion

9/11/20

“Bionic Buzz got to interview the cast & crew of the music documentary Bleeding Audio which is about the band The Matches. Interviews with band members Shawn Harris (Vocalist and Rhythm Guitarist) and Justin San Souci (Bassist). Along with Director of the documentary Chelsea Christer and special guest DJ Rossstar (Music Journalist & Interviewer). We talked about how long it took Chelsea to put this amazing documentary together, how was it getting others on board to be in this doc, memories of The Matches on Live with DJ Rossstar, Vans Warped Tour memories from everyone and more. “

-Bionic Buzz

9/10/2020

“Today we talk with our first documentary director on the show, Chelsea Christer from the SF DocFest closing night film, Bleeding Audio! Chelsea and I had a great conversation about coping with a festival run that was upended literally right in the middle of their world premiere at Cinequest 2020, as well as the mental toll working on a documentary for nearly a decade takes on a person. “

-Head Above Water

9/4/2020

“We had a chance to chat with Director Chelsea Christer and Producer Erin Persley about the making of their documentary film Bleeding Audio.“

-Rich Girl TV

9/3/2020

“The Sound of Bleeding Audio with Director Chelsea Christer.”

-Sound Works Collection

1/9/2015

“This week I sat down with Chelsea Christer the brains behind The Matches documentary. We talk about what the band means to her and the way she got started in filmmaking".”

-Geekscape

11/18/2014

“Titled “Bleeding Audio: A Doc About The Matches & The Music Industry”, the documentary is not just about the band but for “fans of music, fans of working hard, fans of trying to achieve your dreams.””

-Stage Right Secrets