is a melodic hardcore unit from Poughkeepsie, NY. The band started in 1997 when bassist
. All computer-savvy, the bandmembers hit the Internet hard, designing their own website and using it for shameless promotion of their wildly emotional take on crashing, midtempo hardcore. The band gained exposure through listings on unsigned band sites like MP3.com, and eventually began playing to a growing audience throughout the Northeast.
Epitaph honcho
Brett Gurewitz heard
the Getaway's demo via punknews.org, got in touch with
Jordan, and soon the bandmembers found themselves in California, signing a deal with the famous punk rock label. Legal issues encouraged
the Getaway to become
Matchbook Romance,
Gurewitz volunteered to produce their debut EP, tours were arranged, and
Joe Barresi (
Weezer,
Pennywise) was lined up to produce the band's eventual full-length. Not bad for a bunch of guys who had faith in MP3.com. The
West for Wishing EP appeared in April of 2003 with their debut full-length,
Stories and Alibis, surfacing five months later. Lots of touring helped the latter release sell upward of 200,000 copies, and a 2004 split with
Motion City Soundtrack satisfied fans until the more ambitious
Voices was issued in February 2006. The guys spent much of the year on the road, including summer dates opening for
Yellowcard. However, by March 2007, it all came to a sudden end as
Matchbook Romance announced it was going on an indefinite hiatus for unspecified reasons.
–
Johnny Loftus, Rovi