NEW YORK (Atlantic press release) - Melisma/Atlantic rock group matchbox twenty wrapped up 2003 in chart-topping form, as the band was named the No1 Adult Top 40 Artist and No1
Modern AC Artist of the year, according to Billboard's Airplay Monitor. The band's success was led by their smash single, "Unwell," which was declared the No 1 most-played song of the year at both Adult Top 40 and Hot AC radio nationwide, as well as the overall No2 song of 2003 across all radio formats, with nearly 300,000 BDS detections.
"Unwell" topped the charts for a remarkable 20 weeks, becoming the band's longest-running No 1 single to date. In addition, the acclaimed companion video to "Unwell" was named the No 1 Video of the Year on VH1's year-end countdown.
Alongside "Unwell," matchbox scored with two other radio chart-toppers in '03 - "Disease" and their current single, "Bright Lights." All three songs are from the band's top ten, RIAA double-platinum album, "More Than You Think You Are," which is currently in its 58th consecutive week on the Billboard 200. Among their numerous year-end kudos, matchbox twenty was named Billboard's No 2 Pop Duo/Group and No 2 "Hot 100" Duo/Group, while the band's lead vocalist Rob Thomas was named the No 2 "Hot 100" Songwriter of the Year.
Matchbox Twenty has earned a pair of Grammy nominations this year, for Best Rock Album - "More Than You Think You Are," and Best Pop Performance By A Duo or Group - "Unwell." The "46th Annual Grammy Awards" ceremony will be broadcast live on Sunday, February 8th via the CBS-TV network. The band is also nominated for a People's Choice Award for Favorite Musical Group or Band. The "30th Annual People's Choice Awards" will be broadcast live this Sunday, January 11th, also via CBS.
In the summer of 2003, as "Unwell" was in the midst of its initial radio explosion, matchbox earned the distinction of having had more #1 hits and spending more weeks at No 1 on both the national Modern AC and Adult Top 40 charts than any other artist in history, according to BDS. At the same time, "Unwell" reached the top five on the Billboard "Hot 100," where it is now in its 41st week on the chart.
Matchbox Twenty recently wrapped up their 2003 world tour with a pair of mid-December shows in Colorado. The band's SRO concert itinerary, which earned acclaim from coast to coast and around the globe, was highlighted by sold-out shows at three of the world's premier rock venues - New York's Madison Square Garden, London's Wembley Arena, and Los Angeles' Staples Center.
The band's most recent release is a special limited edition enhanced EP, simply entitled "EP." It includes rare live and acoustic versions of songs from each of matchbox's three albums to date, plus the previously unreleased track, "Suffer Me." The CD is enhanced with an exclusive half-hour live performance filmed at the historic Troubador in Los Angeles in April 2003, along with band interviews and behind-the-scenes footage.
