Get to know Striking Matches from SI Swimsuit Launch Week!

Kelsey Hendrix | Feb 17, 2015

Yve Assad/SI

In case you missed it, we had some STELLAR acts who came out to show our SwimVille attendees just what Music City is all about. And Striking Matches, who played during our Food and Wine Festival at Acme Feed & Seed, was one of those unforgettable groups.

With a knack for mixing country, rock and blues, they're a group the whole country should get behind. Learn more about their aesthetic, background and involvement with SI Swimsuit in our Q&A below:

SWIM DAILY: Tell us about your duo. When you met in class at Belmont, did you ever imagine you’d reach this level of success together?
STRIKING MATCHES: We were both guitar majors at Belmont, and got thrown together to improvise something for the class completely randomly early in the semester. We definitely knew there was something special that first day, but we both moved to town to be guitar players for other artists, so being arists, much less being a duo definitely wasn't the first thing to come to mind! But we realized that we both loved performing, we both loved writing, and we both loved being in the studio, and all of that equated to being an artist. It took us a little while to decide that was what we were going to do, but when we did decide to take the plunge and make Striking Matches our full-time gig, everything happened really organically. We have been really really blessed these last few years!!

SWIM DAILY: Your music finds “that sweet spot at the intersection of country, rock and blues.” Where does your inspiration come from?
STRIKING MATCHES: We pull inspiration from a lot of different places. We both grew up listening to all different kinds of music, anything from classic and modern country, to classic rock, to folk, to blues. So we definitely draw inspiration from all of those influences. When we write, we write mostly from personal experiences. The songs that we love the most are generally songs like that, and a lot of the time for us writing music is the best way to heal, or to say what just words cannot convey.

SWIM DAILY: How did you guys get selected to perform on Nashville? Did your appearances on the series change your dynamic, sound or approach to musical success?
STRIKING MATCHES: It's kind of a crazy story. We have been super blessed to have had 8 songs on the show, which all happened because our publisher asked the music supervisors of the show to come by the office on their way out of town after a week's worth of listening to songs to hear us play live. They became big supporters and fans ever since. But when we got to be actually on the show, that came from hanging out with Buddy Miller, who produces the music, and he just called us up one day and told us they were recording two more of our songs and asked if we would want to play guitar on the tracks. So of course we said yes, and in the studio, they asked if we would want to be in the band on the actual episode! So we got to experience what it was like to be actors for a day ha! It was a really cool experience. The show has given us a really amazing opportunity to get our name out there. People have been able to find our music after having songs on the show, so it has been an incredible launchpad! We have also become great friends with a few of the cast members and have written a few songs with our buddy Sam Palladio. So it has been an all around awesome experience!

SWIM DAILY: How can a duo, like yourself, set itself apart in a time when everyone who’s “indie” is trying to make a unique sound?
STRIKING MATCHES: What makes us different than other duos at the end of the day, is the guitar element to what we do. There aren't very many male/female duos out there that share both lead guitar and lead vocals. And both of those are really prominent in our sound both on our record and in our performances. So that is definitely what makes us unique.

SWIM DAILY: Lastly, how did you get involved in Swimsuit Launch Week? Was it a unique experience to most of the shows you play?
STRIKING MATCHES: Our dear friends Butch and Sunny Spyridon and the city of Nashville were kind enough to ask us to play for the event, and we were so honored! It was such a great event for the city, so we were really grateful to be a part of it. The setting and the event itself was definitely a unique experience, so many local restaurants and artists which made it really cool. But ultimately we approached it like every show. We had fun and did our best to rock out, and it was a blast!

Be sure to come back later today for our next Q&A with The Weeks!

BONUS: See photos of all of our musical acts at our Nashville-based SI Swimsuit Launch Week events.

Will Hoge at Swimville