Joe Matzzie

This Box Makes Noise has a sound and melody that takes the listener right into the heart of the American dream, the challenge of survival, and the relationships we all encounter. - The Equal Ground

Joe Matzzie takes full advantage of Indie Rock’s demand to throw out rules and regulations for what works together musically". - TheAlternateRoot

Singer-songwriter rock from a former Pittsburgher, now living in Los Angeles. Nice stuff here; Matzzie's gritty vocals — sometimes bordering on a harsh whisper — are pleasant to hear, and his songwriting is better than many. Good album! - Pittsburgh City Paper

Joe Matzzie’s unique sound revolves around his gentle yet raspy vocals and melodic, acoustic guitar riffs. His songs have a folk foundation, but Matzzie enjoys dabbling in genres across the board. Defined, acoustic guitar-driven folk songs like “California Dreamin on Ya” and the harmony filled “It’s All True” exemplify Matzzie’s core sound and display his gifted songwriting ability. - Music Connection Magazine

Part of the solution.
(Matzzie) radiates the sort charm I thought only Irish guys had. - Jim Santo's Demo Universe

I like Matzzie's voice and guitar playing as well as his harmonic sensibilities. - Musician's Exchange

This is an interesting combination here. We have good rock with an alternative edge and some horns thrown in also. No this isn't SKA, but an excellent cross over in my eyes. Their songs will have you singing along in no time. They can rock when they want to, track two shows us that. Only thing I didn't like about this CD, only six tracks. - Baxter's Anti-Zine

Joe Matzzie Beyond Belief's second CD release is a whole lot more polished than its 1996 eponymous cassette (the band's digital debut, The First 20 Minutes slipped through the cracks in the Universe) but has lost none of the charm that attracted me to them in the first place. Peppering its rootsy pop-rock with horns, along with scattered ska, jump and jazz influences, JMBB makes music that demands movement, whether its foot-tapping or outright swinging. Matzzie, who wrote, produced and arranged It's All True in a addition to singing the darn thing, is the perfect front for this kinda band; his gruff, bluesy vocals remind me variously of Paul Westerberg, Peter Wolff and Van Morrison. Grab this if you're in the mood to smile. - Jim Santo's Demo Universe

Joe Matzzie Beyond Belief's musical journey is a diverse group of songs that showcase not only his songwriting prowess, but his inherent love for rock and roll. It's All True contains 12 tracks that mix rock and roll, folk and pop under a singer-songwriter point of view, reminiscent of Lou Reed or David Byrne in theory. Lyrically sound and musically loose enough to feel like a bar room jam session ("I Can't Figure Julie Out") yet tight enough to hammer out some tasty, catchy licks ("Down And Dirty", "Alligator"), JMBB take hints of a punk rock attitude and applies them to rock songs that Kurt Cobain would write with Folk Implosions. Great usage of instrumentation helps too, as the band at points throw in some congas and horns in addition to the standard rock band setup for some flare. Looking for something left of center rooted in the mainstream? Then check out Joe Matzzie Beyond Belief for an album chock full of pleasant surprises. - 3:16 Productions

Joe Matzzie is backed up by a unique sounding band on this release. A traditional rock trio augmented by sax and trumpet provides for some interesting moments. The songwriting is catchy and the musicians have obviously spent a lot of time working on arrangements, especially the harmonies between the brass players. Alternating somewhere between straight ahead rock and roll and funk. Matzzie shows his diverse influence and a quirky vocal style" - Good Times Magazine

This release deserves credit for being interesting and striving for something different. Matzzie's specialty is a melodic yet quirky and mildly abstract style of alternative pop/rock — he wasn't the only person who was doing that type of thing in 1997, but his use of horns and hints of jazz set him apart from most alternative rockers of the late '90s. The First 20 Minutes is hardly an example of bandwagon jumping; instead of trying to emulate the latest rap-metal or ska-punk star, Matzzie is smart enough to do his own thing. The First 20 Minutes isn't perfect but, despite being mildly inconsistent, it demonstrated that Matzzie was worth keeping an eye on. - Apple iTunes

Beyond Belief has 12 delightfully melodic alternative/pop tunes written and produced by singer/songwriter Joe Matzzie of New York City. Matzzie has a talent for writing well crafted rhythmic songs about love and love lost. He has a great groove... lots of edgy rhythm guitars and the pleasant addition of trumpet, sax and congas in several songs which I liked because it gave his songs some distinction and make them stand out from a lot of the typical pop songs you hear on the radio.

"Let's Get Down and Dirty" is a fast, danceable, new wavish tune that really rocks with an unexpected horn section accent that updates what would be a purely retro track reminiscent of the late 70's- early 80's punk movement. I liked the song a lot. "Untitled Christmas Song" is another favorite of mine, simply done, but with hauntingly melodic vocals and a sax solo that ends the song. "Alligator" is another great tune with a taste of ska and bit of Cab Calloway!

Beyond Belief is well produced and has lots of great arrangements. I highly recommend this band and this CD. You can purchase it at CDBaby.com and listen to sound clips of the songs. Visit Matzzie's website for more information about this very talented singer/songwriter! - The Night Guide

Absolutely brilliant! This song has already made it to the top of my playlist and I expect it to stay there for a while. Really good stuff." - TheBestMusicYouHaveNeverHeard