RESIDENT FEATURE
MEET THE TALENT SHOW REJECTS By Stacey McEvoy Photos by Christine Loy Photography and The Talent Show Rejects
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t’s probably no surprise that Azi Richman and Jacob Mathews of the Chatham-based indie band The Talent Show Rejects have landed on the cover of Chatham Living magazine. This talented duo, seniors at Chatham High School, have been keeping themselves busy during Jacob Mathews and Azi Richman of The Talent Show Rejects the pandemic—they wrote and released their debut EP “Jack and Jill” during the to experiment with words and names and stuff of the sort. I summer, and recorded a music video for one of the four songs just came up with that name out of the ether and I guess it from the album. They just finished writing their first full album just stuck,” says Azi, whose most recent gig in Chatham was at which they are recording this month. Fishawack Festival 2019 where he played material from his Friends since 2012 when they met on the bus going to their solo catalog. Jewish summer day camp, the two guitar players knew they “When Azi came to me with the name, it caught me off guard wanted to collaborate, but they fell short of successful. “We at first,” says Jacob. “To be honest, I was a little skeptical, but it had a huge stylistic clash, but as time marched on, we learned grew on me and I think it captures the essence and style of our to embrace that and began incorporating it in the music we music well.” ended up making,” says Azi, who also fronts another band Azi and Jacob wrote “Jack & Jill” as a concept EP (half-length called Scarlet Magnum, an Alt-Rock Duo. album) about a couple's relationship that fell apart. “The “When we started The Talent Show Rejects in April of 2020, idea stemmed from the first song “The Ballad of Jack and the band was created as our outlet to express what we were Jill” which really laid out the framework for how the EP would feeling in this crazy time--whether it was loneliness, sadness or play,” says Jacob. “The innocent optimism of that song quickly optimism, we used the music and each other to lean on,” says shifts to a darker, more ominous tone as Jack and Jill realize Jacob, whose first solo concert was Relay for Life at Haas Field things aren’t meant to be. Songs like “Scars Always Show” and in 2018, which led to playing 16 more shows in Chatham. “Shellshocked” present this shift to the audience.” The origin of the excellent name of their band? “I always like “We recorded in the thick of quarantine while we were under stay at home orders,” says Azi, adding that his favorite song "Shellshocked" has a special place in his heart. “Not only because it sounds like a blend of Coldplay and Death Cab for Cutie, but it is also the fact that we all have been in relationships that ended because of us or because of our partners. We felt the need to talk about it because it’s something we all can relate to.”
Jacob Mathews in concert at Relay for Life 2018 6 | Chatham Living
Putting the EP together was a very different process that neither of them was used to. “Not only because the entire project had been done on Zoom but also because we were both very involved in the creation of the music,” says Jacob. “This made the music more personal and
