Madina Lake: Matthew Leone

For those of you who know me you should know I love a band by the name of Madina Lake. I discovered them at Warp Tour 2009 and instantly fell in love.

First off, the lead singer, Nathan, was barefoot and climbing all over the barriers between the stage and the crowd. He was right down with the fans, singing, holding their hands, all involved, and ignoring the security guards who are usually against fans touching the musicians. The next thing I noticed was his freakishly huge mouth when he sang! lol I'm not joking, this skinny little guy has some vocal chords and a huge mouth to match. He had such positive energy that, although I'd never heard of the band before, I stopped to watch. I then noticed the other band members. The bassist, Matthew, was the identical twin brother of the lead singer. The band was so amazing that I started to wish I had known them before that moment because I so wanted to sing along. After one of their many songs Nathan introduced all the band, saying their names and where they were from. He then said: "On three, scream your names! One! Two! Three!" He held the mic out to the crowd and everyone yelled their names, including me. Nathan then announced: "Now we're best friends!" He proceeded to thank everyone for their support and they sang a few more songs before leaving the stage.

I really wanted to meet them but the line to their tent was too long and security had to cut it off so the band could leave but I ended up buying their 2 CDs because of this encounter. I've been a huge fan ever since.

So it shocked me when I checked their site, which I haven't done for a while, and saw the most horrible news. Matthew was attacked!

He was walking on a Chicago street and came upon a domestic dispute where a husband was beating his wife in public. Matthew stepped in and defended the woman, he knew neither of them, and ended up having the husband turn on him. He's now suffering from brain and facial injuries and has already had one surgery.

The worst news is that Matthew doesn't have insurance. So many bands have gathered together to play and all of the money is going to Matthew. They are also doing an auction on ebay for many different collector items, provided by other bands, signed CD's and shirts etc.

I wish I lived closer to Chicago so I could attend one of the concerts :(
I seriously teared up when I read about Matthew being attacked. This band is awesome and you can tell from his actions that Matthew is an amazing person!

I wish him a fast recovery and the ability to still perform because he's such a talented person! All my love to Madina Lake and the family/friends of Matthew in this trying time.

Go to their site for more info: madinalake.com