Matt Bleyle
American musician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Matt Bleyle is a musician and songwriter best known for his work with Bay Area-based rock and hardcore bands such as Violent Change, the Abi Yoyos, and Caged Animal, where he played with Tony Molina.[1][2][3][4] He is also part of the transatlantic musical group Cuneiform Tabs, and runs the record label Sloth Mate.[5][6][7]
First Bands
Bleyle was raised in Mill Valley, California and attended Tamalpais High School. As a teenager, he discovered punk and hardcore after growing disillusioned with mainstream radio and seeking out his own music.[1]
While a high school student, Bleyle started one of his first bands, the Abi Yoyos. The name comes from a character in a Pete Seeger song.[8] Their album Mill Valley was described by Razorcake as “dirty, often weird in the right places.” [9]
That year they topped the bill at the annual Punk Prom at 924 Gilman in Berkeley and completed their first national tour, which included dates in New Mexico and New York.[8] The Abi Yoyos dissolved in 2007.[3]
Bleyle was also in a band, Psycho 78, that rehearsed in a grange hall near San Quentin, and opened for British punk group The Partisans.[1]
Citations
- Lefebvre, Sam (July 9, 2014). "Violent Change". East Bay Express. Retrieved April 10, 2026.
- "Graded on a Curve: Cuneiform Tabs, Cuneiform Tabs". The Vinyl District. August 8, 2024. Retrieved April 10, 2026.
- Bischoff, Björn (June 6, 2025). "Cuneiform Tabs haben sich gefunden, damit wir vergessen können, wo wir sind". HHV Mag (in German). Retrieved April 10, 2026.
- Harkin, Michael (October 17, 2006). "Straight outta Mill Valley". SF Bay Guardian. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved April 10, 2026.
- "Abi Yoyos: Mill Valley". Razorcake. Retrieved 2026-04-09.
References
- Harkin, Michael (October 17, 2006). "Straight outta Mill Valley". SF Bay Guardian. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved April 10, 2026.
- Lefebvre, Sam (July 9, 2014). "Violent Change". East Bay Express. Retrieved April 10, 2026.
- Scott, Tim (September 16, 2016). "Listen to Violent Change's Beautiful and Weary Loner Pop". Vice (Noisey). Retrieved April 8, 2026.
- Zed (2005). "The Abi Yoyos". Scene Point Blank. Retrieved April 10, 2026.
- Zed (April 26, 2005). "Review, The Abi Yoyos, The World is Not My Home". Scene Point Blank. Retrieved April 10, 2026.
- Bischoff, Björn (June 6, 2025). "Cuneiform Tabs haben sich gefunden, damit wir vergessen können, wo wir sind". HHV Mag (in German). Retrieved April 10, 2026.
- Vito, Zachary (August 26, 2024). "Little Tape Labels Keep the Bay Area Popping". Bandcamp Daily. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
- Hinman, Jay (July 20, 2024). "Q&A with Violent Change". Agony Shorthand. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
- Leach, Jasper (June 28, 2023). "A Decade (plus) of Violent Change — Interview". Moondog Motel (Substack). Retrieved April 8, 2026.
- "Violent Change". East Bay Express. 2014. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
- Donker, Robb; Fischmann, Zack (2019). "Premiere: The Great Beyond's psychedelic campfire "Automatic Love" from the upcoming album "Heaven is a Room"". American Pancake. Retrieved April 12, 2026.