SONG OF THE WEEK: 7/31/22

SONG:  "Restless"

ARTIST:  Rumbleseat

ALBUM:  "... Is Dead"

YEAR:  2005

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Gainesville, Florida

YEARS ACTIVE:  1998 - 1999

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Restless" appears to be a song about being broken by someone. The vocalist doesn't want to give up but this person knows exactly what to do to keep him down. In his quest for happiness, he just keeps coming up roadblocks. He remains in this fight though.

RUMBLESEAT DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2005 - ... Is Dead (No Idea Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON RUMBLESEAT:

Rumbleseat was a short-lived side project for Hot Water Music members Chuck Ragan and Chris Wollard, as well as Samantha Jones. The band put out four 7" singles which were later put on the compilation album "... Is Dead". This album also features some rare tracks as well. Even though the band was long broken up, "... Is Dead" didn't see the light of day until 2005. Perhaps this acoustic side project was the impetus for Chuck Ragan to eventually embark on an acoustic solo career and create the Revival Tours which featured several punk rock frontmen ditching the electric guitars for acoustics. Though Ragan continues to do some solo stuff, and Wollard also did some side work with his band The Ship Thieves. Both guys still find time to work with their main gig, Hot Water Music. I was a fan of Hot Water Music since the 90's so I pretty much heard of Rumbleseat right when they came out. The band is a bit of a rarity so if you are a fan of Ragan's solo work, you should definitely give Rumbleseat a listen.

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Chuck Ragan

Drag The River

The Riot Before

Brendan Kelly

Dan Andriano

TEN RUMBLESEAT SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Restless

2. California Burritos

3. Walk Through The Darkness

4. Trestles

5. Jackson

6. Moonshiner

7. Cursing Concrete

8. Chattanooga Bend

9. Saturn In Crosshairs

10. Rye Whiskey 

SONG OF THE WEEK: 7/24/22

SONG:  "The Last Testament"

ARTIST:  The Arrivals

ALBUM:  "Volatile Molotov"

YEAR:  2010

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Blue Island, Illinois

YEARS ACTIVE:  1996 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"The Last Testament" appears to be a song about living life in the moment because life is short. You can plot and plan out your life to cross every "t" and dot every "i", but life keeps moving and life is spontaneous. I think the vocalist is kinda saying to stop and take a breath and take in the moment because in a blink of an eye, it's over. Don't let life pass you by.

THE ARRIVALS DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2000 - Goodbye New World (Thick Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2003 - Exsenator Orange (Thick Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2007 - Marvels Of Industry (Recess Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2010 - Volatile Molotov (Recess Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON THE ARRIVALS:

The Arrivals formed as a band back in 1996, hailing from just outside of Chicago, Illinois. They were part of a pretty big punk rock scene going on in Chicago that featured some legends in the genre such as Alkaline Trio and The Lawrence Arms and a little later on Rise Against. Their very first release was a split single with The Tossers. Their debut full length album was released in 2000, called "Goodbye New World". They followed that up in 2003 with the release of Exsenator Orange. After fullfilling their deal with Thick Records, The Arrivals signed a deal with Recess Records for their next two albums, 2007's "Marvels Of Industry" and 2010's "Volatile Molotov". The band's most recent release was a split with the band The Arteries in 2011. Though they haven't released any new music in ten years, The Arrivals are very much still together and still perform live shows often, especially in the Chicago area. Some people have said that their sound is like if Mission Of Burma was trying to write Kinks songs! I always kinda felt they had a Hot Water Music vibe to their sound. The first song I ever heard from The Arrivals was "Elise" which I believe was on some comp. I dug that song, like I said, they had a Hot Water vibe. Maybe a little 88 Fingers Louie vibe as well. The first album I got by them was 2007's "Marvels Of Industry". I think these guys are a good band. They don't really stick out among the pack but they definitely have some cool tracks in their catalog.

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

The Tim Version

House Boat

The Holy Mess

North Lincoln

The Riot Before

TEN THE ARRIVALS SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Failure

2. Frontline

3. I'm Sorry For Saying I'm Sorry

4. Simple Pleasures In America

5. Hearts In The Right Place

6. Fat Of The Land

7. Two Years

8. Northern Hospitality

9. Elise

10. The Last Testament

SONG OF THE WEEK: 7/17/22

SONG:  "Searching For Shorelines"

ARTIST:  Permanent Bastards

ALBUM:  "Gun Club" EP

YEAR:  2007

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Vaughan, Ontario, Canada

YEARS ACTIVE:  2007 - present ???

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

To be honest, I have no clue what "Searching For Shorelines" is about. After a few listens, I found it hard to get all the lyrics down and I can't find the lyrics anywhere on the net to take a stab at what I think the song is about. If anyone got the lyrics, post them on my YouTube page under the video!

PERMANENT BASTARDS DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2009 - Emericans (self-released)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON PERMANENT BASTARDS:

Permanent Bastards got their start I believe around 2007. They come from a suburb of Toronto in Canada. Their first release was an EP called "Gun Club" in 2007. They self-released their debut full length album in 2009 titled "Emericans". Their most recent release was in 2011, an EP called "Young Girls". I haven't heard that these guys have broken up but they've been pretty inactive for almost 10 years now. They were posting regularly on their Facebook page in 2016 but pretty sporadically since. They posted three cryptic posts on their Facebook page in 2020 but nothing much came of it. I assume they're done which is a shame. I found out about these guys through dyingscene.com. Their "Emericans" album is a great listen. These guys have a bit of an Against Me! vibe to them. I really like this band so it sucks that they don't have a whole hell of a lot of material out there. "Those Forgotten Pioneers" is a great song. The whole "Emericans" album is great. I'd love to hear some new stuff from these guys but it seems that is less and less likely with each year that passes.

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

The Snips

The Sainte Catherines

Carpenter

The Arrivals

Black Lungs

TEN PERMANENT BASTARDS SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Those Forgotten Pioneers

2. Caught In The Crossfire

3. Emericans

4. Bloody Mary

5. Constance

6. Searching For Shorelines

7. White Tree

8. Faux Real!

9. S.O.S.

10. Add Fuel To The Fire

SONG OF THE WEEK: 7/10/22

SONG:  "Take My Breath Away"

ARTIST:  Since October

ALBUM:  "Gasping For Hope"

YEAR:  2006

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Bradenton, Florida

YEARS ACTIVE:  2005 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Take My Breath Away" is a song that appears to be about being completely heartbroken after a relationship has ended. It seems this person is all the vocalist thinks about, all he dreams about. Her not being there feels like it's killing him inside.

SINCE OCTOBER DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2006 - Gasping For Hope (self-released)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2008 - This Is My Heart (Tooth & Nail Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2010 - Life, Scars, Apologies (Tooth & Nail Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON SINCE OCTOBER:

Since October formed as a band back in 2005, hailing from Bradenton, Florida. In 2006, they self-released their debut album, "Gasping For Hope". This album helped them catch the ear of legendary Christian punk/rock label Tooth & Nail. What many consider to be their proper debut, "This Is My Heart", came out in 2008. Their single "Guilty" from this album reached #21 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart. In 2010, the band released what would be their most recent album, "Life, Scars, Apologies". The single "The Way You Move" peaked at #20 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. Since October is considered to be a Christian rock band. Their songs are very personal and often center around a theme of self-reflection and a seeking of salvation for all their sins and shortcomings. While some bands kind of try to steer away from being in that box of being labeled "Christian", Since October seems to embrace it. I'm pretty sure the first time I heard this band was when I heard "The Way You Move" so I found out about them late and worked my way back. Though there is nothing out there that has confirmed they have broken up, they really haven't been heard from in years. Their last release came out in 2010. They had a Facebook post in 2018 sharing that their manager had passed away and before that their posts dated back to 2015 so not much news out there on the Since October front.

SIMILAR ARTIST:

Saint Asonia

Smile Empty Soul

The Exies

Thousand Foot Krutch

Strata

TEN SINCE OCTOBER SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. The Way You Move

2. Guilty

3. The Show

4. Life Of Mine

5. Believe

6. Emily

7. Beautiful

8. Disaster

9. In The Moment

10. Life, Scars, Apologies

SONG OF THE WEEK: 7/3/22

SONG:  "Beautiful Gloom"

ARTIST:  The Sleeping

ALBUM:  The Big Deep

YEAR:  2010

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Long Island, New York

YEARS ACTIVE:  2003 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

When I read the lyrics to "Beautiful Gloom", I almost get the sense of a car crash that is going in slow motion. I guess that may be the metaphor of the vocalist's relationship with this girl. Even though everything is crashing down around them, he still sees something in her through it all.

THE SLEEPING DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2004 - Believe What They Tell You (One Day Savior Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2006 - Questions And Answers (Victory Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2009 - What It Takes (Victory Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2010 - The Big Deep (Victory Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON THE SLEEPING:

The Sleeping rose from the ashes of the band Skycamefalling in 2003. These Long Island, New Yorkers booked their very first tour to support a self made, three song demo when they started out. They dropped their debut full length album in 2004, titled "Believe What They Tell You". This album and relentless touring earned them a spot on the Victory Records roster for their next three releases beginning with 2006's "Questions And Answers". Their 2009 album, "What It Takes", reached #20 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart and was their most successful album. The Sleeping's most recent release was the 2010 album "The Big Deep". In 2012, the band announced they were going on an indefinite hiatus. In 2016, the original line-up decided to play one farewell show. As it usually does, this one off show turned into several more live performances. Though the band members haven't said that they will focus 100% on The Sleeping and create new music, they still get together to perform live from time to time and are still pretty active on their Facebook page so perhaps they will decide to write some new material in the near future. I first heard of this band in 2009, I'm pretty sure I heard them on a compilation album but I don't quite remember the name of it. To me, their "What It Takes" album is their finest moment. These guys came out in the early 2000's, right when their was a big push on bands that were basically pop punk but with flashes of screamo and hardcore. Think Taking Back Sunday, Silverstein or The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, all of which The Sleeping toured with at one point in their musical career. The Sleeping never quite rose to the level of those three bands but they definitely have some killer songs in their catalogue.

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Silverstein

Senses Fail

Dead Poetic

Bayside

Thursday

TEN THE SLEEPING SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. You'll Be A Corpse Before Your Time

2. Bomb The World

3. Don't Hold Back

4. Dark Days

5. Stayin' Alive (Bee Gee's cover)

6. Loud And Clear

7. The Big Breakdown

8. Young Vibes...Don't Run Away From Me

9. If Your Heart Was Broken...You Would Be Dead

10. Anyone Night Stand