Gatsby's American Dream
Gatsbys American Dream is a Seattle-based rock band. Since their founding i… Read Full Bio ↴Gatsbys American Dream is a Seattle-based rock band. Since their founding in 2001, they have written four albums, and one EP. They have also appeared on a few compilations with original songs and covers. Gatsbys American Dream gets their name from The Great Gatsby, a book written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Although it's widely agreed the band is hard to classify into one subgenre, it can be said they draw influence from alternative pop/rock, indie pop, indie rock, post-hardcore, and pop punk.
Gatsbys began with the disbanding of two bands called One Point Two and Good For Nothing. Bobby Darling was a guitarist for One Point Two and met up with Nic Newsham and Ryan Van Wieringen who were the lead singer and guitarist from Good For Nothing. The completion of Gatsbys didn't come until they recruited Kirk Huffman (formerly of K Through Six) to play bass and Dustin McGhye as their drummer, to make them a five piece band.
When Kaylan Cloyd from the band Acceptance got his hands on a Gatsbys demo, he handed it off to record label Rocketstar Recordings owner Darrick Bourgeois. Shortly after this, they were signed by the local record label and worked with producer Aaron Sprinkle to record their 2002 debut album Why We Fight. Their first show after being signed drew in a crowd of 500+, which was largely due in part to the extensive promoting by Rocketstar.
After Why We Fight came out, the band regrouped dropping drummer McGhye and picked up the Waxwing and Bugs in Amber drummer Rudy Gajadhar. Then in 2003, the band released their second album titled Ribbons & Sugar. Ribbons & Sugar was a concept album loosely based around George Orwell's fable Animal Farm. It became apparent to critics and fans alike after this release of Ribbons & Sugar that literary references in their lyrics were a thing to be expected. It also found them exploring ambitious experimental pop, opting for strange time signatures and tempo changes.
Gatsbys signed a two record deal with Rocketstar, and with Ribbons & Sugar being their second album, their Rocketstar contract ended and both parties decided that neither wanted to renew the contract, and both decided to go their separate ways.
Following its release, the band started to field numerous offers from other, bigger record labels. Slightly embittered by the receiving, the band signed a one-record deal with Chicago-based LLR Records (formerly Little League Records) in 2004. Their contractual record, the more mellow and subdued In the Land of Lost Monsters EP, was in part a response to the post-Ribbons record label attention the band received. Just about all of the labels that approached them thought they were excellent musicians, but wanted the band to write choruses for the next record, a normal songwriting technique the band had up to that point, seemed to avoid. Gatsbys, feeling uncomfortable about forgoing their integrity in order to get a record contract, continued writing music that they liked and in the way they wanted to write it. Doing so simply brought them more acclaim as a progressive rock band.
Several months after the EP's release, the band settled on Fearless Records, home of such acts as the now-defunct post-hardcore/indie rock legends At The Drive-In. With their 2005 album Volcano, it became clear that, as a band, the group had progressed to further musical heights, and was highly capable of writing music that is different from other bands that are usually clumped into the same category as Gatsbys.
Volcano having its central theme revolving around, what else but a volcano (particularly Pompeii, which becomes clear after seeing the title of the second song on the album) had yet once again literary references through out it, ranging from Pee Wee's Big Adventure, to Lord of the Flies, Lord of the Rings, Jurassic Park, Enders Game, and Speaker for the Dead.
During the touring that followed the release of Volcano, Gatsby's added a new member, Kyle O'Quin who is also a member of the band Surrounded By Lions.
During the tour that followed the release of Volcano, Gatsbys added Kyle O'Quin (also a member of the band Surrounded By Lions). A few months after O'Quin was added to the band, Ryan Van Wieringen met up with the band in Arizona while they were on tour there and rejoined the line up. Since then, he has been touring and performing live as part of the band.
Van Wieringen did not, however, participate in writing any guitar parts for their self-titled fourth full-length album, released August 8th, 2006. The album bears all the hallmarks of a Gatsbys record: an album of musical experimentation in a pop context, peppered with numerous pop culture and literary references, which appear in both the lyrics and song titles, ranging from works by Philip K. Dick to the television show Lost. The album is, however, noticeably bitter towards the music industry, even compared to previous Gatsbys releases, scalding both current "trend" bands and greedy record labels.
The band has been relatively inactive since the release of the self-titled album. The band has played a handful of shows in and around the Seattle area, and on April 27, 2007, they played their first out-of-state show since the self-titled album's release at Colgate University. In a forum post at Gatsbys fansite Snicker At The Swine, Bobby stated the following on the band's decision to ever go on tour again or write another album:
“ If i find I have more to say with Gatsbys I will write more music. We're not gonna just play to play. The only way I'll do more Gatsbys is if we are making new music. Which I am totally open to. I really have been working on new Gatsbys music. I'll probably lay down some demo shit the next time I'm at Casey's.”
During the hiatus, most of the members have started side projects.
Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground.
Wild Orchid Children.
Redredblue.
Keith Ledger.
Search/Rescue.
Zero Cool.
Rudy also played all of the drum parts for Forgive Durden's release "Razia's Shadow".
Gatsbys began with the disbanding of two bands called One Point Two and Good For Nothing. Bobby Darling was a guitarist for One Point Two and met up with Nic Newsham and Ryan Van Wieringen who were the lead singer and guitarist from Good For Nothing. The completion of Gatsbys didn't come until they recruited Kirk Huffman (formerly of K Through Six) to play bass and Dustin McGhye as their drummer, to make them a five piece band.
When Kaylan Cloyd from the band Acceptance got his hands on a Gatsbys demo, he handed it off to record label Rocketstar Recordings owner Darrick Bourgeois. Shortly after this, they were signed by the local record label and worked with producer Aaron Sprinkle to record their 2002 debut album Why We Fight. Their first show after being signed drew in a crowd of 500+, which was largely due in part to the extensive promoting by Rocketstar.
After Why We Fight came out, the band regrouped dropping drummer McGhye and picked up the Waxwing and Bugs in Amber drummer Rudy Gajadhar. Then in 2003, the band released their second album titled Ribbons & Sugar. Ribbons & Sugar was a concept album loosely based around George Orwell's fable Animal Farm. It became apparent to critics and fans alike after this release of Ribbons & Sugar that literary references in their lyrics were a thing to be expected. It also found them exploring ambitious experimental pop, opting for strange time signatures and tempo changes.
Gatsbys signed a two record deal with Rocketstar, and with Ribbons & Sugar being their second album, their Rocketstar contract ended and both parties decided that neither wanted to renew the contract, and both decided to go their separate ways.
Following its release, the band started to field numerous offers from other, bigger record labels. Slightly embittered by the receiving, the band signed a one-record deal with Chicago-based LLR Records (formerly Little League Records) in 2004. Their contractual record, the more mellow and subdued In the Land of Lost Monsters EP, was in part a response to the post-Ribbons record label attention the band received. Just about all of the labels that approached them thought they were excellent musicians, but wanted the band to write choruses for the next record, a normal songwriting technique the band had up to that point, seemed to avoid. Gatsbys, feeling uncomfortable about forgoing their integrity in order to get a record contract, continued writing music that they liked and in the way they wanted to write it. Doing so simply brought them more acclaim as a progressive rock band.
Several months after the EP's release, the band settled on Fearless Records, home of such acts as the now-defunct post-hardcore/indie rock legends At The Drive-In. With their 2005 album Volcano, it became clear that, as a band, the group had progressed to further musical heights, and was highly capable of writing music that is different from other bands that are usually clumped into the same category as Gatsbys.
Volcano having its central theme revolving around, what else but a volcano (particularly Pompeii, which becomes clear after seeing the title of the second song on the album) had yet once again literary references through out it, ranging from Pee Wee's Big Adventure, to Lord of the Flies, Lord of the Rings, Jurassic Park, Enders Game, and Speaker for the Dead.
During the touring that followed the release of Volcano, Gatsby's added a new member, Kyle O'Quin who is also a member of the band Surrounded By Lions.
During the tour that followed the release of Volcano, Gatsbys added Kyle O'Quin (also a member of the band Surrounded By Lions). A few months after O'Quin was added to the band, Ryan Van Wieringen met up with the band in Arizona while they were on tour there and rejoined the line up. Since then, he has been touring and performing live as part of the band.
Van Wieringen did not, however, participate in writing any guitar parts for their self-titled fourth full-length album, released August 8th, 2006. The album bears all the hallmarks of a Gatsbys record: an album of musical experimentation in a pop context, peppered with numerous pop culture and literary references, which appear in both the lyrics and song titles, ranging from works by Philip K. Dick to the television show Lost. The album is, however, noticeably bitter towards the music industry, even compared to previous Gatsbys releases, scalding both current "trend" bands and greedy record labels.
The band has been relatively inactive since the release of the self-titled album. The band has played a handful of shows in and around the Seattle area, and on April 27, 2007, they played their first out-of-state show since the self-titled album's release at Colgate University. In a forum post at Gatsbys fansite Snicker At The Swine, Bobby stated the following on the band's decision to ever go on tour again or write another album:
“ If i find I have more to say with Gatsbys I will write more music. We're not gonna just play to play. The only way I'll do more Gatsbys is if we are making new music. Which I am totally open to. I really have been working on new Gatsbys music. I'll probably lay down some demo shit the next time I'm at Casey's.”
During the hiatus, most of the members have started side projects.
Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground.
Wild Orchid Children.
Redredblue.
Keith Ledger.
Search/Rescue.
Zero Cool.
Rudy also played all of the drum parts for Forgive Durden's release "Razia's Shadow".
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Gatsby's American Dream Lyrics
A Conversation With the Devil I get, what I want, this time, baby Foul temptress I…
A Manifesto of Tangible Wealth eloise sits, this privileged corpse a mundane pace offers …
A Mind of Metal and Wheels Far beyond there lies the vaudeville where creatures are ga…
Acoustic Vox what on earth can atone for all the wrong i've done? oh…
Apparition it's a broken house bloody handprints on the wall ghosts…
Badd Beat We'll book this tour it will be oh oh oh…
Badlands They call this the badlands baby But it used to be…
Beware Beware beware, beware out of their closets the skeletons are comin…
Castaway I head for distant lands Leaving my expenses Forsake this la…
Christmas Time Is Here Christmas time is here, happiness and cheer. Food for all, …
Counterfeit Language you've seen this kid before he sits fists clenched when…
Cut the Strings this is frustration this is me using the same tricks…
Don't Think Twice It's All Right Well It ain't use to sit and wonder why, babe If…
Epilogue Take your knife out The blade is deep in my back But…
Fable Landed in this place Tried to make this island more like…
Fall Of George Mallory Oh yeah, yeah And the birds eat your insides Clutching the m…
Filthy Beasts Consuming every little thing we get our claws around I do…
Game Over Now with silence broken, your torch has sputtered out and…
Golden Ticket Receive news of your misfortune And its scratching out my e…
I Smell an Agenda Does the left hand, know what the right hand is…
Just Like Heaven Show me, show me how you do that trick The one…
Looks Like The Real Thing I can tell you're lying It cuts through my belly Let the…
Margaritas and Cock You gotta bring the hope back baby The wide-eyed belief tha…
Me And Ed Loyce The vagrant on my corner who is speaking to birds is…
Meet Me at the Tavern in Bowerstone Got a brand new face, so brittle that it falls…
My Name Is Ozymandias With a wink and a nod we're all giving favors…
Nicarockya So run away to find solace in the nothingness of…
Nobody Wins Subtract the greed that spurs you on and there's no…
Pompeii Set against the mountainside And oh the hubris burns so bri…
Recondition Reprogram Reactivate Relearn to feel. Somewhere I forgot about the feeling. If fe…
Red Red Blue Baby don't play with that rattle Baby does what she knows…
Saint Nicholas I will fight for the glory and future of Christmas…
Shadow of the Colossus We're not what you think we are We make product and…
Shhhhhh! I'm Listening To Reas break out the blindfolds! theres teens cloaked in sheepskin …
Shhhhhh! I'm Listening to Reason Break out the blindfolds! There's teens cloaked in sheepski…
Snicker at the Swine eating from the trough again stuffing his mouth with glory…
Speaker for the Dead beaches make the sand white make the sand all romantic and…
Station 5: The Pearl like an anchor tied around my ankle but i want to…
The Badlands They call this the badlands, baby, But it used to be…
The Child Glorious light covers him tonight. Him: unaware and silent, …
The Dragon of Pendor I've been dreaming, late at night, In darkness, in the land…
The Giant's Drink I will be the fire on your lips But I'm overlooked…
The Guilt Engine My shame is cold like a grave But my lust is…
The Horse You Rode in On i think i've read this book before hardbound shiny cover…
The Hunter What if when the curtains go down there is nothing…
The Loosing of the Shadow How could you understand? The way I feel about god... How …
The Rundown I am afraid Of the book of blank pages God, I'm afraid …
The White Mountains The thing is we live in fear - fear of…
Theatre I see the world in a swirl of hues But my…
We Can Remember It For You Wholesale As we creep along The beat from our wings keeps us…
We're Not Orphans Artificial, Prosthetic hands are sympathetic, But I'll p…
Where Shadows Lie You made my heart your home So I snuck up on…
Why We Fight So we beat on Our boats against the current So we beat…
Work Lies Sex Love Fear Hate Friendship Production line chasing mechanical dreams I'm not just a nu…
Yes This Is About You We're almost out of batteries So if you lose the feed,…
You All Everybody Im not mad Im just tired and it makes me sad At…
You Stole My Story Look at me, when I talk to you My eyes can't…
Your Only Escape Evil has a sweet, sweet scent Wickedness is fresh and new…