American Steel was formed in 1995 in West Oakland. When offered their first… Read Full Bio ↴American Steel was formed in 1995 in West Oakland. When offered their first show, the group took their name from the block-long sign on the warehouse across the street. After playing at parties and smaller venues around the Bay Area for over a year, and undergoing several lineup changes, which resulted in a more serious and tour-ready conglomerate, the band bought a van and embarked on their first tour of the US, lasting 32 days and covering 12,000 miles.

After returning from tour, American Steel went into the studio with engineer Kevin Army (Operation Ivy, Green Day, The Mr. T Experience, etc.) to record their eponymous first album, released on San Francisco's New Disorder Records, home of Half Empty, The Cost, The Enemies, and many others. In 1998, the band appeared on several compilations and toured the country twice, re-visiting some cities from previous tours and playing numerous new ones.

In the spring of 1999, American Steel signed to Lookout! and again went into the studio with Kevin Army to record Rogue's March, released in October 1999. The recording process was intermittent, due to guitarist Ryan's initial diagnosis and early battle with leukemia. Part of the urgent, soul-searching quality of the album came from the band's personal struggle with Ryan's illness, most poignantly captured in their song, "Hope Springs from Somewhere." 2000 saw the band tour relentlessly in both the U.S. and Canada, including appearances at South by Southwest and CMJ. Rogue's March became an underground favorite, topping many fanzine's lists of "Best Record of the Year." By the end of 2000, American Steel was firmly established as one of the most explosive bands in the Bay Area. In addition to their bigger and better than ever local shows, they also received a nomination for "Best Punk Album," along with Rancid, Green Day, No Doubt & Blink 182 in the California Music Awards 2001.

While clearly influenced by the early East Bay sound, American Steel's song structures often owe more to the much older sounds of traditional Motown, folk, and rock than to punk or hardcore. This combination of traditional music and punk rock, of the subtlety of the former with the power of the latter, defines and reconciles the diverse group of songs that make up Jagged Thoughts, American Steel's latest LP. Having fully absorbed their punk influences to make Rogue's March, a new definitive East Bay Punk album, American Steel set forth to start creating an entirely new genre of music. An exciting take on rock and roll equally tempered by punk's hardness, swagger and jangle and melodic pop's irresistible essence, Jagged Thoughts was a masterwork by a band of incredible promise.

In the spring of 2002 the band broke up, only to shortly reform under the name of Communique with the addition of a keyboardist.

The band reformed early in 2007, and have since released the album Destroy Their Future on Fat Wreck Chords.

American Steel toured Europe in October of 2009 supporting All American Rejects and played a one off headline show in Camden, London with Rooftops.

Safe and Sound
American Steel Lyrics

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Rise and shine, it's morning in America
You're running out of time
Whoa, now you're tuning in
Whoa, now you're tuning out

You're feeling fine, but in the back of your mind
There's an internal conflict
You're feeling fine but all the time

The telecasters insist

That now, the lights are dimming down
Your eyes are spinning around
You'll never be safe and sound
You'll never be safe and sound

Rise and shine, do you know where your children are?
Do you know where your children aren't?
Whoa, now you're tuning in
Whoa, now you're tuning out

You're feeling fine, but in the back of your mind
There's an internal conflict
You're feeling fine but all the time
The telecasters insist

That now, the lights are dimming down
Your eyes are spinning around
You'll never be safe and sound
You'll never be safe and sound

Now the lights are dimming down
Your eyes are spinning around
You'll never be safe and sound
You'll never be safe and sound

The lights are dimming down
Your eyes are spinning around
You'll never be safe and sound
You'll never be safe and sound

You'll never be safe and sound

Overall Meaning

American Steel's song "Safe and Sound" is a commentary on the state of America, where people are constantly bombarded by information from different sources, such as the TV, radio, and online media. The song paints a bleak picture of the world, where there's internal conflict, uncertainty, and danger lurking around every corner, robbing people of their sense of safety and security. The lyrics suggest that people are like zombies, tuning into the media and tuning out the real world, as they struggle to keep up with the endless flow of information.

The song starts with the line "Rise and shine, it's morning in America," a reference to Ronald Reagan's famous campaign slogan, which promised a brand new day for Americans. However, the tone of the song quickly shifts, as the lyrics question whether people are running out of time or tuning out the harsh reality of their lives. It's a reminder that people are losing their grip on reality, as they're trapped in a cycle of endless consumption of news and information.

The chorus of the song drives home the theme that people will never be safe and sound, no matter how hard they try, as the media is constantly feeding them with information that can be confusing, contradictory, and potentially dangerous. The lyrics also allude to the fact that parents often struggle to keep their children safe in a world where danger can strike at any moment. Overall, American Steel's "Safe and Sound" is a poignant reminder that in today's world, the concept of safety and security can be illusory and unattainable.

Line by Line Meaning

Rise and shine, it's morning in America
It's a new day in America, time to wake up and get going.

You're running out of time
There's a sense of urgency, time is running out.

Whoa, now you're tuning in
You're starting to pay attention to something.

Whoa, now you're tuning out
You're starting to ignore or lose interest in something.

You're feeling fine, but in the back of your mind There's an internal conflict
You may seem okay on the surface, but you're struggling internally.

You're feeling fine but all the time The telecasters insist
Despite feeling okay, the media keeps insisting that there's something to worry about.

That now, the lights are dimming down Your eyes are spinning around You'll never be safe and sound You'll never be safe and sound
Things are getting worse and it feels like there's no way to truly feel safe.

Rise and shine, do you know where your children are? Do you know where your children aren't?
As a parent, it's important to know where your children are, and where they're not.

Now the lights are dimming down Your eyes are spinning around You'll never be safe and sound You'll never be safe and sound
Once again, things are getting darker and more uncertain.

The lights are dimming down Your eyes are spinning around You'll never be safe and sound You'll never be safe and sound
The repetition emphasizes the feeling of impending doom and hopelessness.

You'll never be safe and sound
This is the central message of the song: there's no real safety or security in the world we live in.

Contributed by Caroline T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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