Angels & Airwaves (also known as AvA) is an alternative rock band from San … Read Full Bio ↴Angels & Airwaves (also known as AvA) is an alternative rock band from San Diego, California, created by blink-182 and Box Car Racer guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge. The current line-up consists of Tom DeLonge and drummer Ilan Rubin.

Tom DeLonge began working new material during the blink-182's final tour in 2004 and shortly after they began their hiatus in February 2005. For half a year he worked alone in his home studio before gathering musicians to form the band. Upon fiddling randomly for several weeks with the band's logo, Tom suddenly realized that if he were to invert the middle "A" of the band 's acronym into what appeared to be a "V", he would have the name of his daughter, Ava. As rumors were floating around about the band's "break-up", DeLonge chose to abstain for half a year from any interviews surrounding the issue and his future plans; instead he concentrated on writing and recording in his home-based studio. In September 2005, he finally spoke publicly in Kerrang! magazine, where he unveiled the name of his new band, "Angels & Airwaves". The band included former Hazen Street guitarist and high-school friend David Kennedy, former Rocket from the Crypt drummer Adam Willard and former The Distillers bassist Ryan Sinn.

The band released their first single, "The Adventure" on May 18, 2006 and their debut album, "We Don't Need to Whisper", on May 23, 2006. Recorded and produced at DeLonge's Never Pants Ranch, the album is a mix of huge production values and anthemic songwriting sounding nothing like the pop-punk sound that earned DeLonge huge amounts of credit for his work with Blink-182

The band released new album "I-Empire" On 5th November, 2007 which gained fast popularity, climbing to the number one spot on iTunes almost overnight. The first single from the new album, "Everything's Magic", was leaked onto the internet, and on August 25, 2007 it was the most requested song on California radio station KROQ. Angels & Airwaves began streaming the song on their myspace profile on August 28, 2007. I-Empire debuted on the Billboard 200 chart at No.9 with sales of 66,000 in its first week. On November 16, 2007, Tom announced on Modlife.com that "Breathe" will be the next single/music video off of the I-Empire album. A documentary by the band entitled Start The Machine has also been released.

According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Tom Delonge tradmarked the name "Angels and Airwaves" on June 24, 2005. The name apparently occured to him whilst driving in his car. Realizing this would be frequently abbreviated to "AAA", he decided to move the middle letter upside down for a more unique and personally meaningful "AVA" as his daughter is named Ava. This was amongst the lingering confusion of Blink-182's "indefinite hiatus" which later led to a confirmed split and the beginning of the band.

In an interview with British magazine Kerrang!, DeLonge commented about the band's beginning:
"Just before all the blink-182 stuff happened when we were in Europe, I had a really weird epiphany. My heart was beating about a hundred miles a minute for three weeks straight and it had never happened to me before in my life. I really felt like I'd been touched by something and I felt I was meant to do something massive."

Originally, "Valkyrie Missile" was stated for release via iTunes on December 13, 2005, DeLonge's 30th birthday. However, due to discussions with their record label, Geffen, the band decided to push the release date back to a later date. Instead, the Angels & Airwaves website produced the first ever glimpse at the movie currently in production, a 1-and-a-half minute long trailer featuring portions of the delayed song.

Angels and Airwaves released both a music video and a short film for their first single, "The Adventure"; the band also released a short film for "It Hurts" via the band's official website. Both are short sci-fi films and together form the first part of a proposed ten-part series, following the cast's struggle through an unfamiliar world. On October 3, 2006, the band released the third installment in the series, "The Gift".

"Do It for Me Now" was released in the US as the second single and "It Hurts" was released in the UK as the second single at the same time. The music video for "It Hurts" is in fact the short-film released on April 18th and was available to select on the UK music television channel Kerrang!.

In 2006, the band embarked on their first full-length tour, which was headlined by Taking Back Sunday and supported by Head Automatica and The Subways. Numerous one-stop dates at the Give It A Name 2006 festival were played with the likes of My Chemical Romance, Lostprophets, We Are Scientists, Hundred Reasons, Panic! at the Disco, The Bled, Thrice, Billy Talent, Goldfinger, Underoath, Paramore, The Ataris, Aiden and Atreyu. The band also played on The Late Show with David Letterman on May 15, 2006. The band headlined a tour in the US, supported by The Sounds, which ended with a stop in Mexico City, Mexico. After that tour, the band went to perform in Japan and Australia.

They also performed at two shows at London's Hyde Park and in Manchester supporting the Foo Fighters on their successful In Your Honor tour. Over 100,000 people over both days. Other bands they played with over the two days included The Strokes, Eagles of Death Metal, Motorhead, Queens of the Stone Age, Juliette and the Licks, and Brian May and Roger Meddows-Taylor from Queen.

Among the plans for a big future, AVA have announced they are planning on releasing a film involving their music. The World War II-based movie is being created primarily through the use of CGI. This "story" is apparently based upon Tom's life and will give viewers insight into the hiatus of blink-182. Currently, the only known cast member is Michael Ostman.

Tom DeLonge stated in his PR Editorial Review:
"So preachy, I know. And I don't mean for it to be. I wanted it to be the recording of an emotional event in my life. I love the idea of an album doing that, because I knew that if I could get 150,000 people in an arena to have the same feeling at the exact same moment, it would end up feeling like a religious event. I really want the room to be dark, with black light or a candle. People should have headphones on, and they should be really comfortable, maybe sitting on the floor, leaning against the bed. I spent a year and a half working on this record, trying my hardest to give people a moment of escapism. All I ask is 50 minutes of a lowered heart rate."

On 16 July 2007, the Angels & Airwaves website was updated to feature a teaser trailer in the startup. The trailer features the song Star Of Bethlehem playing over concert footage, quotes from critics about "We Don't Need To Whisper", and members of the band riding on motorcycles and riding in a truck.

Moon as My Witness
Angels & Airwaves Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

There's something you said
A whirlwind, a voice
"Together," you said
But I have no choice
Oh please
Stay a while
God, I love your smile

I never felt alone
But here feels like hell
When I am on my own
And you're all I feel
Oh please
Stay a while
God, I love your smile

A rat in a cage
A stone in a stream
I float far away
I live in a dream
Oh please
Stay a while
God, I love your smile

And how bout that thing
You do when you're awake
A laugh with a sting
A bite from a snake
Oh please

Stay a while
God, I love your smile

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Angels & Airwaves' song Moon As My Witness express the feeling of absolute dependence on someone else. The singer of the song deeply admires someone's presence and simply cannot imagine their life without them. The lines "There's something you said, A whirlwind, a voice, 'Together,' you said, But I have no choice" indicate that the subject of the song is ready to follow their beloved person anywhere and do anything to keep them in their life.

The chorus of the song is a plea for the other person to stay by their side as they cannot bear to be alone. The lines "I never felt alone, But here feels like hell, When I am on my own, And you're all I feel" express the comfort that the singer feels around this person and how their absence would make them feel completely alone and lost.

The final stanza of the song speaks of the person's quirky mannerisms and how those are just another reason why the singer cannot live without them. The lines "And how 'bout that thing, You do when you're awake, A laugh with a sting, A bite from a snake" portrays the complexity and mysteriousness of the person being sung about, who can both cause pain and make the singer laugh all at once. The song ends with another heartfelt plea for them to stay around.

Line by Line Meaning

There's something you said
You said something that made an impact on me

A whirlwind, a voice
Your words were like a force of nature, with a powerful effect

"Together," you said
You expressed a desire for us to stay connected in some way

But I have no choice
I cannot control the circumstances that are driving us apart

Oh please
I am pleading with you to give me a chance to express my feelings

Stay a while
I want you to be with me for a longer period of time

God, I love your smile
Your smile brings me joy and happiness

I never felt alone
I always felt like you were there for me

But here feels like hell
Without you, my current situation is unbearable

When I am on my own
I am struggling to cope with your absence

And you're all I feel
I am consumed by the emotions I have for you

A rat in a cage
I feel trapped and unable to escape my situation

A stone in a stream
I am being pushed and pulled by external forces beyond my control

I float far away
I drift away from the present moment and into a dreamlike state

I live in a dream
My mind is lost in thoughts of you, creating a fantasy world

And how bout that thing
I am curious about that particular aspect of your personality

You do when you're awake
I am interested in how you behave in a conscious state

A laugh with a sting
Your laughter has a sharp edge to it, making it both funny and painful

A bite from a snake
Your actions can hurt like a snake bite, even if they are not intended to be malicious

Oh please
I am still making a plea for you to listen to me

Stay a while
I want you to spend more time with me to try and fix what we have lost

God, I love your smile
Your smile is still something that gives me a great deal of joy

Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ADAM WILLARD, TOM DELONGE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Angelic Obscurities

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There's something you said
A whirlwind, a voice
"Together, " you said
But I have no choice
Oh please
Stay a while
God, I love your smile
I never felt alone
But here feels like hell
When I am on my own
And you're all I feel
Oh please
Stay a while
God, I love your smile
A rat in a cage
A stone in a stream
I float far away
I live in a dream
Oh please
Stay a while
God, I love your smile
And how bout that thing
You do when you're awake
A laugh with a sting
A bite from a snake
Oh please
Stay a while
God, I love your smile