Born from a friendship nurtured during their days at the University of California Santa Barbara, the band consists of Zach Gill (Keyboards/Vocals), Steve Adams (Bass Guitar/Vocals), Dan Lebowitz (Guitars/Percussion/Vocals) and David Brogan (Drums/Vocals).
Originally a nine-piece band featuring a brass section called The Animal Liberation Orchestra and the Free Range Horns, the band began drawing enormous attention in the Santa Barbara area with their rousing stage shows. When Zach, Dan and Steve returned to their hometown San Francisco, they stripped back down to a quartet, playing with a wide variety of different drummers. Finally, in 2002, the trio reunited with drummer David Brogan (with whom they had previously played in college) and the ultimate version of Animal Liberation Orchestra was solidified.
Zach Gill, the keyboard player, went to college with the popular singer-songwriter, Jack Johnson, and so they had good connections with one another. Soon audiences at gigs saw Animal Liberation Orchestra supporting Jack Johnson. Zach Gill has recently provided piano in Jack Johnson's band, adding a new flavor to the live performances.
Animal Liberation Orchestra have released an independent album, "Fly Between Falls", and it was re-released on Brushfire Records on April 18th 2006. It includes the track, "Girl, I Wanna Lay You Down", which features long-time friend Jack Johnson providing guitar and vocals. New to the re-release is the song "Walls of Jericho", a tour staple and crowd favorite noted by its festival imagery, wailing guitar solo, and euphoric cresendo. This track gained popularity after its live performance was featured in the Jack Johnson and Friends Live at the Greek DVD. The studio version's debut on myspace.com received mixed review.
In 2006, ALO finished a tour supporting Jack Johnson, alongside with Matt Costa, all across Europe, including United Kingdom, France and Spain. Additionally, they have two dates scheduled for mid April supporting Jack Johnson in Brazil. In June, they will be supporting Dave Matthews Band at stops in upstate New York and North Carolina. Thay have recently recorded The Band's Ophelia for the tribute album "Endless Highway, the music of The Band"
On May 1st 2007, ALO released their new album Roses & Clover that was recorded during two weeks in a barn in Santa Barbara, California. ALO will tour the USA during May to July 2007, playing together with Brett Dennen during seven of the concerts.
Albums
ALO Vs. LAG (1998)
One Size Fits All (1999)
Time Expander (2002)
Fly Between Falls (2006 - Brushfire Records)
Roses & Clover (2007)
EPs
Live Mix (2000)
Wasting Time
Animal Liberation Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Kickin' back pullin' tubes courtesy of Jeb
When Smootie rang up and he dropped a dime
We're at the Django house and the waves are fine
Dan came back with an ol' lap steel
When he puts it in his hands he's got to be real
If you come around the corner don't forget to turn
I got around the corner, I was half way there
When I met Ted Moore and of course John Hare
They had just got a sack weighing 3.5
It was 4:19, just about that time
So we took a detour to 6703
The house they occupy oceanside D.P.
Got up stairs and locked the door
Jerry and the Dead on the video
They pulled out the binger and I started to drool
It was the 5 foot caustic weapon crystal tool
I caught the fumes and I lost my mind
Happens every time that I smoke the kind, but...
I never learn but I don' mind, I'm just wastin' time
I went to the beach and I picked up a rock
I threw it in the ocean and the waves then
Caught it and dropped it back into the sea
So then I walked away and I let it be
Cause it had been lying there for a million days
Before I picked it up and threw it away
I left the shore, went to the liquor store
Saw crazy Bruce, he was waiting for
Someone to buy him some fine malt liquor
When he gets it in his system he's a real shitkicker
He'll play you a song if you've got the time
And even if you don't, he's liable to try
So I left him there, and went into S.O.S.
Bought myself a bottle of the black cisco death
Drank it down while watching Dave's band
Somebody stuck a doob in my hand
So I took a hit and I passed it on
I woke up on the pavement not before too long
I never learn but I don't mind
But sometimes it takes a couple of tries, but...
The lyrics of Animal Liberation Orchestra's "Wasting Time" narrate the psychedelic adventures of a group of friends hanging out on the porch, smoking weed and chasing waves. The song starts with the singer sitting on the porch with friends Mel and Web, smoking weed provided by Jeb, when they receive a call from Smootie inviting them to Django's house by the beach. The group then proceeds to Django's, where they meet up with Dan and jam to some lap steel guitar.
As the night progresses, they bump into Ted Moore and John Hare, who offer them a sack of weed weighing 3.5 grams. The group decides to take a detour to a house on the beach, where they watch a video of Jerry and the Dead while smoking crystal meth. The singer gets high and loses track of time before leaving for the beach.
At the beach, the singer picks up a rock and throws it into the ocean, only for it to be returned by the waves. The singer reflects on the fleeting nature of existence and decides to head to the liquor store, where they meet a character named Crazy Bruce, who plays music and drinks malt liquor. The singer eventually drinks themselves into a stupor, getting high once again before passing out on the pavement.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I was sittin' on the porch with Mel and Web
I was lounging on the patio with some friends named Mel and Web
Kickin' back pullin' tubes courtesy of Jeb
We were relaxing and smoking marijuana supplied by someone named Jeb
When Smootie rang up and he dropped a dime
Then our friend Smootie called us and snitched on someone
We're at the Django house and the waves are fine
He told us he is at Django's house and the waves are good for surfing
Dan came back with an ol' lap steel
Dan returned with an old lap steel guitar
When he puts it in his hands he's got to be real
He plays it with authenticity every time he picks up the instrument
If you come around the corner don't forget to turn
Make sure you turn the corner when you reach it
And bring a little fire we got somethin' to burn
Bring fire with you because we want to burn something
I got around the corner, I was half way there
I rounded the corner and I was halfway to the destination
When I met Ted Moore and of course John Hare
I encountered Ted Moore and John Hare, who were both naturally there
They had just got a sack weighing 3.5
They had just purchased a bag of marijuana weighing 3.5 grams
It was 4:19, just about that time
It was almost time for 4:20, a popular time for smoking marijuana
So we took a detour to 6703
We decided to take a side trip to a specific house
The house they occupy oceanside D.P.
The house is located by the ocean and is referred to as D.P.
Got up stairs and locked the door
We went upstairs and locked the entrance
Jerry and the Dead on the video
Jerry Garcia and the band The Grateful Dead was playing on the TV
They pulled out the binger and I started to drool
They brought out a bong and I began to salivate
It was the 5 foot caustic weapon crystal tool
They had a five-foot bong made of glass, which was highly potent
I caught the fumes and I lost my mind
I inhaled the marijuana smoke and became intoxicated
Happens every time that I smoke the kind, but...
I get high every time I smoke marijuana, but...
I never learn but I don' mind, I'm just wastin' time
I don't care that I keep smoking marijuana and wasting time because I enjoy it
I went to the beach and I picked up a rock
I walked to the beach and grabbed a stone
I threw it in the ocean and the waves then
I tossed it into the ocean and the waves took it
Caught it and dropped it back into the sea
The waves carried the rock and returned it to the ocean
So then I walked away and I let it be
I left the rock and didn't care what happened to it
Cause it had been lying there for a million days
The rock had been on the beach for a very long time
Before I picked it up and threw it away
It was there long before I saw it and decided to discard it
I left the shore, went to the liquor store
I departed the beach and went to the store that sells alcohol
Saw crazy Bruce, he was waiting for
I saw a person named Bruce, who was eagerly waiting for something
Someone to buy him some fine malt liquor
He wanted someone to purchase high-quality malt liquor for him
When he gets it in his system he's a real shitkicker
Once he drinks it, he becomes very belligerent
He'll play you a song if you've got the time
He'll perform a song for you if you have time to listen
And even if you don't, he's liable to try
Even if you don't really want to hear it, he might still play a song for you
So I left him there, and went into S.O.S.
I left him and went into a bar called S.O.S.
Bought myself a bottle of the black cisco death
I purchased myself a bottle of a strong alcoholic drink called black cisco death
Drank it down while watching Dave's band
I drank the alcohol while watching a band performance led by Dave
Somebody stuck a doob in my hand
Someone handed me a marijuana cigarette
So I took a hit and I passed it on
I smoked the marijuana and shared it with others around me
I woke up on the pavement not before too long
I eventually found myself passed out on the street
But sometimes it takes a couple of tries, but...
But sometimes it takes multiple attempts to smoke marijuana and get high, but...
Contributed by Micah T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.