They were known for their DIY punk ethic, embodied in such actions such as distributing six albums worth of their own material for free on their website, and offering free stencils and paint for fans to create their own T-shirts. They also offered their fans a chance to perform on stage if they learn a song and bring their instrument to the show. Beginning in April 2009, the band would only play all-ages shows with ticket prices of $10 or less. Rosenstock and several other contributors were previously members of The Arrogant Sons of Bitches. As that band was breaking up, Rosenstock recorded the first Bomb The Music Industry! song, "Sweet Home Cananada" using his PowerBook's built-in microphone. "I wrote that song and put it out to see if anybody wanted it. That was how it started, people showed interest and I like recording stuff." Bomb the Music Industry! plays a blend of several musical styles anchored in ska and hardcore punk. The influences go deeper than ska and punk, however, as studio experimentation, synth-pop, and DC hardcore all pop up in the mix. Rosenstock says bands such as Harvey Danger and Neutral Milk Hotel are as much an influence as evidenced by tracks such as "This Graceless Planet" (an adaptation of a song by We Versus The Shark into the musical aesthetic of Bomb the Music Industry!), "Stand There Until You're Sober", and many other songs' meter experiments (which feature, respectively, jarring synth breakouts, backwards looping, and time signatures such as 23/4). In live performances the band has begun using digital technology to create breakdowns that sound like they are lifted from 8-bit video games. Tracks such as "Sweet Home Cananada" and "Future 86" strip down the arrangements to barebones loops and guitar, with the latter (a previously unreleased The Arrogant Sons of Bitches demo) featuring a full brass section but lacking the upstroke rhythms on the guitar, a key element of third-wave ska.
Lyrically, Bomb The Music Industry! songs varied widely from furious rants about corporate rock to ordinary stories about finding a job. They also used a good deal of humor, as in "Can I Pay My Rent In Fun?" and "Sorry, Brooklyn. Dancing Won't Solve Anything." One interviewer described the band as "ska for smart people." Jeff Rosenstock responded, "...you could call us ska music for smart people or indie rock for dumbasses at the same time. That's nice that somebody thinks we're smart." Bomb the Music Industry! has toured as a duo consisting of Rosenstock and Rick Johnson of Rick Johnson Rock And Roll Machine and Mustard Plug. Both carry vocal responsibilities while Rosenstock plays guitar and Johnson plays bass. Both play a variety of instruments as well, such as theremin, tub drum, and saxophone. Additionally, Rosenstock has been known to play keyboard with his feet. Often, this incarnation of the duo performs accompanied by an iPod wired into the venue's PA system that supplies all of the instruments that the duo themselves cannot perform live.
Bomb the Music Industry! has also toured as a duo consisting of Rosenstock and Matt Kurz of The Matt Kurz One. During this tour, Rosenstock fronted the band, playing guitar and saxophone. Kurz sang backup and played bass. As with the Rosenstock/Johnson combo, the rest of the instruments were played through an iPod. Fans were encouraged to join them onstage and play instruments.
In December, 2006, Bomb the Music Industry!, this time as just Rosenstock and Johnson, toured the United Kingdom as part of the Ska Is Dead tour with Mustard Plug and The Planet Smashers. On May 19, 2007, Bomb the Music Industry! headlined Skappleton 2007, the biggest ska fest in Wisconsin. Throughout June 2007, Bomb the Music Industry! embarked on what its website describes as the "Real Bands Tour?". On this tour, the band sidestepped their regular, thrown-together arrangements and opted to perform with a full rock ensemble, consisting not only of Rosenstock as frontman but also of two keyboard players, a bass player, an additional guitarist, and a drummer. The decision to play with this ensemble reflects upon the style of their 2007 album, "Get Warmer", which was recorded with a similar ensemble of live players as opposed to by mainly Rosenstock.
On October 4, 2008 the band entered the studio to record their next album titled "Scrambles", which was released February 15, 2009. The album "Others! Others!" Volume 1 was released on May 7th of 2009, an album of demos, unreleased songs, and bonus tracks. The album "
Adults!!!... Smart!!! Shithammered!!! And Excited By Nothing!!!!!!" was released in early 2010 via their website.
http://www.bombthemusicindustry.com/
http://www.myspace.com/bombthemusicindustry
The band went on an extended hiatus in 2013
493 Ruth
Bomb the Music Industry! Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I brought a handful of credit cards
I filled a van and a trailer up to the top with shit
That I'll probably never use
I took 95
And then I transferred to the I-85
Took it to 441 South to North Ave. to Ruth
Yeah, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
I could never understand why people can't begin again
It wouldn't stop raining, we didn't have our key
'Till we met Helen and JJ at about 1 AM
They said from LA to London there is no other place
I would rather live then here
We had to unpack things
Just to get to the mattress and box spring
Flopped it down in the center of our shiny new home, a blue house with no cable and with no telephone
Just a bottle of champagne and we popped the cork
Yeah, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
I could never understand how people hate the Minutemen
How people can't appreciate it takes time to make something great
Yeah, I know I'm repeating myself here, yeah, I know I'm repeating myself again
Shake the shakes away, shake the shakes away
Shake the shakes away, shake the shakes away
If you're going uphill at a very rapid speed, soon there's nowhere to go but down
So take the time to rise back up and up and up and up and up
Yeah, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
I could never understand why people can't begin again
Why people can't appreciate it's okay to do something great
Yeah, I know I'm repeating myself again and again and again
The lyrics to Bomb the Music Industry!'s song 493 Ruth describe the experience of moving to a new home and the mixed emotions that come along with it. The singer begins by listing all the material possessions he brought along with him, which he acknowledges might be unnecessary. He then goes on to recount the journey he took to get to his new home on Ruth Avenue, and how he drove through his own backyard in the process.
Once he arrives at the new house, the singer struggles to get inside due to a misplaced key but is eventually helped by strangers named Helen and JJ. The song then turns to reflect on the experience of moving to a new place, and the singer expresses his confusion at why people find it so difficult to start anew or appreciate the time and effort it takes to create something great. Overall, the song is a reflection on the emotional baggage that comes with moving to a new place, and the importance of staying positive and embracing new beginnings.
Line by Line Meaning
I brought a guitar
I brought a guitar along with me
I brought a handful of credit cards
I had a number of credit cards
I filled a van and a trailer up to the top with shit
I loaded the entire van and trailer with stuff I don't even need
That I'll probably never use
I am not likely to ever use these things
I took 95
I took the I-95 freeway
And then I transferred to the I-85
I switched to the I-85 freeway
Took it to 441 South to North Ave. to Ruth
I followed the road to Ruth via 441 South and North Ave.
Then I drove through my backyard
I drove through my own backyard
Yeah, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
An expression of excitement or confusion
I could never understand why people can't begin again
I find it puzzling why people are hesitant to start afresh
It wouldn't stop raining, we didn't have our key
It was incessantly raining and we didn't have our key
'Till we met Helen and JJ at about 1 AM
We finally met Helen and JJ around 1 AM
They said from LA to London there is no other place
Helen and JJ believe LA to London is the best place to live
I would rather live then here
They prefer living elsewhere than where they currently are
We had to unpack things
We had to unpack our stuff
Just to get to the mattress and box spring
We had to do that just to access the mattress and the box spring
Flopped it down in the center of our shiny new home, a blue house with no cable and with no telephone
We placed them in the center of our brand new blue house without cable or a telephone
Just a bottle of champagne and we popped the cork
We celebrated with some champagne
I could never understand how people hate the Minutemen
I don't get why some people hate the Minutemen
How people can't appreciate it takes time to make something great
I don't get why people don't understand that creating something great requires time
Yeah, I know I'm repeating myself here, yeah, I know I'm repeating myself again
I am aware I am being repetitive
Shake the shakes away, shake the shakes away
An encouragement to get over nervousness or fear
If you're going uphill at a very rapid speed, soon there's nowhere to go but down
If you progress uphill too quickly, it is easy to slide down at the same pace
So take the time to rise back up and up and up and up and up
Take your time to climb back up
Why people can't appreciate it's okay to do something great
I don't understand why people don't understand it's fine to strive for greatness
Yeah, I know I'm repeating myself again and again and again
I am aware I am being repetitive
Contributed by Charlotte J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.