Newquist teamed up with his college friend Mark Haugh, a guitarist originally from Tulsa, OK. After winning the 'Best Unsigned Band' in the 1994 Yamaha sponsored 'Soundcheck' contest they sold all their furniture and went on the road with Jason Gilardi (from Los Angeles, CA) on drums. The current group line-up was completed when Scott Jones, an old friend of Mark's from Tulsa took up the bass in the spring of 1995.
ANZA RECORDS (The Early Years)
Caroline's Spine was created by lead singer/primary songwriter Jimmy Newquist. Under the direction of producer Dan Calderone and ANZA Records, Newquist performed virtually all of the instruments recorded for the Caroline's Spine self-titled debut album in 1993.
Jimmy teamed up with his college friend Mark Haugh, a guitarist originally from Tulsa, OK. After winning the 'Best Unsigned Band' in the 1994 Yamaha sponsored 'Soundcheck' contest they sold all their furniture and went on the road with Jason Gilardi (from Los Angeles, CA) on drums and Luis Moral on bass. The current group line-up was completed when Scott Jones, an old friend of Mark's from Tulsa, joined on as the bassist in the spring of 1995. They went on to release three more albums with ANZA Records before signing a record contract with Hollywood Records.
HOLLYWOOD RECORDS (The National Record Contract)
Backed by Hollywood Records the band released two national albums (Monsoon and Attention Please) and made appearances on two motion picture soundtracks (An American Werewolf In Paris and Varsity Blues). The band toured around the world opening for the likes of Kiss and Aerosmith. Even without national promotion or television exposure the band continued to make a name for themselves around the county. Word of mouth and a two hour or more show each night helped keep the band on the road for most of 1998 to 2000.
BEYOND HOLLYWOOD (Independent Again)
Eventually the band decided to part ways with Hollywood Records in 2000. The band quickly released Like It Or Not later that year. The disc was a compilation of old songs from the ANZA Records releases as well as four new songs. This was helpful to the fans that could not afford the early albums which had become very expensive in the secondary markets such as ebay. 2002 was a very busy year for the band. First, a Live Industrial Sampler was released which included live performances from their Attention Please world tour. Later that year, "The Grovers 10th Anniversary Edition" was released to commemorate a decade passing since Jimmy and Mark were in the college band together. The album featured early versions of four songs (Psycho, She's Coming Home, Why Don't We Get Along and I Will Be Alright) that would eventually appear on Caroline's Spine records. Finally, the band's eighth album, Overlooked, was also released in late 2002. It packaged remixes of the four new tracks from Like It Or Not with two songs previously unreleased in America and six new songs.
The next five years saw a handful of live concerts but the band was unofficially on hiatus. The band members took time to concentrate on family as well as other music projects. Jimmy Newquist released his first solo record, "Ashley Ave." in 2003. Later that year Jason Gilardi and Scott Jones released a self-titled album from their side project, New Science. The following year Jimmy Newquist recorded acoustic versions of eight Caroline's Spine fan favorites and released them as a new disc entitled "On Tour". The third solo release from Newquist entitled "Bump" was released in 2005.
Taking advantage of online sales opportunities, the band released "The Collection" in 2006. These consisted of dozens of live soundboard recordings from over the years as well as various demo recordings. A sort of greatest hits album was also released as "The Collection Retail CD". More live concerts and demos are set to be released in the near future according to Newquist
2007 saw the much awaited return of all four members with the release of their ninth album, Captured. The album featured new songs with reworked versions of old song ideas from over the years. A short but extremely successful tour followed to promote the release. Almost all the shows were considered sold out as the fans returned after the five year hiatus.
Lineup Change
The official departure of band members Jason Gilardi, Scott Jones and Mark Haugh was announced on the band's Myspace page on Wednesday, June 27th, 2007. Taken from www.carolinespine.com on Friday June 29th 2007:
"Dear friends and fans of Caroline's Spine, due to situations beyond our control, Mark Haugh, Scott Jones and Jason Gilardi will no longer be performing, recording, or touring as Caroline's Spine. We wish Jimmy Newquist all the best in the future. We wanted to personally thank all of you for your continued support and friendship over the past 14 years. You have helped to make our dreams come true and we will never forget any of you. Peace, Jason, Mark and Scott
From this point on you'll be able to get ahold of us at:
Mark Haugh: mark.haugh@cox.net,
Scott Jones: scott.jones13@yahoo.com
Jason Gilardi: jasongilardi@sbcglobal.net
www.myspace.com/jasongilardi
Please feel free to keep in touch with us regarding any future projects we'll be involved with. Also feel free to pass this message along to anyone you think may be interested."
The Future
Although, it has not been officially announced, a new Caroline's Spine album will be written starting in the fall of 2007 under a new record deal with Sony. Lead singer Jimmy Newquist will be on board, but it is unlikely that the other three original members will be part of this new album in any way. It is expected/rumored to be Jimmy Newquist with all new band members under the "Caroline's Spine" name.
Drummer Jason Gilardi will continue working with the band New Science. The band is based out of Tulsa, Oklahoma and has already released one self-titled compact disc in 2003.
Discography
Year Title Label
1993 Caroline's Spine Anza Records
1994 ... So Good Afternoon Anza Records
1995 Ignore the Ants Anza Records
1996 Huge Anza Records
1997 Monsoon Hollywood Records
1999 Attention Please Hollywood Records
2000 Like it or Not (Independent)
2002 Live (industry sampler) (Independent)
2002 Overlooked (Independent)
2003 The Grovers (Independent)
2006 The Collection (Independent)
2007 Captured (7th Kid Entertainment)
2008 Untitled Sony Music
Compilations
Contributed the song Turned Blue to the soundtrack of the movie An American Werewolf in Paris.
Contributed the song Varsity Blue to the soundtrack of the movie Varsity Blues.
Singles
Sullivan - 1998 - peaked at #23 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart as well as #14 on Radio And Records' Active Rock Chart. A music video was made blending live footage with scenes from the 1944 black and white movie "The Fighting Sullivans".
Wallflower - 1998 - no chart position available. No music video was made.
Attention Please - 1999 - peaked at #30 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart. No music video was made.
Nothing To Prove - 2000 - peaked at #23 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart well as #9 on Radio And Records' Active Rock Chart A music video was made but it was only shown in Europe.
Other Info
The album Like it or Not which was released in 2000 after the band parted ways with Hollywood Records was originally going to be called Beyond Hollywood. Cover art with this title was shown on the internet for a short time before the disc's release.
The song "Drift Away" from the albums Like it or Not and Overlooked was written for the Mission Impossible 2 soundtrack but it did not make the final tracklisting.
The song "Lost" from the album Captured was written for the Bio Dome soundtrack but it did not make the final tracklisting.
The song "End Up With You" was called "New Tits" and later "Sorry Now" before it was finally released on the album Overlooked.
An early version of the song "True Star" from the album Attention Please called "Elope" can be found on the 1998 Demos disc from "The Collection".
An early version of the song "Inside Your Mind" from the album Attention Please called "Rebound" can be found on the 1998 Demos disc from "The Collection".
An early version of the song "Open Fire" from the album Attention Please called "In Spite" can be found on the 1998 Demos disc from "The Collection".
An early version of the song "Anxious" called "N Song" can be found on the 1998 Demos disc. It has also been called "Speed Racer".
An early version of the song "Overlooked" from the album Overlooked called "Grunt" can be found on the 1998 Demos disc from "The Collection".
The songs "Psycho", "Why Don't We Get Along", "She's Coming Home", "I Will Be Alright", "On The Ground", "Cannot Be Captured" and "Last Goodbye" all were written for a band called The Grovers. This band included singer Jimmy Newquist on bass, Mark Haugh on guitar, and Todd LeValley on drums. A 25 song compilation of these recordings is available as part of "The Collection".
An acoustic version of the song "Sullivan" from the album Monsoon aired on Tulsa's Z104.5 station and is included on the album "Tulsa Homegroan Vol. 1".
"Instrument of Change" from the Captured album was originally called "Picture Show", and later re-named "Now That I Believe" before finally making it to disc.
Cover Songs
The band performs "The Rainbow Connection" from The Muppet Movie on a regular basis. This is usually done as the first song in the encore. It has become an encore favorite at the Taste of Madison festival.
The band often performs a medley of Kiss songs including "Detroit Rock City", "She", "Cold Gin", "Do You Love Me?" and "100,000 Years" during encores. The medley is about thirty minutes long.
The band also performs a medley of Led Zeppelin songs. This is very rare.
The band has also performed "Immigrant Song" by Led Zeppelin.
The band has also covered Ozzy Osbourne's " Flying High Again."
The band occasionally performs "Rock and Roll" by Led Zeppelin as part of the encore.
The band has performed "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" by Van Halen as part of the encore.
The band has performed "Ticket to Ride" by The Beatles at a couple shows as part of the encore.
The band has performed "I Remember You" by Skid Row at a couple shows as part of the encore.
During the middle of "True Star" the band sometimes breaks into a portion of "Paranoid" by Black Sabbath.
During the middle of "King For A Day" the band sometimes breaks into a portion of "High" by Jimmie's Chicken Shack.
Other projects
Year Title Label
2003 Jimmy Newquist - Ashley Ave. 7th Kid Entertainment
2004 Jimmy Newquist - On Tour 7th Kid Entertainment
2004 New Science - New Science (Independent)
2005 Jimmy Newquist - Bump 7th Kid Entertainment
Open Fire
Caroline's Spine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With every little thing you think you know
From pieces, to pieces
The lonely leaves are the last to fall
I don't know why, where, or what exactly I didn't do
I've had to take a tougher way
Maybe not today
I've got no place to go
So I won't pretend to know
What it is inside that makes me stand
Beside you when they open fire
You're gonna take me apart
Tap into a small, but noble cause
Where nobody's listening
Unless you look like something Santa bought
I don't know why, where,
Or what exactly I didn't do
I've had to take a tougher way
Maybe not today
Tomorrow tells me
I've got no place to go
So I won't pretend to know
What it is inside that makes me stand
Beside you when they open fire
Will we ever seek forever?
The more we think the less we know
You're gonna take me apart
With every little thing you think you know
From pieces, to pieces
The lonely leaves are the last to fall
I don't know why, where,
Or what exactly I didn't do
I've had to take a tougher way
Maybe not today
Tomorrow tells me
I've got no place to go
So I won't pretend to know
What it is inside that makes me stand
Beside you when they open fire
They can't be far away
You're gonna take me apart?
In Caroline's Spine's song, Open Fire, the lyrics speak to feeling vulnerable and on the brink of being dismantled by someone who thinks they know everything about the singer. The singer is being judged and criticized for everything they do, and they feel like they're being torn apart piece by piece. Despite this, the singer is determined to stand by this person when they're under attack, even though they don't know exactly why they're being attacked or what they've done wrong. The tone of the song is one of confusion and frustration but also determination and loyalty.
The line "The lonely leaves are the last to fall" could be interpreted as a metaphor for the singer feeling isolated or alone in their situation. They may have lost friends or support because of the criticism they're facing. The phrase "Beside you when they open fire" can be seen as the singer standing by this person even when they're being attacked or criticized. The lyrics are filled with uncertainty about why they're in this situation, but the singer maintains their loyalty despite everything.
Overall, Open Fire is a song about standing by someone through tough times even when you don't fully understand the situation. It speaks to the complexity of relationships and the challenges of remaining loyal to someone through thick and thin.
Line by Line Meaning
You're gonna take me apart
You will destroy me emotionally and mentally
With every little thing you think you know
You will criticize me for every little mistake based on your perceptions
From pieces, to pieces
The negative impact of your criticism will shatter me into pieces
The lonely leaves are the last to fall
I feel alone and helpless in this situation, and may be pushed to my breaking point
I don't know why, where, or what exactly I didn't do
I am unsure of what I did wrong that caused your anger or criticism
I've had to take a tougher way
I have faced many hardships and difficulties in my life which have made me stronger
Maybe not today
I may not find the right solution or answer today, but I will not give up
Tomorrow tells me
I have faith that tomorrow will bring new opportunities and hope
I've got no place to go
I feel trapped and isolated in this situation
So I won't pretend to know
I will not pretend to understand or agree with you, when I truly do not
What it is inside that makes me stand
I have a strength and resilience within me that makes me stand up to your criticism despite feeling broken
Beside you when they open fire
I will stay by your side and support you even in tough times when others may criticize or blame you
Tap into a small, but noble cause
Find something important to you and pursue it with passion and dedication
Where nobody's listening
Even if others do not believe in your cause or listen to your opinions, continue to fight for what you believe in
Unless you look like something Santa bought
People may not take you seriously or listen to you if you do not fit their expectations or standards of appearance
Will we ever seek forever?
Will we ever find the answers to our deepest questions or desires?
The more we think the less we know
Sometimes overthinking can lead to confusion and uncertainty rather than clarity
They can't be far away
If you are facing criticism, there are likely others who feel the same way and can offer support
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind