The band is well known for their relatively frequent lineup changes, which, most notably, involves a fluctuating lineup of vocalists, both on tour and on record. Dance Gavin Dance incorporates many different musical genres into their palette, such as math rock, funk, and soul on top of its post-hardcore sound. Ex-vocalist Jonny Craig also received high marks for contributing to the band's unorthodox soul sound and guitarist Will Swan has been recognized for his intricate, fast-moving guitar licks and riffs.
The band currently consists of vocalists Jon Mess and Tilian Pearson, guitarists Will Swan and Andrew Wells and drummer Matthew Mingus.
To date, the band has released ten studio albums, two live albums and one EP. Their most recent album, entitled Jackpot Juicer was released in 2022.
Discography:
November 14, 2006 - Whatever I Say Is Royal Ocean
May 15, 2007 - Downtown Battle Mountain
August 19, 2008 - Dance Gavin Dance
June 9, 2009 - Happiness
March 8, 2011 - Downtown Battle Mountain II
October 8, 2013 - Acceptance Speech
April 14, 2015 - Instant Gratification
October 7, 2016 - Mothership
June 8, 2018 - Artificial Selection
April 24, 2020 - Afterburner
July 29, 2022 - Jackpot Juicer
All of Dance Gavin Dance's records have been released on Rise Records.
Band Members:
Jonathan Mess - harsh vocals (2005–2008; 2010–present)
Will Swan - guitars (2005–present); harsh vocals (2008–2010), bass guitar (2022-present)
Tilian Pearson - clean vocals (2012–present)
Matt Mingus - drums, percussion (2005–present)
Andrew Wells - guitars, clean vocals, bass guitar (2021-present; touring 2015-2021)
Sergio Medina - rhythm guitar, bass guitar (touring 2021-present)
Former Members:
Jonny Craig – clean vocals (2005–2007; 2010–2012; touring 2015, 2016)
Kurt Travis – clean & harsh vocals (2007–2010; touring 2012, 2015, 2016)
Alvaro Alcala – guitar (2005-2006)
Sean O'Sullivan – guitar (2006–2007; touring 2010)
Zachary Garren – guitar (2007–2010; touring 2015)
Josh Benton - guitar (2010-2014)
Eric Lodge – bass guitar (2005–2008; 2010–2012)
Jason Ellis – bass guitar (2008–2009)
Tim Feerick – bass guitar (2009–2010; 2012–2022; died 2022)
Former touring members:
Matt Geise – clean vocals (2012)
Dan Snook – guitar (2010)
Aric Garcia - guitar (2014-2015)
Alex Whitcomb - guitar (2015)
Tony Marks – bass guitar (2010)
Jordan McCoy – bass guitar (2011–2012)
Me and Zoloft Get Along Just Fine
Dance Gavin Dance Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I got a bullet-proof vest on and the cure for AIDS
And a pill that makes me happy
Ask me, I'm fine or I will be
I've got the cure for loneliness
And a pill that makes all my problems resolved
And I wiretapped your brain
I want to do this right
Dyno, dynomite
You should have just listened to your friends
You would have been over this by now
I thought we told each other to live in different worlds
Oh, you should have listened to your friends
You would have been over this by now, over this by now
(Well, sure it's complicated, but I still know)
Oh, there's only so much I can take
(That I can get frustrated and snort that blow)
But I guess we'll never really find out
Never really find out
Rate me and judge me on a graph that you drew
Hope I compare to the friends that left you for dead
I guess I'm not making myself perfectly clear
I guess I'm not making myself perfectly clear
How many times
How many times
How many times is this gonna happen?
How many times
How many times
How many times is this gonna happen?
I've got to blame all these people as fast as I motherfucking can
You were fooled, this ain't no fucking day job
Oh, you should have listened to your friends
You would have been over this by now, over this by now
(Well, sure it's complicated, but I still know)
Oh, there's only so much I can take
(That I can get frustrated and snort that blow)
But I guess we'll never really find out
Never really find out
Suddenly, we startle ourselves
Staring upon each other in silence, silence
To think this whole time, we're provoking each other in blinding violence
The lyrics in Dance Gavin Dance's song "Me and Zoloft Get Along Just Fine" depict the singer's struggle with depression and anxiety, and how they cope with it by taking medication. The lyric "Ask me, I'm fine or I will be, I've got a bullet-proof vest on and the cure for AIDS" suggests that the singer feels emotionally guarded and protected by their medication. The word "bullet-proof" implies that they feel invincible and protected from the pain of the world. They also mention a pill that makes them happy, which is likely an antidepressant medication.
The lyric "I've got the cure for loneliness, and a pill that makes all my problems resolved" indicates that the singer uses medication to cope with their feelings of isolation and sadness. This is a common theme in antidepressant medication – they can make it easier for individuals to deal with everyday problems and navigate life's challenges.
The line "You should have just listened to your friends, you would have been over this by now" suggests that the singer has received advice from friends to help them overcome their depression and anxiety, but they have chosen to rely on medication. The final lines "Suddenly, we startle ourselves, staring upon each other in silence, silence. To think this whole time, we're provoking each other in blinding violence" implies that the singer has come to a realization that their medication may be causing more harm than good, as they feel disconnected from the world around them.
Line by Line Meaning
Ask me, I'm fine or I will be
I've got a cure for my problems
I got a bullet-proof vest on and the cure for AIDS
I think I'm invincible and I've got the cure for everything
And a pill that makes me happy
I have a pill that makes me not care about anything
I've got the cure for loneliness
I have a pill that makes me feel like I have everything under control
And a pill that makes all my problems resolved
I have a pill that makes me forget about my problems
I've got to blame all these people as fast as I motherfucking can
I'm going to blame everyone else for my problems
You should have just listened to your friends
I wish you had listened to your friends to avoid this situation
You would have been over this by now
You could have gotten over this already if you listened to your friends
Oh, you should have listened to your friends
You need to listen to others to get through this
Rate me and judge me on a graph that you drew
You judge me based on your own standards
Hope I compare to the friends that left you for dead
I hope I'm better than people who left you during tough times
Suddenly, we startle ourselves
We're both surprised by how intense things have gotten
Staring upon each other in silence
We don't know what to say to each other
To think this whole time, we're provoking each other in blinding violence
We've been pushing each other to our limits without realizing it
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JONATHAN DAVID MESS, JAMES MATTHEW MINGUS, WILLIAM SWAN, KURT TRAVIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
tornado tom2
I've been a fan of Dance Gavin Dance for over 6 years now which is still relatively new to most of the original gdg fans but today I found out that will Swan used to scream for the band. Which is even crazier with how technical he is at the guitar
bunny
this era of dgd was priceless, i mean just look at kurt's hair
Majora 36
Bro got the “honey, dinner’s ready” cut
Dance Gregory Dance
Dora the Explorer chic
scarfhat
His hair was so crazy it distracts from cousin It just chilling on Matt's head
Andrea Ordonez
I think about this every day
Zanman
@Slamaholics cap
Jordan
I love how the most talented band in this whole genre doesn't even try to take their music video seriously and more important doesn't try to come off as cool in order to appeal to a massive crowd, they really let their music do the talking so to speak, this band is amazing even without the nostalgia goggles. Vocally, instrumentally, and songwriting abilities well above the average band
Immolator772
@Jordan they still make great music, but it's mostly like 2 to 3 songs per album now.
Jordan
@Immolator772 on most days so do I, would've killed to have another few albums like DBM, Deathstar, and Happiness with Jonny and John.