The band members met in the DC punk/indie scene, though their music draws from more faraway sources. The band formed in the fall of 1998 from the ashes of local bands The Impossible Five and Colour, when singer-guitarist Jason Simon, bassist Steve Kille, and drummer Mark Laughlin set out to fuse their love of early 70s hard rock and 60s psychedelia with their love of writers J.R.R. Tolkien and H.P. Lovecraft.
Dead Meadow released their six-song debut in 2000 on Fugazi bassist Joe Lally's Tolotta Records, and a joint vinyl release on Washington D.C. indie label Planaria Records. In 2001 the band released its second album, Howls From The Hills, on Tolotta. Whereas the first self-titled album was recorded in their practice space for a couple hundred dollars and plenty of learning curves, Howls From The Hills was born in a barn in Liberty, Indiana. Their sound fuller without losing its live essence, the band grew to encompass everything from ambient guitar drones to surging psych-funk sludge, blues-folk tunes to barbiturate space-rock, and some southern slow boogie thrown in for good measure.
In spring 2002, original drummer Mark Laughlin reluctantly quit the group, replaced by old friend and previous collaborator Stephen McCarty (whose grandfather's farmhouse is where the band recorded Howls From the Hills). Also in mid-2002 the band found an unlikely patron in Brian Jonestown Massacre's Anton Newcombe, who recorded, produced and printed Dead Meadow's live disc 'Got Live if You Want' it on his "Committee to Keep Music Evil" imprint of the legendary Bomp label. Soon after, they recorded a Peel Session at the Fugazi practice space - the first time the BBC recorded a Peel Session outside their own studios.
Shortly after signing with Matador in 2003, Dead Meadow self-produced 'Shivering King And Others' in the basement studio of the DC Pirate House over five months and during a busy schedule of touring. Along with the heavy rockers and bluesy numbers as on the previous two records, the band went deeper into the psychedelic realm, with chiming acoustic touches and lovely, disorienting ballads.
With the addition of 2nd guitarist Cory Shane and beautifully spacious production, their 2005 album 'Feathers' features songs like "At Her Open Door" and "Stacy's Song" influenced by the droning modal character of Eastern music as by classic rock riffs.
In early 2008, the band released Old Growth on Matador Records. A collection of songs that brought the band back initially to the same farm where their second release Howls from the Hills was created and eventually finished up at the Sunset Sound studio in Los Angeles.
In March 2010 the band released a live film and soundtrack, Three Kings, which was recorded at the final show of the band's five-month "Old Growth" tour.
In August 2010, it was announced that original drummer Mark Laughlin had re-joined the band.
Their album "The Nothing They Need" was released in 2018.
Beyond the Fields we Know
Dead Meadow Lyrics
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The lyrics to Dead Meadow's song "Beyond the Fields We Know" depict a dreamlike state where the singer is almost transported to another realm. The opening lines, "Winter winds reach icy hands into my room," paint a picture of a harsh, unforgiving environment. However, the mention of the "gleaming eyes of glowing moon" suggests a mystical element to the world, where even the natural elements are almost sentient. The line "Beyond the fields we know sits one whose eyes regard the end" is the clearest reference to an otherworldly presence, and this being is further explored with the final line "He sits fast asleep, dreaming me, dreaming him." The concept of dreaming someone else, or being in some sort of shared dream space, continues the idea of a world beyond our own.
Overall, the lyrics to "Beyond the Fields We Know" can be interpreted in many ways depending on personal circumstance, but they all seem to explore transcendence, both real and imagined. The combination of a haunting melody and poignant lyrics create a surrealistic experience for the listener, which can transport them to another realm, just like the singer in the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Winter winds reach icy hands into my room...
The cold wind of wintertime enters my living space and chills me to the bone.
carried away under gleaming eyes of glowing moon
As I drift off to sleep, the shining powerful gaze of the celestial moon transports me to a new realm.
Beyond the fields we know sits one whose eyes regard the end
In a far-off land beyond our understanding, there is an entity who contemplates the ultimate conclusion of existence.
He sits fast asleep, dreaming me, dreaming him
While in a state of unconsciousness, this entity imagines both himself and me, as we both exist in each other's minds.
Contributed by Elizabeth D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Justin Wallace
on Darlin'
Darlin', by Dead Meadow
Oh, my darlin'
Oh, my dear
Your lovely form is such that I
Cannot keep it clear
It shifts and shakes out in the haze
Of your fucked up atmosphere
Oh, my darlin'
Oh, my dear
Hope and horror
Faith and fear
These are the only things
These are the strings that keep you near
If you're feeling lonesome
If you are feeling down
I will do what I can
To help bring you round
No need to worry
No need to fear
Oh, my darlin'
Oh, my dear
Hope and horror
Faith and fear
These are the only things
These are the strings that keep you near
Angels in the attic
Ghosts down below
Jealous of a love that they
Could never hope to know