Dead Meadow is an American stoner rock band, formed in Washington, D.C. in … Read Full Bio ↴Dead Meadow is an American stoner rock band, formed in Washington, D.C. in 1998 and currently composed of vocalist and guitarist Jason Simon, bassist Steve Kille, and drummer Mark Laughlin.

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.

Either Way
Dead Meadow Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I woke up with a start
On some dark southern highway
Barreling through the
Hot summer night
And through the black
Our winding path
Cut only by two headlights
And I can't tell if we're

Running from or coming to
Either way my love
We'll make it through

Rest your head let yourself sleep
Don't give a thought
To worry or fear
I've got reason enough for the night
Sight enough to see our way clear
And I can't tell if we're
Running from or coming to

Either way my love
The night is almost through

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Dead Meadow's song Either Way, evoke a feeling of escape and the unknown. The song opens with the singer waking up "with a start" on a dark southern highway, moving "through the black". The use of "black" communicates not only the darkness of the night but also the void of the unknown that the singer must face. The car is "barreling" through, creating a sense of speed and urgency, but the winding path, "cut only by two headlights", highlights the precarious nature of this trip.

Though the purpose of the journey is unknown, the singer is accompanied by "my love". The line "I can't tell if we're / Running from or coming to" can be interpreted in a few ways: the escape can be a physical one, but it can also represent an escape from emotional or psychological burdens that are preventing the lovers from reaching their full potential. Regardless, the singer acknowledges that "either way my love / We'll make it through". The second paragraph is dedicated to offering comfort to the loved one: "Rest your head let yourself sleep", ignores the danger of the situation indicating the singer has experience and leeway to reason the situation through. The emphasis on "let yourself sleep" is a way of saying that the loved one doesn't have to worry about the journey because the singer is able to manage. The final line reinforces the idea that no matter what happens, during this journey or in life in general, "The night is almost through" and that there'll be clarity and rest at the end of the journey.

Line by Line Meaning

I woke up with a start
I was suddenly awakened by something

On some dark southern highway
I found myself traveling on a road in a southern area where it's dark outside

Barreling through the Hot summer night
We are driving on a summer evening at a high speed, without stopping for long

And through the black Our winding path Cut only by two headlights
We are driving in darkness on a path that is curved or twisty, and the only illumination is from the car's headlights

And I can't tell if we're Running from or coming to
I'm not sure if we are escaping from something by driving or heading towards something important

Either way my love We'll make it through
Whatever happens, our love will help us to overcome the current situation.

Rest your head let yourself sleep
You can relax and rest while I ensure the trip proceeds well

Don't give a thought To worry or fear
Do not be concerned or afraid, as I am here to take care of you

I've got reason enough for the night
I have sufficient sense or knowledge to steer us through the night.

Sight enough to see our way clear
I have enough vision or insight to know the right path to follow.

And I can't tell if we're Running from or coming to
I'm still not confident whether we are escaping from something or making progress towards our goals.

Either way my love The night is almost through
Regardless of the direction, the night will soon be over, and we will have tackled the unknown together.

Contributed by Kaylee C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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