Fred Cole has engineered most of the band's recordings and mastered them on a mono lathe that was used for The Kingsmen's version of "Louie Louie."
Their early records, such as In the Graveyard, were released on the Tombstone Records label, named for the musical equipment store Fred and Toody operated at the time. Soon they caught the attention of the German label Music Maniac, and toured Europe successfully. Not until the mid-nineties did they tour the United States. Much of their following is in Europe.
A U.S. filmmaking team (Kate Fix and Jason Summers) produced a 2004 documentary, Unknown Passage: The Dead Moon Story, which played in independent theaters around the U.S., New Zealand, and Melbourne International Film Fest, and might be offered with the upcoming Dead Moon box set on Sub Pop Records. Dead Moon has recorded for labels such as Empty Records, but most releases are on Music Maniac abroad and Tombstone in the U.S. The Tombstone label has also provided cheap mastering and duplication for other bands, serving more as a cooperative than a promotional vehicle.
Fred and Toody are in their sixties. They currently own the Tombstone General Store in Clackamas, Oregon, and are building a shopping center nearby.
Pearl Jam often covers the song It's OK.
In December 2006 they retired:
2006-12-13 - AN ANNOUNCEMENT FROM DEAD MOON
After 20 yrs, Dead Moon is retiring. It has been a journey we will always treasure and feel that a worldwide family has emerged in its place. Dead Moon became much bigger than the band itself, it became a DIY underground hopeful for a lot of people. The candle is still burning!
--Fred Cole
(from http://www.subpop.com)
2007-05-18 PIERCED ARROWS
For the first time in a long time, Fred and Toody Cole were nervous. Six months after the breakup of their legendary garage-rock outfit, Dead Moon, the Coles were about to debut a new group—something they haven’t had to do for 20 years. And their new trio, Pierced Arrows, had only six practices under its belt at showtime.
http://localcut.wweek.com/2007/05/23/pierced-arrows-at-ash-street-saloon-may-18-2007/
Graveyard
Dead Moon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know I've got you on my brain
It's the kind of hell you'll never know
Girls like you just turn me cold
But I guess you found my weaker side
Resistance, God how I tried
But I've got it bad I must confess
To tell the truth I've done my best
But you treat me like poison
Even with the lights on
Guess I might as well be dead
Oh, I'm in the graveyard
Tried whiskey to ease your hex
It made it worse, my life's a wreck
The pills I took to numb my pain
Only brought visions of you again
I'd put the noose around my neck
But the way I feel, I'd probably break
Love must be an evil curse
I've tried to fight, it just gets worse
Your love is like an endless hell
What you do to me you know too well
You won't give me the time
I'm on the firing line
Convicted and disposed
You look but eyes are closed
The song "Graveyard" by Dead Moon is a powerful, emotive track that tells the story of a toxic and damaging love affair. The opening stanza sets the tone for the rest of the song, with the singer lamenting the pain caused by this new game of love that has left them in agony. They confess to being unable to resist their lover despite their destructive tendencies, and that they have tried to fight their attraction to no avail.
As the song progresses, the singer's pain becomes more acute, as they turn first to whiskey and then to pills to ease their suffering. But these remedies only serve to make things worse, and the visions of their lover re-emerge with renewed intensity. The lyrics suggest that this love affair is a curse from which the singer cannot escape, and that they have become trapped in an endless cycle of pain and suffering.
Towards the end of the song, the singer seems to resign themselves to their fate, as they compare their situation to being on the firing line of a battle, convicted, and disposed. The final image of eyes closed suggests that the singer has given up the fight, and that they are now adrift in a dark, desolate place.
Overall, "Graveyard" is a poignant, haunting song that explores the darker side of love and the human psyche. It is a powerful reminder of the destructive power of toxic relationships, and the way in which they can leave us lost and broken.
Line by Line Meaning
It's a new game, causing pain
Starting a new relationship is like playing a new game, but it's causing me so much pain.
You know I've got you on my brain
I can't stop thinking about you and it's driving me crazy.
It's the kind of hell you'll never know
This pain I'm experiencing is indescribable and you won't understand it.
Girls like you just turn me cold
Your actions and the way you treat me just make me feel emotionless and empty.
But I guess you found my weaker side
You have taken advantage of me and found the part of me that is vulnerable.
Resistance, God how I tried
I've tried to resist my feelings for you, but it's too hard.
But I've got it bad I must confess
I have strong feelings for you and I must admit it.
To tell the truth I've done my best
I have tried my best to move on, but I can't.
But you treat me like poison
You treat me horribly, like I'm poison to you.
Even with the lights on
Even when everything is out in the open and clear.
Guess I might as well be dead
My life is so miserable that I might as well not exist.
Oh, I'm in the graveyard
My life is like a graveyard, dead and empty.
Tried whiskey to ease your hex
I tried drinking whiskey to ease the emotional curse you have put on me.
It made it worse, my life's a wreck
Drinking whiskey only made things worse, my life is a complete mess now.
The pills I took to numb my pain
I took pills to numb the pain of my feelings for you.
Only brought visions of you again
The pills only made me see more visions of you, making things worse.
I'd put the noose around my neck
I've thought about suicide and even considered hanging myself.
But the way I feel, I'd probably break
But I'm so weak that I'd probably break even if I tried to hang myself.
Love must be an evil curse
Love feels like a curse to me, something evil that I can't escape.
I've tried to fight, it just gets worse
I've tried to fight my feelings for you, but it only makes things worse.
Your love is like an endless hell
Being in love with you feels like I'm trapped in an endless hell.
What you do to me you know too well
You know how much you're hurting me, but you continue to do it anyway.
You won't give me the time
You won't give me the time of day and completely ignore me.
I'm on the firing line
I feel like I'm on the receiving end of constant attacks and criticism.
Convicted and disposed
I feel judged and disposed of like I'm nothing to you.
You look but eyes are closed
You can see me, but you refuse to acknowledge my existence.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Daniel john Fitzgerald
I heard this song on my local college alternative music radio station back in the early 90s & never forgot it👍
Frodaxxer
RIP Only the original Graveyard will do! The Best! Beware of the imitators!
death evokation
They literally stole the whole song from 13th Floor Elevators called You're Gonna Miss Me
Greg Death
Love this song - thanks for uploading!
Thomas Prollock
You'll never be a punk nor a metal punk nor a musician if you don't blast this at 5am
Thomas Prollock
@Ryan J. Rapsys yeah
Ryan J. Rapsys
haha rite on! 1:45 am ok?
alblues fish
straight forward rock dig it thx
elrickization
First time for everything. This is one of those for me now
bonghoger
pure R0k!