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/
The Way It Is
Dead Moon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wasted like the colors mixed while thieves steal out the black
It's like a broken smile, a step apart that gives you style
It doesn't need explaining you know it's fall when it starts raining
It's just the way it is
Touching through an open flame and sparks begin to fly
Looking for another way but you can't help passing by
It's only rank and file, trampled love, and walking wild
It's just the way it is
Within the crystal pains that we shattered long ago
Alone with what remains it's hard to let you know
In a no-win fight, I guess two wrongs don't make a right
We're in the dash between the way we are and what we've been
It's just the way it is
The lyrics to Dead Moon’s song “The Way It Is” convey a feeling of resigned acceptance of the harsh truths of life. The first verse uses a powerful metaphor of a heartbeat turning black to represent the fading of love or passion, while the colors mix and thieves steal out the black, highlighting the inevitability of loss and sadness. The idea of a broken smile and a step apart provide a sense of pain masked by style, as if the singer is hiding their suffering from others. The line “It doesn’t need explaining you know it's fall when it starts raining” embodies a sense of helplessness, as if the world is going to continue on in this same pattern regardless of anyone’s feelings on it. The chorus, “It’s just the way it is” is a grim acknowledgement of the harsh realities of life, and suggests an apathy on the part of the singer towards the idea of fighting against it.
The second verse is more introspective, with the idea of touching through an open flame representing the inherent risks in trying to pursue happiness. The line “It’s not your enemy, it’s the sense somehow you won’t be free” embodies the idea that sometimes inner fears can prevent us from finding true happiness, while “trampled love, and walking wild” creates images of a love and life that have been battered down by the harsh realities of life. The third verse sees the singer reflecting on their own role in their present circumstances, acknowledging that they are in a no-win fight and that two wrongs don’t make a right. The line “We're in the dash between the way we are and what we've been” highlights the idea that life is a transient thing, and that we are always walking the line between who we were and who we are.
Overall, “The Way It Is” is a bittersweet song that captures both the beauty and the pain of life. The lyrics remind us of our own resilience in the face of adversity and our ability to continue on even when the world seems against us.
Line by Line Meaning
Maybe we were meant to be like a heartbeat turning black
Perhaps our relationship was always going to come to an end, like a heart that stops beating.
Wasted like the colors mixed while thieves steal out the black
Our love is now ruined, like a beautiful painting that has been vandalized.
It's like a broken smile, a step apart that gives you style
The distance between us may seem awkward, but it's actually what makes us unique and interesting.
It doesn't need explaining you know it's fall when it starts raining
Our relationship has come to an end, and it's as clear and inevitable as the changing of the seasons.
It's just the way it is
There's nothing we can do to change the fact that our love is over.
Touching through an open flame and sparks begin to fly
Even though we know we can get hurt, we still can't resist the attraction we feel towards each other.
Looking for another way but you can't help passing by
We may try to move on, but we always end up drawn back to each other.
It's not your enemy, it's the sense somehow you won't be free
Our love isn't the problem, it's the feeling that we're stuck and can't move forward that holds us back.
It's only rank and file, trampled love, and walking wild
Our relationship has become dull and ordinary, like a soldier following orders, and we've lost the passion we once had.
Within the crystal pains that we shattered long ago
Our love used to be pure and beautiful, but now it's been broken and lost.
Alone with what remains it's hard to let you know
Even though our love is over, it's still difficult to express the pain and sorrow we feel.
In a no-win fight, I guess two wrongs don't make a right
Our love has become a struggle, and we both know it's not going to end well.
We're in the dash between the way we are and what we've been
Our relationship lies somewhere between what we used to be and what we've become, and we're not sure how to move forward.
It's just the way it is
Once again, there's nothing we can do to change the fact that our love is over.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind