Deathray (1998–2007) was a band from Sacramento, California formed by forme… Read Full Bio ↴Deathray (1998–2007) was a band from Sacramento, California formed by former Cake members Greg Brown and Victor Damiani, and Dana Gumbiner, a musician formerly of the Sacramento indie band Little Guilt Shrine.

After leaving Cake, Brown and bassist Victor Damiani met up with Gumbiner, who was playing solo shows under a variety of names, most notably The Micronauts. The three recruited drummer James Neal and keyboardist Max Hart to form Deathray. After selling over 3,000 copies of their EP, Deathray was signed to Capricorn Records.

Their self-titled debut album was produced by Eric Valentine and released in 2000. While the album received critical praise, the band's future became murky during the collapse of Capricorn and a hastily-organized nationwide tour. After a long battle, Deathray was dropped from Capricorn, but regained control of the masters from their album, which they have since released on their own label, Doppler Records.

Shortly thereafter, Hart left the band to move to Los Angeles and form his own band, The High Speed Scene, which has since released its major-label debut on the Neptunes' imprint, Star-Trak Records.

Neal also left Deathray after the release of their first album. Following the recording of Cake's album Comfort Eagle, drummer Todd Roper left the band and has since also joined Deathray - giving Deathray more original members of Cake than Cake itself.

Brown and Gumbiner remain the principal songwriters of Deathray, with Damiani also penning several tunes for the band.

A brand new Deathray song titled "I Wanna Lose Control" appears on the soundtrack to the 2006 animated film Open Season (film), as well as a cover of Paul Westerberg's "Wild as I Wanna Be." These are the first two Deathray songs published by a major record label since the band's debut.

As of July 1st, 2007 the band has split up according to an entry on their official website.

Zero
Deathray Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

'Cause you don't have to walk back to
Your deep shame or your steamboat lease
Got a husband in Tennessee
Hanging out with the Ku Klux Klan
He's drinking hot blood and clear champagne

Thinking ‘bout his career oh
He charmed the pants off the three blind mice

Told a joke and it sounded nice
But when you walk you don't really move
'Cause you're telekinetic
Could this ever resemble truth
Assembled on a track

We're all tired from waiting
For you to be a hero
When you walk you don't really move
It all adds to zero

We're all tired from waiting
For you to be a hero
'Cause when you walk you don't really move
It all adds to zero

We're all tired from waiting
For you to be a hero
It all adds to zero

It all adds to zero
It all adds to zero

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Deathray's song Zero are complex and full of symbolism. The song seems to be talking about someone who has made mistakes and is now trying to move forward but is still weighed down by their past mistakes. The lines "Cause you don't have to walk back to your deep shame or your steamboat lease" implies that the person does not need to go back to their shameful past or any bad deal they made in the past. They can just move on from there. However, it appears that the person is still entangled in their past, as shown in the line about the husband in Tennessee who hangs out with the Ku Klux Klan.

The line "When you walk you don't really move, 'cause you're telekinetic" is interesting. It implies that the person can move things with their mind- hence the reference to telekinesis. This could be a metaphor for the person's inability to move forward from their past. The repetition of the line "we're all tired from waiting/for you to be a hero" could be a reference to the expectations the person's loved ones have of them. The line "It all adds to zero" seems to be talking about the person's stagnation and their inability to move forward.

Line by Line Meaning

'Cause you don't have to walk back to
You don't have to go back to your past mistakes

Your deep shame or your steamboat lease
Your shameful and embarrassing memories or bad decisions

Got a husband in Tennessee
Being in a committed relationship with someone living in Tennessee

Hanging out with the Ku Klux Klan
Spending time with a group of racist people

He's drinking hot blood and clear champagne
He's indulging in both violent and luxurious behaviors

Thinking ‘bout his career oh
Focusing on his own success and ambitions

He charmed the pants off the three blind mice
He's very persuasive and can easily convince people to do what he wants

Told a joke and it sounded nice
He uses his charm to make his words sound pleasing, even if they lack substance

But when you walk you don't really move
You may be physically moving, but you're not making any progress in life

'Cause you're telekinetic
You have the power to move things with your mind, but you're not using it to better your life

Could this ever resemble truth
Is this really how things are in reality?