Their live performances gained a honorable reputation among the more prominent promoters in the bay area and soon after were invited to perform at such clubs and venues as Slim's, The Great American Music Hall, and The Pound, sharing the stage with such acts as The Aquabats, Yellowcard, Rufio, Rx Bandits, Tsunami Bomb, Home Grown, Slick Shoes, Suicide Machines, A Static Lullaby, No Motiv, Northstar, Audio Karate, Ozma, The Early November, Over It, Park, The Bled, The Higher, Don�t Look Down, The Bled, Steel Train, Hello Goodbye, The Matches, Say Anything, Bowling For Soup, and many more. As word of mouth spread, they later were asked to perform on the Drive Thru Records stage on the Vans Warped Tour in summer of 2002.
The band later put out two releases on their own: an EP entitled "It's Not Pretty Being Easy," and their debut full length album "Forever Broken," both produced by Andy Ernst (Green Day, Rancid, AFI). The tracks "Access Denied," "Lose It All," and "The Second I Asked For," made their way onto mainstream radio, including Live 105 KITS FM, the largest modern rock station in the Bay Area, as well as various college radio stations across the United States.
The band felt comfortable with the crew at Orange Peal records and signed a recording contract with them in March 2003. Later that year they took off for a self booked West Coast tour then, made an appearance at the 2003 Vans Warped Tour. The band then released the EP "Written In Blood" and embarked on their first national tour with the Berlin Project in October of the same year. In Spring 2004, they were invited to join various artists, including Drive Thru Records recording artists Steel Train on the national "Blossoming Media Tour." The band got national media attention through various regional publications as well as being featured on the Budweiser True Music series for HDNet programming. Having completed two national tours in a six-month time period turned out to be a learning experience and a reality check for the band at the same time. "We've noticed that the time of being on the road has made our skin tougher. We're able to endure the hardships of the road, and stay focused on the music,� says Aymen.
After continuing to tour nationally for the rest of 2004, the band went back in the studio in January of 2005 to record "Hellafornia" at Popsmear Studios in San Rafael, CA. The album was produced by Scott Llamas and Dexter Danger, and mastered by Dominick Maita (Fall Out Boy, Hawthorne Heights, Punchline, Less Than Jake,) at Airshow Mastering in Boulder, CO. "We had a blast recording, and it was incredible hearing all our songs come to life." says Aymen.
The band took a different approach to their music prior to recording, taking in a variety of influences not particularly familiar to them. As Aymen puts it, "It laid groundwork of powerful dynamics, energy, and melody that clearly shows throughout "Hellafornia". From the time spent writing each song, to bringing the songs to life in the studio, we feel that our time and efforts creating this album represented "Hellafornia" better than we ever imagined." The result is a maturely crafted rock-influenced punk album that will reach out to new fans while keeping the current fans satisfied.
The boys took 2005 by storm with a whopping 4 self-booked, self-funded national tours, and another spot on the Van's Warped Tour, while always keeping an eye on their hometown Bay Area scene. "This is the most touring we've ever done in an entire year, and the extraordinary response we've recieved with this album has acted as a catalyst to stay on the road." says Aymen.
The band will continue touring as they have been, looking for more fans around the country that find their music as enjoyable as they do in the Bay Area, all the while keeping their D.I.Y. mentality in full swing.
�Part emo, part punk-rock, this one�s definitely for the kids. All fans of AFI, GREEN DAY, take notice. This could be your next big discovery�.
- AMP Magazine
"Bottom line: The record is certainly proof that pop-punk can take a step in a better direction."
- The Spectator, Seattle, WA
"Dexter Danger has built themselves a solid foundation to become a great force in punk rock music."
- Hussieskunk.com, Internet Punk Rock Radio
FAR AWAY
Dexter Danger Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Eating away without a sound
Seasons were changing, the world kept on moving
You said to us nothing, until we watched you disappear
Far away, and there's nothing that can bring you bck now
Not the same, why'd you leave?
Please stay one more night
I still don't agree with the heaven's decisions
To rob of you of something so short and sweet
Shadows are dancing around me in circles
Beautiful hauntings that make your presence fill the room
The lyrics of Dexter Danger's "Far Away" portray the story of someone who was going through some serious struggles in their life that nobody around them was aware of. The first verse of the song describes how the person had a cancer that was slowly eating away at them without anyone noticing. Even though the seasons were changing and the world kept moving, the person did not share their struggles with anyone. As a result, no one knew what was happening behind the scenes until the day they disappeared.
The chorus of the song talks about how the person is far away now, and there's nothing that can bring them back. The singer is questioning why the person left and pleads for them to stay one more night. The second verse reflects on the sadness and despair that the singer feels, and how they disagree with heaven's decision to take away something so precious and short from them. Even though the person is not physically present anymore, their shadow still lingers, causing beautiful hauntings that make their presence fill the room.
Overall, "Far Away" is a powerful song about the pain of losing someone who was going through a difficult time. It's a reminder to always pay attention to those around us and be there for them in times of need.
Line by Line Meaning
Deeper within you a cancer was forming
An issue was developing within you that was becoming more serious over time
Eating away without a sound
The problem was getting worse silently and without detection
Seasons were changing, the world kept on moving
Despite the passage of time, life around us continued as usual
You said to us nothing, until we watched you disappear
We were unaware of the extent of the situation until it was too late and we lost you
Far away, and there's nothing that can bring you bck now
You are a long distance from us and we cannot undo what has happened
Not the same, why'd you leave?
Things are different now and we are wondering why you had to go
Please stay one more night
We wish we could have just a little more time with you
I still don't agree with the heaven's decisions
I do not understand or accept why this happened and feel a sense of injustice
To rob of you of something so short and sweet
You had so much more life to live and experience, but it was taken away too soon
Shadows are dancing around me in circles
Memories of you are still constantly present and swirling around me
Beautiful hauntings that make your presence fill the room
The memories of you are bittersweet, but they make me feel like you are still with us in some way
Contributed by Blake Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.