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
The Angel That Got Away
Dexter Danger Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where we made out, and I stroked your hair
There' still so much I wish you knew
Now I'm asking why you left so soon
And of all the things I miss
It's your lips I used to kiss
You're the angel that got away
I've been desperate to see your face
Never thought it would cause so much pain
And of all the things I miss
It's your lips I used to kiss
You're the angel that got away
You're the air I used to breathe
I still smell you on my sheets
You're the angel that got away
The lyrics to Dexter Danger's song The Angel That Got Away seem to be about a lost love. The singer sits on the stairs where he and his love used to be intimate and reminisces about what they used to have. He wishes that she knew how much he still loves her and can't understand why she left him so suddenly. Despite missing everything about her, the thing he misses the most is her lips, which he used to kiss. He calls her the "angel that got away," implying that their relationship was something special and that losing her was like losing something heavenly.
The second verse adds to the story, as the singer admits that he has been desperate to see her face, but that it has only caused him more pain. He still feels her presence in his life, as she was the air he used to breathe and her scent lingers on his sheets. The chorus repeats the sentiment that he misses her lips and that she was the angel that he lost.
Overall, the lyrics evoke a sense of sadness and longing for the love that was lost. The singer is left with memories and regrets and can't shake the feeling that he has let something good slip away.
Line by Line Meaning
So I'll sit down upon these stairs
I'm going to sit here reflecting on what we had
Where we made out, and I stroked your hair
This is the spot where we shared intimate moments, and I miss it
There' still so much I wish you knew
I'm left with so many things to say that I never got to share with you
Now I'm asking why you left so soon
I can't help but question why you had to leave me when we had something so special
And of all the things I miss
Out of everything that's been lost, the biggest thing is...
It's your lips I used to kiss
I miss the physical intimacy that we used to share, especially kissing
You're the angel that got away
You were more than just a person to me, you were an angelic presence in my life, and I lost you
I've been desperate to see your face
I can't shake this desire to see you again
Never thought it would cause so much pain
But wanting something that is impossible to have has been causing me immense emotional pain
You're the air I used to breathe
You were an essential part of my life and now I feel like a piece of me is missing
I still smell you on my sheets
Even though you're gone, I can still feel your presence in my life and take comfort in the memories we shared
You're the angel that got away
You were one of the most important things in my life and I lost you, and I'll never stop feeling that loss
Contributed by Riley I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
SuicideMoses Productions
Yea wtf Such a good Song , such an amazing band ...and it was their last show you think people coulda shut up and listened (and their is also nothing else on youtube by them)