In the years since the band sprang out of the University of Pennsylvania party scene in the mid-'90s, the Disco Biscuits have brought together the worlds of jam bands and electronic music with its "trance-fusion" sound that mixes the free-form improvisations of jazz with the hypnotic rhythms which provided the soundtrack for rave culture.
In the process, the band has garnered critical acclaim and a loyal fanbase. Its 2002 effort, Senor Boombox, was named the "best studio record of 2002" by Relix magazine and one of the "10 best Jam band records of all-time" by Guitar Player. The band closed out 2003 by selling out New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom on New Year's Eve, capping a holiday season run in which more than 12,000 tickets were sold.
But in the midst of such heady success, the quartet hit the wall, with each realizing it was time to take stock and reconsider where their lives were headed. "I think there was The Window in the band where we all sort of woke up and realized that we were no longer college students, that we've been a rock band for a number of years. It just sort of sneaks up on you," says guitarist/vocalist Jon "The Barber" Gutwillig. That's when founding member and drummer Sam Altman realized he wanted to do other things with his life. Bassist Marc Brownstein had already weathered his own crisis, leaving the band temporarily, but he returned to the fold. Gutwillig and keyboardist Aron Magner each faced their own issues as well, but ultimately realized there was nothing that they'd rather be doing than playing music together as the Disco Biscuits.
Altman broke the news to his band mates in late 2003, when the band was mixing its cover of "Give Me Three Steps," its contribution to Under the Influence: A Jam Band Tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd, but stayed with the band for another 18 months, marking one of the most bittersweet periods in the Disco Biscuits' career.
It was during this phase in which The Wind at Four to Fly was recorded. Although Altman ended up playing more than a dozen more shows with his old college chums before hanging up his drumsticks, at the time he believed he was playing his final shows with the Biscuits and he played as if his life depended on it. "For those shows," Gutwillig says, "his head was in the game. He played at his best."
The title of the double-CD live set is taken from "Morph Dusseldorf," the Biscuits' classic that closes the first disc with 12 minutes-plus of psychedelic weirdness. "It's a colorful lyric from that song that illustrates the kinds of changes that are the theme of the album," Gutwillig says. "Although it's sort of a nonsensical line, we felt it suited the album."
The 11-track set manages to span the band's career, although the bulk of the material has never been officially released. While the Biscuits continue to offer downloads of nearly all their shows on their website, www.discobiscuits.com, The Wind at Four to Fly is something different. "When you get something off of our download site, it's an awesome version of the show, but it's not produced in the same way the album is produced," Gutwillig says. "We know that The Wind at Four to Fly sounds great. We put it in the studio, we've taken all the tracks apart, we've tweaked it out, and it sounds as good a live album as any live album in the world sounds."
Don't, however, think that for a second that The Wind at Four to Fly is the quintessential Disco Biscuits performance or their swan song. "A guy like Peter Frampton can make one seminal live album, because he pretty much plays the same set every night," Gutwillig says. "But our stuff is so different from night to night. We get bored doing the same thing so we always do things with different keys and different rhythms."
The Biscuits continue to evolve with some new blood. Although the band was sad to see Altman go, it's re-energized thanks to the addition of drummer Allen Aucoin, who in true Disco Biscuits fashion landed the gig after a live "drum-off" gig in November 2005 in Atlantic City. By that time, Aucoin had already quit his job selling Harley Davidson motorcycles to devote all his waking hours to honing his skill for the Biscuits.
With the new blood also comes a new home base. The Biscuits have regrouped in their own studio, formerly owned by fellow Philly homeboy DJ Jazzy Jeff, and the band is reaching creative heights it hasn't hit since it shared a house together in the late '90s, practicing up to 10 hours a day and writing new material for their next studio effort.
Aucoin played his first shows as an official member of the band over the 2005 holiday season at the Tower Theatre in Philadelphia and the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, where it sold more than 10,000 tickets. According to many on the scene, the Biscuits have never sounded better and the band plans to tour heavily in 2006.
While The Wind at Four to Fly marks the end of the band's chapter with Altman behind the kit, the future of the Disco Biscuits is still being written. Don't miss it.
Hope
Disco Biscuits Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The alphabet and a master plan,
Settled in the trees and growing like a vine,
A delivery arriving back in time.
The officer revolt walks the beat with a bang,
For a millisecond and a boomerang,
As they walk away singing the peace is not so strong,
But silly as it is, when you can bang your head,
And who needs history when time just moves ahead,
As everything you want brings something else instead,
A hammerhead might taste the blood,
A ladybug might see the red,
There was a princess, her friend the mouse, and his little cheese,
And she wore these tiny slippers wear you'd think her toes were squeezed,
As she smiles on a swing, glides above a flower bed,
The gentle nature of a woman gives me hope to rest my head.
And hope fuels generations.
And hope can start your car.
And hope is the root of fantasy.
It's nothing but a star.
Which may be fleeting, may be bright.
May keep you staring at the night.
Where one might question what life will be.
Quietly, I ask myself, 'Is there still hope for me?'
Hope is a generation.
Bang your head in the car.
And what is the root of fantasy?
Lay your bet on a star.
The lyrics of Hope by Disco Biscuits appear to be a stream of consciousness that takes the listener on a journey through various thoughts and musings. The first stanza sets a tone of things being mellow at the beginning of the world, with the introduction of the alphabet and a master plan. This is followed by a reference to a delivery that arrives back in time, which could be interpreted in various ways.
The second stanza takes a different turn with a mention of an officer revolt and a sense of conflict. The peace that is sung about is not strong, and the line "to turn the inside to the out and right to wrong" suggests a sense of disorder or chaos. However, the lyrics then shift to a contrasting idea that sometimes it is possible to simply enjoy headbanging and not worry about history or the consequences of time passing. The imagery in this section is striking, with a hammerhead shark tasting blood, and a ladybug seeing red.
The final stanza brings things full circle with a mention of a princess, her friend the mouse, and hope being found in the gentle nature of a woman. The reference to hope fueling generations and being the root of fantasy reinforces the idea that hope is a powerful force that can have a profound impact on our outlook and experiences.
Overall, the song seems to be exploring the idea that life is full of paradoxes and contradictions, and that hope can provide a sense of comfort and stability in the midst of uncertainty.
Line by Line Meaning
Mellow was the world when it began,
The world was peaceful and calm in the beginning.
The alphabet and a master plan,
Everything was organized and structured from the start.
Settled in the trees and growing like a vine,
Life was blooming and flourishing, like a vine spreading through trees.
A delivery arriving back in time.
Something important was delivered from the past to the present.
The officer revolt walks the beat with a bang,
There is a conflict between the authorities and the people.
For a millisecond and a boomerang,
The conflict is brief and conflicting parties may switch sides.
As they walk away singing the peace is not so strong,
Despite attempts to maintain peace, it may not be strong enough to overcome conflicts.
To turn the inside to the out and right to wrong
The world can be turned upside down and what was once right, can become wrong.
But silly as it is, when you can bang your head,
In the midst of turmoil, sometimes the simple things like music can bring solace.
And who needs history when time just moves ahead,
In the grand scheme of things, history may not matter as time continues to move forward.
As everything you want brings something else instead,
Things may not turn out as expected and can bring unintended consequences.
A hammerhead might taste the blood,
Even something as dangerous as a hammerhead shark can experience pleasure and pain.
A ladybug might see the red,
Something as small and innocent as a ladybug can still experience and perceive the world around them.
There was a princess, her friend the mouse, and his little cheese,
An imaginary story of a princess and her animal friends is being told.
And she wore these tiny slippers wear you'd think her toes were squeezed,
The princess wore uncomfortable shoes that were too small for her feet.
As she smiles on a swing, glides above a flower bed,
The princess is enjoying a carefree moment, swinging and observing nature.
The gentle nature of a woman gives me hope to rest my head.
The kindness of women brings hope and comfort.
And hope fuels generations.
Hope is a powerful force that motivates and sustains people for generations.
And hope can start your car.
Hope can provide the energy and motivation necessary to start something new.
And hope is the root of fantasy.
Fantasy often stems from a hopeful desire for a better reality.
It's nothing but a star.
Hope is intangible, like a distant star.
Which may be fleeting, may be bright.
Hope can be fleeting or enduring, fluctuating like the brightness of a star.
May keep you staring at the night.
Hope can inspire contemplation and reflection, like staring at the night sky.
Where one might question what life will be.
In moments of hopelessness, one may question what the future holds.
Quietly, I ask myself, 'Is there still hope for me?'
Hope can also be a personal struggle, asking oneself if there is still hope for oneself.
Hope is a generation.
Hope can be passed down through generations, becoming a source of shared inspiration.
Bang your head in the car.
Music can provide hope and relief, even when stuck in a car.
And what is the root of fantasy?
Hope is often the initial spark that inspires fantasy.
Lay your bet on a star.
Having hope for a better future is like placing a bet on a distant, yet shining star.
Lyrics Β© BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: NATACHA ATLAS, NITIN SAWHNEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@republicansgoaway
this one takes me to that "place"
@_4lec
a hammerhead might taste the blood, a ladybug might see the red
@williamwright4317
Which May be fleeting it may be right. it keeps you staring at the night. But one might question what life will be, so quietly I ask myself... is there still hope for me?
@eborg20
Fuck anybody hating on disco biscuits this a shredder πΊ
@keithnercesian6595
AND HOPE CAN START YOUR CAR
@muddyman1622
hope builds generations