Emery is an American four-piece alternative rock band from Rock Hill, South… Read Full Bio ↴Emery is an American four-piece alternative rock band from Rock Hill, South Carolina, currently working under their own indie label, Bad Christian Music. Emery moved to Seattle, Washington in order to reach a more music centered scene. The band resists being labeled a "Christian band". Before signing with Tooth & Nail, Emery recorded 2 EP's, The Columbus EEP Thee and The Weak's End demo that they used to attract attention from labels. With Tooth & Nail, they have recorded 4 studio albums, and 2 EPs. The Weak's End, their debut album, was released in 2004, followed by The Question in 2005 and I'm Only A Man in 2007. The latter fulfilled Emery's contract with Tooth & Nail. However, the band re-signed with the label and released In Shallow Seas We Sail on June 2, 2009. The band's most recent album, We Do What We Want, was released on March 29, 2011.

Formation and Early Years (2000 – 2001)
Emery formed in 2001 in Rock Hill, South Carolina but moved to Seattle, Washington in search of a better musical environment. The band was named after a first grader that Toby Morrell met while working as an intern for a teacher in college. The four members in the band at the time, Toby Morrell (vocals/guitar), Devin Shelton (drums), Matt Carter (guitar/keyboards), and Joel "Chopper" Green (bass) actually left Rock Hill, South Carolina for Seattle on September 11, the day of the terrorist attacks; they found out about the attacks when they stopped at a local diner in South Carolina. Most of the members are from the bands Sachul, Joe 747, Simply Waynes and Oogie Brown. After a little while Seth Studley, who was one of the original members of the band, broke out of a serious relationship and followed them to Seattle and resumed his post as drummer. Since Seth took over drums, Devin went ahead and took the position of guitarist.

The Weak's End (2002 – 2004)
After making Emerald City their new home in Seattle, Washington, Emery signed a record deal with Tooth & Nail Records, also of Seattle, in 2002. Wasting no time, Emery paired up with producer/engineer Ed Rose and worked on their debut album, The Weak's End. It was produced at the Black Lodge Studio in Eudora, Kansas. The record was released in January 2004 by Tooth & Nail Records. Emery toured extensively to promote their new release.

The Question (2005 – 2006)
While touring, Seth Studley decided to leave the band in order to get married and Emery had to look for a new drummer. While touring with Haste the Day, Dave Powell was brought out to audition. Powell was officially put in the band on November 2005. Powell originally played in the Indianapolis-based metalcore/hardcore band The Bowels of Judas.

Soon after touring, Emery went back into the studio to record their next record with production done by Aaron Sprinkle this time around. The band took five weeks in recording sessions. The Question was released on August 2, 2005. "Studying Politics" was released as the album's first single with a video emerging on June 29, 2005. On November 21, 2006, Emery re-released The Question, adding a DVD, five acoustic versions of previously recorded songs and two new demo tracks, which were produced by Matt Carter. The DVD included a documentary film of Emery, live songs and bonus footage.

After the re-release, Joel "Chopper" Green decided to leave the band. On September 19, 2006, Emery posted a blog on their website explaining the departure. Devin and Toby since then switched bass parts in concerts and in the studio.

I'm Only A Man (2007 – 2008)
While touring with Underoath in Australia, Emery announced that they were releasing a new album. The album, I'm Only A Man, leaked onto the internet before its official release on October 2, 2007. The album was produced by Ryan Boesch and Matt Carter and recorded at Dark Horse Studio in Tennessee. It received mixed reviews. Emery released a deluxe edition of the album as well, which featured four acoustic songs that were recorded while on the Take Action Tour with The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and DVD with a live footage and a documentary. The iTunes version of the deluxe edition also added a bonus track called "Whoa! Man".

While Broken Hearts Prevail and ...In Shallow Seas We Sail (2008 – 2010)
Emery announced in an interview on TVU that they finished a new 8-track EP entitled While Broken Hearts Prevail, which was released on October 28, 2008. They began premiering some of the new material while on tour opening for The Almost, including a song entitled "Edge Of The World".

In an interview with Toby Morrell, Emery announced that would be releasing a new album called ...In Shallow Seas We Sail. Up until the announcement of Emery resigning to Tooth & Nail Records, it was unsure if the band would seek a new label, since their contract had expired. They re-signed with Tooth & Nail and soon gave out information on their new release.

On April 7, 2009, Emery released a new song entitled "Cutthroat Collapse" on their Myspace, Purevolume, and iTunes. On May 29, 2009, Emery put ...In Shallow Seas We Sail in its entirety up on their Myspace. On June 2, 2009, ...In Shallow Seas We Sail was officially released.

During their headlining U.S. tour, Emery had selected dates filmed for a DVD in the works. The release date is unknown at this time. Emery set out on tour supporting Underoath on their fall/winter headlining tour for the rest of the year. In the summer of 2010 they went on the "Scream it Like You Mean it" tour with Silverstein, Ivoryline, Dance Gavin Dance, We Came as Romans, Sky Eats Airplane, and I Set My Friends On Fire.

We Do What We Want (2011- 2012)
On January 26, 2011 it was announced that the band's fifth album We Do What We Want is set to be released on March 29, 2011. The band also released a clip of a song titled "Scissors". Another song titled "The Curse of Perfect Days" has been released to Christian rock radio stations.

On January 31, 2011, vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and bassist Devin Shelton announced he was taking an "indefinite hiatus" from Emery.

On February 1, 2011 a song titled "The Cheval Glass" was released on the band's Facebook, Youtube and Myspace page. On February 17, 2011, the band announced that We Do What We Want would be released through both Tooth & Nail and their hardcore/metal subdivision Solid State Records reflecting the heavier sound of the album.

In 2012, Toby Morrell and Matt Carter formed a side project duo, simply called Matt & Toby, with a more acoustic/electronic type sound. The duo released a self-titled album in November of that year via Tooth & Nail.

Bad Christian Music (2013 - present)
In 2013 Emery did not resign with Tooth & Nail records, subsequently leaving the label. Later that year, they founded Bad Christian Music, a blog & podcast website, as well as an indie record label.

In 2014, the band released two books, Bad Christian, Great Savior, and The M Word.

On May 19th, 2015 Emery released their sixth full length album, their first album via Bad Christian Music, You Were Never Alone. The album peaked at No. 69 on the Billboard 200, No. 1 on Top Christian Albums, No. 6 on Independent Albums, No. 8 on Alternative Music[ No. 10 on Top Rock Albums and No. 31 on Top Album Sales.

Bands such as Abandon Kansas and The Classic Crime have also joined the artist roster of Bad Christian Music.

Members
Toby Morrell: lead vocals, guitar
Matt Carter: guitar, aggressive vocals
Josh Head: keyboard, vocals, aggressive vocals
Dave Powell: drums

Former Members
Devin Shelton: guitar, lead vocals (on indefinite hiatus now)
Seth Studley: drums
Joel Green: bass
Joey Svendsen: bass

This Town
Emery Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I found my fear in the ashes of this town as it burned
When the smoke entered my lungs, I suffocated on lessons I learned
Made it out of the fire, ran away just in time
Tried to kill my desire
Tried to hold me here all of my life
Suddenly I saw everything that I never could have done with you here
Don’t turn around now, there’s no road back home
No fear to hold you back. Just say you want it, say you want it more

The bridges all burned down and everything you know is lost
Nobody ever leaves
This town won’t take the best of me
You dream about every hope, hidden away but just below the surface of your skin, so coarse but oh so thin
You’re terrified of letting go. Nothing is reaped until it’s sown
No time to give in. Just one life we live
Moving forward is not failing
Don’t turn around now, there’s no road back home
No fear to hold you back. Just say you want it, say you want it more
The bridges all burned down and everything you know is lost
Nobody ever leaves
This town won’t take the best of me
When you feel your heart pumping in your chest and ignites the spark that you’ve always felt
Do you trust yourself? Don’t push those thoughts away
Can you feel the life flowing through your veins
It never mattered what the voices said
Life’s not about how you fall
It’s about how many times you can get up
You made it this far with the courage you had

You carried the weight of it all
And every dead end just begins a new path and oh, the places we’ll go

Overall Meaning

The song "This Town" by Emery is about leaving behind one's fears and insecurities and moving forward in life. The lyrics use vivid imagery of a burning town, where the singer finds their fear and decided to run away from it. However, the singer also realizes that by leaving, they have an opportunity to do things they never could have done before. The song encourages listeners to trust themselves and not be held back by fear. The lyric, "Moving forward is not failing," emphasizes that making progress in life is important, even if there are obstacles along the way.

The chorus of the song repeats the idea that "nobody ever leaves this town," implying that the past can hold people back from moving forward. The song encourages listeners to break those chains and not let past insecurities and mistakes hold them back. The lyrics urge listeners to trust themselves and pursue their dreams, even if it means leaving behind familiar places and people.

Line by Line Meaning

I found my fear in the ashes of this town as it burned
I confronted my fear while watching this town burn down to ashes.

When the smoke entered my lungs, I suffocated on lessons I learned
The smoke made it hard to breathe, making me recall uncomfortable lessons that I learned.

Made it out of the fire, ran away just in time
I escaped the fire right in time.

Tried to kill my desire, Tried to hold me here all of my life
I tried to suppress my desires and not to leave this town all my life.

Suddenly I saw everything that I never could have done with you here
It became obvious to me that I would not have been able to accomplish certain things if I stayed in this town with the person I was with.

Don’t turn around now, there’s no road back home
There's no way to go back to where I was before.

No fear to hold you back. Just say you want it, say you want it more
There's no need to be afraid. Be determined and ask for what you want.

The bridges all burned down and everything you know is lost, nobody ever leaves
After the bridges have been burned down, you're left with nothing and can't leave.

This town won’t take the best of me
This town won't take away the best part of me.

You dream about every hope, hidden away but just below the surface of your skin, so coarse but oh so thin
You have many dreams that are hidden but can be seen just beneath the surface.

You’re terrified of letting go. Nothing is reaped until it’s sown
You're scared to let go, but nothing will be gained until you try.

No time to give in. Just one life we live
It's not time to give up because life is short.

Moving forward is not failing
Don't give up simply by moving forward.

When you feel your heart pumping in your chest, and ignites the spark that you’ve always felt
When your heart beats, you'll remember the feeling that you've always had.

Do you trust yourself? Don’t push those thoughts away
Do you trust your instinct? Don't ignore your thoughts.

Can you feel the life flowing through your veins
Can you feel the vitality coursing through your veins?

It never mattered what the voices said
The opinions of others never mattered.

Life’s not about how you fall, It’s about how many times you can get up
Life isn't about falling down; it's about how many times you can pick yourself up.

You made it this far with the courage you had
By the strength of your courage, you've come this far.

You carried the weight of it all, and every dead end just begins a new path, and oh, the places we’ll go
You carried the burden of everything, and each dead end leads to a new path, full of possibilities.

Lyrics © O/B/O DistroKid
Written by: Matt Carter

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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