The band formed when vocalist Chris Volz answered an ad in a local paper placed by guitarist Jason Daunt, looking for a singer for an alternative/industrial band. The band's rhythm section progressed through several line-ups but solidified with the addition of bassist Ryan Jurhs in 1996. That same year the band recorded their first independent record American Arrogance.
Because they were low on money, the band ordered everything they needed to record from the Musician's Friend catalog, then returned it using the 30-day return policy. Their album gave them the opportunity to open for acts including Fear Factory and Econoline Crush. A local radio station, The Fox, broadcast the songs from Flaw's indie disc, giving them further notoriety.
Two more independent records, 1998's self titled album Flaw and 2000's Drama were later produced.
Flaw signed to Universal/Republic Records in 2000, and proceeded to release their debut album, Through the Eyes in 2001. The album eventually topped the Billboard Heatseekers Chart, due to moderate rotation of their music videos "Payback" and "Whole" on MTV2 and rock radio stations. In 2002, the band played at Ozzfest.
In 2004, after three years without releasing a new album, Flaw returned to the studio to begin recording their second studio album, Endangered Species. The band had parted ways with guitarist Jason Daunt and drummer Chris Ballinger and added Micah Havertape as their new drummer. The only single released from Endangered Species was "Recognize" and it received little amount of radio play. A music video was supposed to be filmed for the single but it never happened.
Endangered Species debuted at #42 on the Billboard Top 200, selling 27,527[citation needed] copies in its first week.
Flaw was dropped by their label Universal Records in late 2004 and eventually broke up. The band's final days left many people angry. The band had scheduled a few shows within their surrounding states, and when the break-up news began to circulate, no one from the band stepped forward to confirm or deny it. Some reportedly drove hundreds of miles to see the shows only to be told by club managers that the band unexpectedly canceled without notice. The group's website had, at the time, still displayed a notice which read "Flaw is still playing".
After Flaw broke up, Chris Volz eventually started up an entirely new band with drummer Ivan Arnold who had played with Flaw from 1998 to 2000. The new band, Five Bolt Main, signed with Rock Ridge Records and released a studio album and a live album before disbanding.
After leaving Flaw, Jason Daunt played in another Louisville band called Into Another, as well as going back to school for a law degree. Chris Ballinger played in a few bands and Lance Arny began playing guitar for a band called Nailgun Strategy in Louisville.
Micah Havertape went on to play with Black Market Hero alongside past 40 Below Summer members. Ryan Jurhs was also temporarily played them as well.
In 2006, Flaw reunited with four of the founding members: Chris Volz, Jason Daunt, Lance Arny, and Chris Ballinger. The band recruited bassist Alex Cando, formerly of Five.Bolt.Main, on bass. On March 11, 2007, at Headliner's Music Hall in Louisville, Kentucky, the band played its first show since their breakup, sharing the stage with Powerman 5000 before heading out on their own reunion tour with Arny's other band, Nailgun Strategy. On this tour, Flaw announced that they hoped to release an album in 2007 and were trying to find the right record company to sign with. Neither of those things ultimately happened that year.
The band went on to have numerous line-up changes and internal problems throughout 2007 and 2008. Daunt was only been able to make a couple of the shows due to his work as a full-time lawyer. For all the shows Daunt was unable to make, Andy Russ from Arny's other band, Nailgun Strategy, performed in Daunt's place. Eventually, Daunt left the band and was replaced full-time by Russ. Alex Cando also left, and was replaced by past member Ryan Juhrs.
Internal strife continued, with Volz and Daunt leaving to form a new band called Foundation. At this point the other three members of Flaw. Ballinger, Arny, and Juhrs, tried to carry on as Flaw, but Daunt and Volz reclaimed the name Flaw and applied it to their new band.
In December 2008 a MySpace bulletin was posted by Flaw stating that all future concert dates had been canceled due to conflicts between Volz and current members of the band.
However, in 2009, the band later came forward claiming that former "hired guns" in Flaw hacked the official MySpace and wrote this false information. They revealed that they were still working on a new album, and had a new drummer Sean Rued. Their third album, Home Grown Studio Sessions was later independently released for digital download via the website DiGiSTATION on November 16. 2009, and at all concerts since its release.
The band continued to tour into 2010, with Chris Marple filling in on bass until Ryan Jurhs could return due to work/scheduling conflict. However, in early july of 2010, signs of internal problems arose with Russ leaving for "health and personal reasons". In Mid July of 2010 Arny once again brought Chris Marple (Caldera & Kentucky Death Wish) back into the picture. This time Marple would be playing guitar, along with Arny, Jurhs, Volz & Rued to complete the full line up once again.
Flaw tour dates were scheduled immediately & posted from July through October of 2010. During the course of each run, these tours were with TANTRIC/BURN HALO/SATURATE. Unfortunately, somewhere during the course of these 3 tours, there was animosity between certain members & Flaw canceled all remaining tour dates with no explanation, on November 2, 2010.
Members
Current members
Chris Volz - vocals (1995–2004, 2006–present)
Lance Arny - guitar (1998–2004, 2006–2007, 2008–present)
Chris Marple - guitar (2010–present)
Ryan Jurhs - bass, backing vocals (1995–2004, 2008–present)
Sean Rued - drums (2009–present)
Former members
Jason Daunt - guitar (1995–2002, 2006–2008)
Ivan Arnold - drums (1995–1998)
Nick Haupt - drums (1998)
Dave Wathen - drums (1998–99)
Chris Ballinger - drums (1999–2003, 2006–2007)
Micah Havertape - drums (2003–2004)
Alex Cando - bass (2006–2007)
Nathan McDaniel - guitar (2007–2008)
Tyler Mathews - bass (2007–2008)
Terry Harper - drums (2008–2009)
Andy Russ - guitar (2008–2010)
PayBack
Flaw Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A wholeness that has just been lost
Striving hard for perfection but still nothing to find
Some value with a cheaper cost
And as I reach out to hear you the sound is so muffled
It makes a lesser man of me
So the only thing left to bring up to date is
You suck!
[Chorus: x 2]
Watch me fall while I go down
I'm taking all you bastards to the ground with me then I'll frown
On your fucking whole life
The systematic hype still means a bit much to me
I'm at the point of retraction and still slipping further
This place is getting worse for me
There's such a lack of direction and models to live by
No bright skies ahead of me
And as I reach out for your hand you turn and then wander
Why I simply just can't see
No separation of gender no difference in me
You're just leading me on and on and on
You lead me on and on and on and on
You suck!
[Chorus: x 2]
Pretty soon it's gonna come back and be your turn
Pretty soon you're gonna be the one that burns
You suck!
[Chorus: x 2]
Your turn now
The lyrics of Flaw's song Payback describe the lead singer's frustration with the pressures of striving for perfection, without finding any value in it. The first verse mentions a lost sense of wholeness and an inability to find anything of true worth in the pursuit of perfection. The sound of the person he reaches out to is muffled, which makes him feel like a lesser man. Therefore, the only thing left to bring up to date is the statement "you suck!"
The chorus is all about payback. The singer promises to take down all the "bastards" who have been responsible for his fall. He intends to frown on their whole life and is bitter towards the systematic hype that still means a lot to him. In the second verse, the lead singer is at a point of retraction and feels like he is slipping further. There is a lack of direction and models to live by, and no bright skies ahead. He reaches out for someone's hand, only to have them wander off. He sees no separation of gender and no difference in himself from others, but he feels like he's being led on.
In conclusion, Payback is a song about frustration, disillusionment, and bitterness with the pursuit of perfection and the pressures of society. The singer feels like he's being led on, and the voices around him are telling him one thing but making him feel like a "lesser man." His anger boils over into a vow of vengeance, promising to bring down all those who have contributed to his downfall.
Line by Line Meaning
There's another reflection involved up in my mind
My mind is preoccupied with another thought or idea
A wholeness that has just been lost
I've recently lost a sense of completeness or wholeness
Striving hard for perfection but still nothing to find
Despite my efforts to be perfect, I haven't found what I'm looking for
Some value with a cheaper cost
There are things I desire that are less expensive
And as I reach out to hear you the sound is so muffled
When I try to listen to you, the sound is unclear or muted
It makes a lesser man of me
This difficulty makes me feel inferior or inadequate
So the only thing left to bring up to date is
The only thing I have to say now is
You suck!
I think you're terrible!
[Chorus: x 2]
Repeated chorus follows
Watch me fall while I go down
Watch me fail as I descend
I'm taking all you bastards to the ground with me then I'll frown
I'm going to bring all of you down with me and then I'll be unhappy
On your fucking whole life
I'll bring down your entire existence
The systematic hype still means a bit much to me
I still care about the overblown and artificial excitement around things
I'm at the point of retraction and still slipping further
I'm pulling back, but things are still getting worse
This place is getting worse for me
My current situation is declining
There's such a lack of direction and models to live by
I don't have any clear guidance or role models to follow
No bright skies ahead of me
Things don't look good for my future
And as I reach out for your hand you turn and then wander
When I try to connect with you, you reject me and move on
Why I simply just can't see
I don't understand why you won't engage with me
No separation of gender no difference in me
My gender doesn't set me apart or make me different
You're just leading me on and on and on
You're stringing me along
Pretty soon it's gonna come back and be your turn
Before long, you'll face a similar situation
Pretty soon you're gonna be the one that burns
You're going to suffer consequences
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CHRIS VOLZ, CHRISTOPHER BALLINGER, JASON DAUNT, LANCE ARNY, RYAN JURHS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@alexandruovedenie5739
There's another reflection involved up in my mind
A wholeness that has just been lost
Striving hard for perfection but still nothing to find
Some value with a cheaper cost
And as I reach out to hear you the sound is so muffled
It makes a lesser man of me
So the only thing left to bring up to date is
Chorus
You Suck! Watch me fall while I go down
I'm taking all you bastards to the ground with me then I'll frown
On your fucking whole life
The systematic hype still means a bit much to me(2X)
I'm at the point of retraction and still slipping further
This place is getting worse for me
There's such a lack of direction and models to live by
No bright skies ahead of me
And as I reach out for your hand you turn and then wander
Why I simply just can't see
No seperation of gender no difference in me
You're just leading me on and on and on
Chorus
You Suck! Watch me fall while I go down
I'm taking all you bastards to the ground with me then I'll frown
On your fucking whole life
The systematic hype still means a bit much to me
Pretty soon it's gonna come back and be your turn
Pretty soon you're gonna be the one that burns
Chorus
You Suck! Watch me fall while I go down
I'm taking all you bastards to the ground with me then I'll frown
On your fucking whole life
The systematic hype still means a bit much to me
@left4cannabis
This song is timeless, the energy is raw and powerful, his voice, the riffs, the emotion, perfection.
@stigysteinmartinsen8460
Couldn't agree more!!!
@btugmantalk10
Fact
@justinrichey6917
Bad ass
@christopherregan1654
Don't forget about the production, courtesy of Dave Bottril. It sounds so clean, yet so heavy at the same time.
@streetsideproductionsill884
I agree-very thankful these guys showed up
@mattalarid7963
my mom took me to see them YEARS ago when I was about 11 at a bar. She put me on the stage and I rocked out with these guys. After the show I got to meet them all. The guitarist gave me one of his picks and the drummer gave me one of his sticks that he used to play. Some of the nicest musicians I have ever had the pleasure meeting and very loving.
@alvarofranciscoarancibiahe7127
hermoso <3
@justinrichey6917
Sure you didn't
@tiktokuser8498
Cap