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)
Scheme
Flaw Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How this was meant to be
All of those falsehoods plain to see
They dug and hung their greed
Will there be profit
You could see if only we were blind
Lonely and sheltered
Your life is free
Just like me,
They tried their rules on me
They tried their rules on me, me, me
I broke those chains and fucking split
And so you and so you and so you and so you
Pass all the fascist asses
Ignore those classes of bottleneck masses
Producing an all but awful stench,
Delivering a section of all the money stole and spent
As you start to recognize you're in the game
You start to recognize you're in the game
Growing afflictions head to toe,
This never should have been
But placing blame is cowardly
Restructure must begin
Will there be profit
You could see if only we were blind
Lonely and sheltered your life is free,
But it's still one step behind
[chorus]
Except the playing board is you
The lyrics to Flaw's song "Scheme" are highly introspective and emotive, alluding to the experiences of an individual who has broken free from the shackles of society's expectations and conventions. The lyrics suggest that this person had an epiphany years ago about how things were "meant to be" and has since come to realize the falsehoods that have been propagated throughout society. The verse "They dug and hung their greed" paints a vivid picture of the consequences of the selfish desires that drive some individuals.
Despite the revelations that have been made, the lyrics hint that the struggle is far from over. The line "Your life is free, but it's still one step behind" conveys the idea that although the individual has succeeded in breaking free from societal chains, he or she is not completely free of the consequences of those chains. The chorus talks about passing the "fascist asses" and ignoring the "bottleneck masses." This suggests that the individual has decided to no longer conform to societal norms and instead forge his or her own path.
Overall, "Scheme" seems to be a song about the struggle to escape societal expectations and find one's own path in life. While the road is difficult and full of obstacles, the lyrics seem to suggest that the only way to truly be free is to pursue one's own destiny.
Line by Line Meaning
It woke up in me years ago
The realization and understanding of how things were meant to be in society dawned on me years ago.
How this was meant to be
I understand what was always supposed to be true about society and how we should treat each other.
All of those falsehoods plain to see
The lies that society tells us to justify the way things are become increasingly obvious.
They dug and hung their greed
The people in power have dug themselves into their positions and are holding onto their greed tightly.
Will there be profit
The question of whether or not there will be profit is always on the minds of those in power.
You could see if only we were blind
If we were ignorant to what was really going on, it would be easy to see that those in power are only interested in profit.
Lonely and sheltered
Those in power are often isolated and protected from the real world.
Your life is free
The rest of society may be free from the constraints of wealth and power, but are still one step behind.
But it's still one step behind
The rest of society may be free, but are still not on a level playing field with those in power.
Just like me,
Like many others, I was subject to the rules and constraints of society imposed on me by those in power.
They tried their rules on me
Those in power forced me to follow their rules and play by their game.
They tried their rules on me, me, me
Those in power kept imposing their rules on me, trying to keep me in check.
I broke those chains and fucking split
I broke free from the chains that society had placed on me and left that world behind.
And so you and so you and so you and so you
Other people can also break free from the chains of society.
Pass all the fascist asses
Ignore those who are trying to impose their rules and limits on you.
Ignore those classes of bottleneck masses
Don't pay attention to those who are trying to hold you back and limit your potential.
Producing an all but awful stench,
Those in power have created a putrid environment and culture, which needs to change.
Delivering a section of all the money stole and spent
Those in power have taken and spent vast amounts of money that should have gone to the people.
As you start to recognize you're in the game
When you begin to see how society really works and how you are subject to its rules, you can start to make changes.
Growing afflictions head to toe,
The problems with society are pervasive and all-encompassing.
This never should have been
The way things are now is not how they were supposed to be.
But placing blame is cowardly
We must take responsibility for the current state of society and work to change it, rather than just blaming others.
Restructure must begin
We must start to rebuild and restructure society as a whole.
[chorus]
The chorus is a repetition of the idea that society is a game, and that we need to recognize this and start making changes to level the playing field.
Except the playing board is you
We are the ones who are on the playing field and subject to the rules of society. We must take the initiative to change things ourselves.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: CHRIS VOLZ, CHRISTOPHER BALLINGER, JASON DAUNT, LANCE ARNY, RYAN JURHS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind