While being in a post-hardcore band may not be extraordinarily unique, Greeley Estates pushes to the front of the pack as one of the few young bands putting the relationship with their fans above all else. Greeley Estates live shows go unparalleled. With a dynamic style reflecting numerous musical backgrounds, Greeley captures the audience and sears a lasting impression. Stripped to its core, the musical foundation reflects catchy melody and pop sensibility infinitely amplified by a hardcore edge and intense vocals.
Although Greeley Estates calls Arizona home, they are more often found navigating the pages of an atlas. In addition to performing nightly, Greeley emphasizes getting to know fans on a personal level, providing the human identity that is clearly evident in their lyrics and presence. Though Greeley Estates' journey has just begun, they've already achieved unparalleled significance among their peers. They've completed 3 national tours including every date of Vans Warped Tour 2005. They've self-released a full length album Outside of This and a full length DVD The Death of Greeley Estates - both of which have garnered a top-five spot on SmartPunk's overall sales rankings.
Celebrating their recent signing to Record Collection and the release of their second album, the EP Caveat Emptor, Greeley Estates co-headlined the MySpace Fall Tour 2005 . They returned to the studio in January 2006 to record their second full-length album and then continued touring on Taste of Chaos 2006. In a world of fabricated celebrity, people are finding honest authenticity in Greeley Estates - not only in their music and performance, but in their efforts, their character, and lives that serve as the foundation for their music.
On January 31, 2007, bassist Josh Applebach announced that he would leave Greeley Estates for a teaching career in Arizona. Bradley Murray (previously with Versus the Mirror) from Tucson, Arizona became their touring bassist. His first live appearance with the band was on February 3, 2007 in Safford, Arizona.
On June 3, 2007, guitarist Dallas Smith announced that he would be leaving the band in order to start up a family with his wife and expected twin daughters (he and his wife were to subsequently lose the pregnancy). He made this announcement via a MySpace bulletin and announced that his last show would be June 20, 2007 at the Clubhouse in Tempe, Arizona.
After their Mexican tour with Silverstein, Brad Murray left the band for personal reasons.
On September 4, 2007, Greeley Estates recorded their new album. The two new members of Greeley Estates include Alex Torres (previously with Eyes Set to Kill) and Joshua Ferguson (previously with Glory Nights)
After the band finished recording their new album Go West Young Man, Let the Evil Go East, Joshua Ferguson left to complete his apprenticeship as a hair stylist at BLACK MARKET HAIR in Calgary, Alberta, Canada; personal reasons seem to be why he left.
Greeley Estates had announced Tyler "Telle" Smith as their new bassist, who was formerly of In Fear and Faith. Telle played his first show with the band on February 9, 2008, at the Clubhouse in Tempe, Arizona.
In 2003 Greeley Estates had a track, entitled "Let the Evil Go East", on the Warped Tour 2008 compilation album.
Their latest album titled Go West Young Man, Let the Evil Go East was released May 6, 2008. For the track "Blue Morning" on their new album, Greeley Estates hired music video director Daniel Chesnut to create a high energy, intense video, to match the band's new persona.
On Friday, November 14, 2008, Greeley Estates announced that Smith, found within the course of the same year, had left the band to join The Word Alive.
A song from the fourth album, entitled "Seven Hours" along with "Jealousy Breeds Killing Sprees", which features guest vocals Craig Mabbitt from Escape the Fate, were streamed online during November 2009. Another new song from album "No Rain, No Rainbow" entitled "Friends Are Friends for Never" was also streamed online.
As of June 12, 2010, guitarist Alex Torres announced his departure from the band via MySpace. In the blog, he stated; "Im not exactly sure how to say this, but as of a month ago, I let the guys know that I would be leaving the band.. and the "Oh, Sleeper" tour would be my last tour in Greeley Estates... To clear things up early, NO there is NO bad blood, and everyone is on good terms. Greeley has been my family since 2007, and that will NOT change."
Greeley Estates has been touring around the world, headlining many of these tours with bands including Vanna, Tides of Man, A Bullet For Pretty Boy and The Crimson Armada.
Greeley Estates began work on their fifth studio album in 2010, originally expecting for an April or May release date.
When asked of the band's fifth full-length album before its release, Zimmerman told AMP Magazine, "We’re thinking of kind of combining the last two records, Go West and No Rain, to kind of bring back some singing and have a little bit of melody but still have the heavy. I’m not sure yet on the lyrical direction."
The fifth album was aimed for a summer release (which it met with an August release date), with producer Cory Spotts, who also produced the band's very first album "Outside of This" in 2004. The name of the album was revealed to be "The Death of Greeley Estates".
On June 1, 2011 the first single to the new album was released on the band's Facebook page, titled "The Last Dance". On June 7, another song from the record was leaked, titled "Friendly Neighborhood Visit" through Alternative Press.
Greeley Estates explained that the album they intend to release this fall will in fact come in two parts, each with seven songs: "The Narrow Road", on November 20, 2012, and "Devil Son", on April 9, 2013. They are releasing both albums entirely independently without a record label. They released a single, "Lot Lizards," from "The Narrow Road" on October 25. On October 30 they released another new song from "The Narrow Road" online for one day only called, "Die." On November 13, another new song from "The Narrow Road" was released entitled, "Head Underwater" which will be the first official single, and will see an upcoming music video. The music video for the song "Head Underwater" premiered on Alternative Press on February 12, 2013. The first song to appear from "Devil Son" was "Turn The Night Away" released on April 2, 2013. On April 5, 2013 the music video for the song "Marionette" premiered on YouTube.
Current members:
Ryan Zimmerman - vocals (2002–present)
Brandon Hackenson - lead guitar (2002–present)
David Ludlow - rhythm guitar (2009–present)
Kyle Koelsch - bass (2010–present)
Chris Julian - drums (2009–present)
Former members:
Dallas Smith - rhythm guitar (2002-2007)
Alex Torres - rhythm guitar (2007-2010)
Jared Wallace - bass (2002-2004)
Josh Applebach - bass (2004-2007)
Tyler "Telle" Smith - bass (2008)
Mike Coburn - drums (2002-2003)
David Hubbard - drums (2003)
Brian Champ - drums (2004-2009)
Marionette
Greeley Estates Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'll be your muse
Strung up like a puppet
Choking on the strings in your hands
Don't you say it
Not another word
I'm not afraid to leave you
I'll be gone by morning
If you ask for an answer
Well, I gave you my warning
No, I'll be gone
I'll be miles away
Army of one
That's how it feels
Standing among many
Faceless
Hanging there
All strung up
Out of hope
You're so far gone
I'm not afraid to leave you
I'll be gone by morning
If you ask for an answer
Well, I gave you my warning
No, I'll be gone
I'll be miles away
I'm not afraid to leave here
It's been a long time coming
One of these days I won't come back home to you
No, I'll be gone
I'll be miles away
Let me go
Come on and let me go
Hanging there
All strung up
Out of hope
You're so far gone
I'm not afraid to leave you
I'll be gone by morning
If you ask for an answer
Well, I gave you my warning
No, I'll be gone
I'll be miles away
I'm not afraid to leave here
It's been a long time coming
One of these days I won't come back home to you
No, I'll be gone
I'll be miles away
I'll be miles away
I'll be miles away
The lyrics to Greeley Estates' song "Marionette" paint a vivid picture of a relationship in which one partner feels trapped and controlled by the other. The singer warns their partner not to speak, as they have already heard enough. They feel strung up like a puppet and choked by the strings in their partner's hands. The partner is faceless, part of a group, while the singer is alone, an army of one. They feel out of hope and believe their partner is too far gone. Despite the partner's attempts to keep them, the singer declares that they are not afraid to leave and will be gone by morning.
The imagery of being strung up like a marionette is a powerful metaphor for feeling completely controlled by someone else. The singer feels like they are being manipulated and used for someone else's purposes. The mention of an army of one highlights the isolating nature of this type of relationship. The singer is standing alone, surrounded by others who are all part of the same group, but they feel like they are fighting a battle on their own.
The repeated refrain of "I'll be gone, I'll be miles away" reinforces the idea that the singer is ready to leave this relationship behind. They have given their partner ample warning, and they are not afraid to follow through on their promise. Overall, "Marionette" is a powerful song about taking control of one's own life and freeing oneself from a toxic relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't you say another word
Stop talking and listen to me
I'll be your muse
I'll inspire you
Strung up like a puppet
Feeling helpless and controlled
Choking on the strings in your hands
Feeling suffocated by being controlled
Don't you say it
I don't want to hear your excuses
Not another word
I've heard enough from you
I've already heard enough from you
You've already said too much
I'm not afraid to leave you
I'm ready to move on
I'll be gone by morning
I won't be around anymore
If you ask for an answer
Don't expect me to stay
Well, I gave you my warning
I've already told you how I feel
No, I'll be gone
I'm leaving for good
I'll be miles away
I'm not coming back
Army of one
Feeling isolated and alone
That's how it feels
Feeling like you don't belong
Standing among many
Being in a crowd, but still feeling alone
Faceless
Feeling like nobody sees you for who you are
Hanging there
Feeling trapped and powerless
Out of hope
Feeling like there's no way out
You're so far gone
You've lost yourself in this situation
Let me go
Release me from your control
Come on and let me go
Stop holding onto me
I'm not afraid to leave here
I'm ready to move on from this place
It's been a long time coming
I've been unhappy for a while
One of these days I won't come back home to you
I won't be returning to this situation
I'll be gone
I'm leaving for good
I'll be miles away
I'm not coming back
I'll be miles away
I'm not coming back
Contributed by Lila Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Syn
One of the last "true" kind of bands still around imo. Been listening since 07 and they've kept their ground against selling out and sticking with pure artistic expression. Greeley never dies!
Greeleypeople
Thank you, even know this is my 7th reincarnation this season but it is alright.
Abraham Mendez
I love the screams, during certain parts you could almost feel the emotion. They're beautiful, and the emotion that powers his screams are why I've loved this band for years.
Pisces bro
I must agree... also Saosin's Translating in the Name album is very similar in badassitude.
Sten Vaine
This band is way too underrated.That's a shame that people are listening to crap nowadays.I will always love Greeley Estates.
Sten Vaine
I LOVE THOSE AS WELL.
Immolator772
They are my fav emo band next to Underoath and Adept.
Eric Guevara
Please don't ever stop Greeley Estates
Jason Stout
Eric Guevara there making a new album out this year :) so fucking excited dude
Autumn Lillian
So much love for this band. I absolutely love this sound. They've gotten so much heavier since their first album.