Shortly after the New Jersey ska punk group Face First disbanded in 2002, s… Read Full Bio ↴Shortly after the New Jersey ska punk group Face First disbanded in 2002, singer/guitarist Tom "Chitty" Keiger, bassist Jarrett Selzer, trumpet "Okie" Okamoto and drummer Tommie Clayton decided to reunite to play a poppier, more synthesized form of modern punk rock. Therefore, Okamoto switched from trumpet to keyboard, and Kenny Ryan, formerly of Hidden in Plain View, joined as a second guitarist. The name "Houston Calls", according to the band, is a combination of chapter titles from the Apollo 13 DVD. Other choices included "Zoltar Madness" (from Big), "Giant Green Insanity" (from The Toxic Avenger), and "Deeds in NY" (from Mr. Deeds).[1]
While they began performing live in June 2003, they soon released their 4 Song Sampler, produced by Hidden in Plain View's Rob Freeman, to help spread the word. Due to various national tours with bands such as Hidden in Plain View, The Academy Is... and Hellogoodbye, Houston Calls' fanbase grew steadily, until in spring 2004, Clayton left the band. Through mutual friends, Josh Grigsby was introduced to the band and became their drummer on May 15, 2004. The newly manned five-piece went into the studio with producer Jesse Cannon, to record their Sampler Volume 2 (2004). A few months after its release in August 2004, Houston Calls became the second band to sign with Rushmore Records, a subsidiary record label of Drive-Thru Records, who the band had been friends with ever since their formation.
On August 2, 2005, the band's official debut album, A Collection of Short Stories, was released. Produced by Ed Rose, the CD contained eleven songs, three of which had previously been released on their two samplers.

In November 2006, Kenny Ryan announced he was leaving the band, Houston Calls found a replacement in Jose Lopez in Feburary 2007 who had been filling in for Kenny.

In April 2008, the band entered the studio with producer Mark Weinberg to record their follow up to A Collection of Short Stories, The End of an Error and was released on October 14, 2008, along with the single "Life Won't Wait". The album was made available to stream via AOL on the day of release. The band went on a UK Tour as main support newcomers You Me At Six. Farewell were the openers.

At the end of December 2008, founding member Jarrett Seltzer left after no longer wishing to tour as a musician. Two weeks later, it was announced that Jose Lopez would no longer be in the band due to personal reasons. The band has announced that Dan Diaz of Red Light Green Light will be filling Jose's spot. Jason Jaksetic of The Pilot will be filling in on bass. The tour will go on as planned.

On June 9, 2009, the band officially announced that they are disbanding. They will play their last show on August 29, 2009, at School of Rock in their hometown.

Some of the members brand new band Future of the Party with some of the Paulson members.

Abandone
Houston Calls Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Oh, it has been some time
And it has come to an end.
We kept our old friends close.
They helped keep us in check.

Oh what a sorry scene.
It was such a long time now we're feeling fine
And as the wait is over we're that much closer.

We all can get a little scared.
We fall, but get back up again.
Don't stop.
Come on keep trying.
If we give up we sink.

Oh, I would never allow
I would never let you believe that this is what we wish.
It's like a glass bowl and we're the goldfish.
It's just our love.

We all
We fall

Don't stop
Don't stop

Overall Meaning

The song "Abandoned" by Houston Calls is about the end of a relationship that had been going on for some time. It talks about how the couple kept their old friends close to them to help keep them in check. However, as time went by, they could no longer keep their relationship together and they knew it was time to come to an end. The lyrics suggest that the couple knew each other so well that they could see through each other's lies and facade, and they held on until the end only to realize that it was not worth the effort.

The song also speaks about the inevitable fear that comes with letting go of someone you have been with for so long. The lyrics suggest that even though the couple is scared, they know they have to keep pushing forward and not give up. The song urges the listener to keep trying and not to stop, as giving up would only make things worse.

Houston Calls' "Abandoned" is a powerful reminder that sometimes relationships come to an end, and it is important to move on and not be afraid of the new possibilities that await. It is a song about finding the strength to let go and move forward without any regrets.

Line by Line Meaning

Oh, it has been some time
It's been a while since we last spoke

And it has come to an end.
Our relationship is over now

We kept our old friends close.
We maintained our friendships throughout the relationship

They helped keep us in check.
Our friends kept us grounded and level-headed

Oh what a sorry scene.
Our breakup was a sad sight to see

It was such a long time now we're feeling fine
It took us a while to move on, but we're doing much better now

And as the wait is over we're that much closer.
Our patience paid off and we're closer to our goals

We all can get a little scared.
It's normal to feel afraid sometimes

We fall, but get back up again.
We make mistakes, but we learn from them and keep going

Don't stop.
Keep pushing forward

Come on keep trying.
Don't give up, keep making an effort