Founded by Arnold and Donikian in 2000, Hypnogaja originated as an electronic studio project with early collaborator, keyboardist Sean "Dr." Brooks. As a live show began to develop, members and collaborators were added to the fold, including Grammy award nominated guitarist/producer Jean-Yves "Jeeve" Ducornet. Hypnogaja's sound evolved into new dimensions with the incorporation of rock influences into the group's initial electronic foundation. The band tours consistently and has performed shows to audiences throughout the U.S. and Canada, and has opened for bands such as Shinedown, Saliva, 311, Cold and many others.
Grammy nominated songwriter Wendy Waldman helmed production duties for Hypnogaja's live acoustic album, Acoustic Sunset: Live At The Longhouse. The band previously collaborated with Waldman on two songs - "Killing Time" and "Outside, Looking In" - from the album "Post-Hypnotic Stress Disorder". The latter song was featured as the end title of the NBC Movie "Carrie" a remake of the Brian DePalma film based on the classic Stephen King novel.
Hypnogaja's latest studio recording, Truth Decay, was released by Union State Records in June 2009. The fourteen-track, science fiction-tinged concept album includes the song "Welcome To The Future," featuring Richard Dodd of The Section Quartet on cello. The album was released to strong reviews, including a 9 out of 10 star rating from Outburn Magazine, which noted it as an "expertly crafted album." The LP's first single, "The March," spawned a music video directed by ASC Award-winning cinematographer Nelson Craggand and writer/producer Marius Markevicius
Various television shows, motion pictures and soundtracks have featured Hypnogaja’s music, including America’s Next Top Model, Carrie, Cold Creek Manor, Dirt , Las Vegas, One Life To Live, Roswell, Sex And The City, Tru Calling, Valentine and many others.
Author Frank Beddor featured Hypnogaja's Alice in Wonderland-themed song, "Looking Glass" (from the Below Sunset album) on the soundtrack for the audio book version of his 2006 NY Times Best Seller, The Looking Glass Wars. In 2007, the Warner Bros. Interactive game, FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage, used the band's song "They Don't Care" (another track from Below Sunset), which was also placed - that same year - as the theme song for the Versus network's Red, White, Black and Blue Summer promo trailer. In 2008, Hypnogaja frontman, ShyBoy, co-wrote and performed two songs ("The Time Has Come" and "Shall Never Surrender") featured in the Capcom video game, The Devil May Cry 4 (the latter track appearing as the game's end title and both songs appearing on the accompanying, official Sony Music soundtrack). In 2009, Tapulous featured the Hypnogaja song "Things Will Never Be The Same" (from the Truth Decay LP) in the iPhone and iPod touch game, Tap Tap Revenge 3.
Several technology companies have featured Hypnogaja's music in noteworthy articles and promotional materials, and have invited the band to participate in events. Apple computers posted an in-depth interview and story on the band's experience in using Macs in the realms of recording, touring and promotion. AOL Music's Noisecreep property featured an interview with Hypnogaja about the concept behind Truth Decay, and offered an exclusive, free download of the song, "Worship Me (I'm On TV)." Microsoft Windows featured free downloads of two songs from Truth Decay - "Rusty Moon" and "Cellar Door" - on promotions tied to its Windows 7 release, including a slot in the January 2010 Windows Media Guide.
Hypnogaja performed at the first annual 140tc (Twitter Conference), held in Los Angeles in September 2009. In consideration of the band's success in utilizing social networking to grow its fan base (Hypnogaja has reached over one million followers on the site), keyboardist Donikian was invited to serve as one of the speakers during the conference's music panel, which also included Chamillionaire, Curt Smith of Tears for Fears and several notable music industry executives. The band rounded out 2009 with a Best Alternative Artist win at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards, performing "Welcome To The Future" at the November awards ceremony. In November 2010, Arnold won the Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best Male Vocal for his performance of the Donna Summer classic hit, "On the Radio," (released in January 2010 by Union State Records as the bonus track on the Hypnogaja digital 45, Welcome to the Future / On the Radio).
Hypnogaja's current lineup of Arnold, Donikian, Barnardo (member since 2004), Farrar (member since 2008) and Parker (member since 2009) performed an official showcase at SXSW '10 in Austin, TX and the group continues to tour and perform webcasts consistently. In July 2010, the band appeared on the debut episode of the web series, Stripped Down Live with Curt Smith (of Tears for Fears). On February 15, 2011, Union State Records is scheduled to release a new Hypnogaja digital EP entitled Dark Star which will contain a remix of the song "Dark Star" (featuring Slimkid3 of The Pharcyde). Later in 2011, there are plans to release Arnold's debut solo album (under the name ShyBoy) as well as plans to start recording a new Hypnogaja studio album.
Looking Glass
Hypnogaja Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Through the looking glass
Find a way with the plants - they can take you
To your path
Chase away all the funny pain
Down the rabbit hole
And another world awaits behind the little door
Just why the hatter is mad
All are welcome in Wonderland
'Till the queen screams off with your head
And life will always get twisted
When you're living it through the looking glass
There's a that cat smiles like
The crescent moon
And the caterpillar that needs a light
On top of his mushroom
You can go ask Alice
Just why the hatter is mad
Next time you see the white rabbit run free
You might not want to follow
Lose your youth, cause beauty is truth
It's just harder to swallow
So go and ask Alice
Why the hatter is mad
She'll turn when you see her
And laugh
The song "Looking Glass" by Hypnogaja has vivid and intuitive lyrics that culminate in a stunning portrayal of the surreal world of Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland." The song begins with the suggestion of a garden that leads one to "the looking glass," a mirror-like gateway to a world that cannot be imagined. The strains of the song reveal that the journey doesn't begin with wonderland, but rather with the choice of participating in the journey with the plants as guides.
The second verse reveals the pure fancifulness of the world of Wonderland. The song makes a direct reference to the famous Mad Hatter and his madness, inviting the listener to "ask Alice" about him. The chorus of the song indicates that anyone can be a part of the wondrous world of Wonderland, but only if they heed the warnings about the queen and her tendency to decapitate at her will.
The third verse of "Looking Glass" introduces some of the most seminal characters of Carroll's iconic world, such as the grinning Cheshire Cat and the encased-in-smoke Caterpillar with his mushroom. The song further reiterates that mere participation in other worlds, particularly that of Wonderland, can twist the very reality of one's existence. The song concludes with an echoing of the second verse's invitation to "ask Alice" but ends on a darker note, with Alice turning around and laughing.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a place where the garden can take you
There exists a location where one can be led by the garden
Through the looking glass
By stepping through the mirror, a new reality can be discovered
Find a way with the plants - they can take you
The plants can serve as a guide to help one navigate through this unknown territory
To your path
This journey will lead to an individual's own specific destination
Chase away all the funny pain
In order to move forward, one must overcome any obstacles or discomforts they may face
Down the rabbit hole
This journey is one that goes deeper into the unknown
And another world awaits behind the little door
Upon arriving at the end of the journey, a new world will be unveiled
You can go ask Alice
If confused or questioning, one can seek guidance from someone who has been there before
Just why the hatter is mad
Inquiring about something so confusing as the hatter's madness will help one better understand their own journey
All are welcome in Wonderland
No matter who you are or where you come from, this journey is open to all
'Till the queen screams off with your head
The queen, representing the dangers along this journey, can bring an end to it all
And life will always get twisted
Journeys such as these are never straightforward
When you're living it through the looking glass
This journey is one of self-discovery and can only be experienced through one's own perspective
There's a that cat smiles like
A cat can be found with a peculiar facial expression
The crescent moon
Taking on the shape of a crescent, the cat's smile is peculiar but intriguing
And the caterpillar that needs a light
A caterpillar can be found in need of a specific tool
On top of his mushroom
The caterpillar's tool can be found atop the mushroom it rests on
Next time you see the white rabbit run free
If encountered again, the white rabbit should be allowed to continue its journey
You might not want to follow
It may be wise to move forward on one's own instead of following the white rabbit
Lose your youth, cause beauty is truth
In order to uncover what's real and true, one may need to sacrifice a more innocent and naive version of themselves
It's just harder to swallow
This process can be difficult but necessary
So go and ask Alice
Guidance can be found in someone who has already gone through this process before
Why the hatter is mad
It's important to question the strange events that occur throughout this journey
She'll turn when you see her
Alice can be found when one is actively seeking her guidance
And laugh
She knows the journey is difficult but worthwhile and can find humor in it all
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DARRELL SCOTT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind