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.
Outside Looking In
Hypnogaja Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I remember all the good times of yesterday
And as I wait there to be found
I reflect upon the bad times of yesterday
As I'm on the outside
Looking in at my reflection
Where's my life's direction
Looking in to where I've been
And now I stare into the eyes
Of a faceless man that I once knew
No one hears my cries
I'm crying for the truth
So now say the truth, from crawling to falling
I've seen the proof from the outside looking in
Now the time has come at last
Time to learn from all the memories of the past
Time moves on, and way too fast
Time is now and I won't let it become the past
The lyrics of Hypnogaja's "Outside Looking In" reflect on the past and present, as the singer lies on the ground and contemplates both the good and bad experiences that make up their life. The first stanza shows the contrasting thoughts of the singer as they remember both happy and difficult times. In the second stanza, the singer looks at their own reflection from the outside and questions where their life will take them. They also reflect on their past and the choices that have brought them to where they are now.
As the song progresses, the singer confronts a faceless man from their past and cries out for the truth. The song then transitions into a hopeful and empowered message about learning from the memories of the past and seizing the present moment.
Overall, "Outside Looking In" tells a story of introspection, self-discovery, and hope for the future. The lyrics invite listeners to reflect on their own past and present experiences, asking them to find their own path and not let time slip away.
Line by Line Meaning
As I lie there on the ground
I am lying on the ground, and I am lost in my thoughts.
I remember all the good times of yesterday
I am reminiscing and recalling all the happy moments of yesterday.
And as I wait there to be found
I am waiting to be found, and I am reflecting on my past mistakes.
I reflect upon the bad times of yesterday
I am introspecting and reminiscing on all the negative experiences of yesterday.
As I'm on the outside
I am an outsider and I feel disconnected.
Looking in at my reflection
I am staring at my reflection and contemplating who I have become.
Where's my life's direction
I am questioning what direction my life is headed in.
Looking in to where I've been
I am reflecting on my past experiences and how they have shaped me.
And now I stare into the eyes
I am gazing into the eye of a familiar faceless entity.
Of a faceless man that I once knew
This entity was someone I knew, but now they are unrecognizable.
No one hears my cries
I am crying out for help, but no one can hear me.
I'm crying for the truth
I am overwhelmed by lies and I am yearning for truth.
So now say the truth, from crawling to falling
I am demanding honesty, from my lowest moments to my failures.
I've seen the proof from the outside looking in
Being an outsider has given me a new perspective that has revealed the truth to me.
Now the time has come at last
Now is the moment I have been waiting for.
Time to learn from all the memories of the past
I must learn from my past experiences to grow and progress.
Time moves on, and way too fast
Time never stops and it moves faster than I would like.
Time is now and I won't let it become the past
I will take charge of the present moment and make the most out of the time I have.
Contributed by Anthony F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.