Since 2003, the band has averaged 150 shows per year while performing with such national touring acts as Fall Out Boy, Bowling For Soup, Motion City Soundtrack, Relient K, Reel Big Fish, and Lucky Boys Confusion.
They started out as a 10 piece Ska band, lord knows what happened, and then there where 5. On their most recent tour they played with only 4 (for a good part of the tour) because their mellophone player hurt his playing hand.
They have gained massive amounts of popularity through the Internet. They have also been mentioned many times on http://www.21deadmonkeys.com/ (an online comic about ska)
Their major releases include "Close Enough for Ska" a very full sounding ska record. It was recorded with the original Line up. Their next release was "Not Penis Cream" a 6 track EP that took place at some point during one of the first few line up changes. Their newest album "My New Obsession" is the product of the newest line-up change. With Rick on T-bone and Vox, Lee on Mellophone, and Tyler on Guitar. "My New Obsession" was recorded with Sean O’Keefe (Fall Out Boy, Motion City Soundtrack, Hawthorne Heights) and Manny Sanchez (Smashing Pumpkins, Incubus), and delivers track after track of high octane ska infused, synth pop glory. This new album has received much ridicule on the net because Rick uploaded 30 second clips to PureVolume (www.purevolume.com) most of which were not ska. Thus the ska scene felt abandoned by a band they so heartily supported.
Hot Topic Stage, 2005 Vans Warped Tour-
the Milwaukee, WI crowd roars as stage hands scramble to find extra security to account for the unexpected 1000+ screaming fans who are jumping in excitement for their hometown heros, I Voted For Kodos. Later the sound engineers can be heard remarking about how they've "never seen a local band pack out a Warped Tour stage like that".
This is just one example of the impact of Wisconsin's hardest working ska rock band- I Voted For Kodos.
In the past two years, I Voted For Kodos have pushed and exceeded the boundries of what's to be expected from an independent band by selling more than 9,000 CD's over the course of 400+ shows, and having industry trendsetters PureVolume.com consecutively rate them as the #7 Best Unsigned Band in the country... twice!
Shallow Grave
I Voted For Kodos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just for once, (he'd) like to be greeted with a kiss
But he's scared of his own home
She never leaves him alone
For twenty-three years he stood silently
While she took his manhood, and his dignity
but Now the kids are all gone
This shouldn't take very long
He dug a shallow grave
To the earth he took his spade
Couldn't stand for one more day
So he dug a shallow grave
He takes breath and he says a prayer
He raises his shovel high into the air
He brings it down upon her head
Just one blow and now she's dead
He drags her body to the back door
Leaves a trail of blood on the floor
He bends down to close her eyes
And then he starts to cry
But never the less, he's glad that she's gone
He throws her in the ground and he piles the dirt on
He goes inside to wash his face
He feels his heart begin to race
He dug a shallow grave
To the earth he took his spade
Couldn't stand for one more day
So he dug a shallow grave
He Starts to realize just what he's done
He goes into the basement, and he grabs his gun
He puts the barrel to his head
He can't believe she's really dead
What will he tell the neighbors, when they pass by the way?
What will he tell the children, when they come on Christmas day?
What will he tell her parents, when they ask for their daughter?
What will he tell the D.A. when they charge him with manslaughter?
He pulls the trigger and he hears a click
The quick solution's not always the quickest fix
He dug a shallow grave
To the earth he took his spade
Couldn't stand for one more day
So he dug a shallow grave
The song "Shallow Grave" by I Voted For Kodos is a haunting recount of domestic abuse and the act of murder. The song is written from the perspective of the abuser who is seemingly at his breaking point. The lyrics paint a picture of a man who has been stripped of his dignity, manhood, and personal freedom by his wife for over two decades. The song takes the listener on an emotional rollercoaster as the man ultimately decides to take matters into his own hands by violently killing his wife and burying her in a shallow grave.
The lyrics suggest that the man has been living in fear and misery for far too long, and the only way out of his situation is through violence. The chorus "He dug a shallow grave, To the earth he took his spade, Couldn't stand for one more day, So he dug a shallow grave" highlights the emotional and physical toll that the abuser has been through, and how he can no longer endure his current situation. The chorus also suggests that the act of murder was a momentary solution for the abuser’s problems, rather than a permanent fix, as he later contemplates suicide.
Interestingly, the song raises questions about the justice system, as the last verse suggests that he might be charged with manslaughter. This suggests a lack of understanding of the seriousness of domestic violence as a crime that can escalate to murder. The song highlights how the abuser is often the one who is portrayed as the victim, not the person who has suffered years of abuse.
Line by Line Meaning
He never wanted it like this
He never wanted the situation to turn out like this
Just for once, (he'd) like to be greeted with a kiss
He wishes to feel loved and appreciated with a kiss just once
But he's scared of his own home
He is afraid of his own home due to his abusive partner
She never leaves him alone
His abusive partner never lets him be alone
For twenty-three years he stood silently
He endured abuse silently for twenty-three years
While she took his manhood, and his dignity
She abused him mentally and physically, taking away his self-respect in the process
Now the kids are all gone
His children have moved out and the couple is alone
This shouldn't take very long
The act of killing his partner and burying her body should not take very long
He dug a shallow grave
He dug a grave that was not deep enough for it to be a proper burial
To the earth he took his spade
He took a spade and used it to dig the shallow grave
Couldn't stand for one more day
He could not handle the abusive situation for one more day
So he dug a shallow grave
He dug a makeshift grave to bury his partner's body
He takes breath and he says a prayer
He takes a deep breath and says a last prayer before committing the act
He raises his shovel high into the air
He raises the shovel high before striking his partner to kill her
He brings it down upon her head
He strikes her with force on her head with the shovel
Just one blow and now she's dead
The single blow from the shovel killed her instantly
He drags her body to the back door
He drags her body to the back door to dispose of it
Leaves a trail of blood on the floor
He leaves bloodstains on the floor while moving her body
He bends down to close her eyes
He bends down to close her eyes out of respect as she's dead
And then he starts to cry
He cries after realizing what he has done
But never the less, he's glad that she's gone
Despite feeling guilt, he is glad that his abusive partner is gone
He throws her in the ground and he piles the dirt on
He buries her body by throwing it in the shallow grave and covering it with dirt
He goes inside to wash his face
He goes inside to clean himself up from the blood and tears
He feels his heart begin to race
He starts feeling anxious and panicky
He Starts to realize just what he's done
He starts to comprehend the gravity of the situation he's landed himself in
He goes into the basement, and he grabs his gun
He retrieves his gun from the basement
He puts the barrel to his head
He puts the barrel of the gun to his own head
He can't believe she's really dead
He is still in disbelief about her death
What will he tell the neighbors, when they pass by the way?
He is worried about how his neighbors will react when they find out what he has done
What will he tell the children, when they come on Christmas day?
He is unsure of how to explain the situation to his children when they visit
What will he tell her parents, when they ask for their daughter?
He is at loss for words when it comes to facing his partner's parents
What will he tell the D.A. when they charge him with manslaughter?
He realizes the severity of the consequences if he's caught by the authorities
He pulls the trigger and he hears a click
He attempts to end his own life by pulling the trigger, but the gun doesn't fire
The quick solution's not always the quickest fix
A hasty decision or a quick fix to a problem might not necessarily solve it completely or bring peace to the individual
Contributed by Lily C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.