Coney Hatch
LaBrie did join Coney Hatch in the year 1986 when they endeavored to assemble a fresh assemblage. The troupe did record sundry tapes for display within their chamber of practice and did partake in live performances at clubs in Ontario for several months. When their recording establishment, Anthem, did voice their dissatisfaction with the assemblage, the band did opt to replace LaBrie with Phil Naro, making one final desperate effort to forge ahead in the absence of Carl Dixon. Alas, that assemblage did prove to be short-lived as well.
Winter Rose
Shortly after parting ways with Coney Hatch, LaBrie took up the mantle of vocalist for the glam metal troupe Winter Rose. The assemblage comprised Richard Chycki on guitar and bass, Randy Cooke on drums, and Sebastian Bach on vocal duties. Chycki had aforetime collaborated with Bach under the appellations Sebastian and Hope. The band embarked upon the recording of a sequence of demos throughout the years of 1988 and 1989, enlisting the aid of guest musicians Bruce Dies and Rob Laidlaw. Alas, the majority of these compositions did not witness a commercial release until the year 1997, when they were unveiled as a self-titled opus under the auspices of Inside Out Music, a full seven years after their dissolution in 1990. One among their repertoire, the melodic opus "I'll Never Fall In Love Again," did receive the honor of a promotional video release in the year 1989 and was later included on their eponymous creation. The entire compilation featured compositions co-authored by Richard Chycki and James LaBrie, with the exception of two pieces solely penned by Richard Chycki.
Dream Theater
In the year 1990, LaBrie received word that the American progressive metal band Dream Theater sought a new minstrel, and thus he proffered a tape and swiftly journeyed to New York for a comprehensive audition. The trial proved fruitful, and he surpassed 200 other aspiring candidates to assume the role of full-time vocalist in said troupe.
Henceforth, LaBrie hath exerted a substantial influence upon the vocal melodies woven within each Dream Theater opus. However, until recently, he hath had limited involvement in the instrumentation of their music. The album "A Dramatic Turn of Events" from the year 2011 doth bear LaBrie's name in the music credits for three songs. To this day, he hath penned or co-penned lyrics for no less than one composition upon ten of the fifteen albums released by Dream Theater during his tenure. Albums such as "Images and Words," "Black Clouds & Silver Linings," "Dream Theater," and "The Astonishing" doth lack his lyrical contributions.
When queried by Prog-Sphere.com regarding his favored song to perform live, James declared, "The song that most delights me is 'Scarred'; I thoroughly enjoy its execution before an audience. And... well, 'Octavarium,' that comprehensive piece, doth captivate me entirely."
Apart from his collaborative endeavors, LaBrie hath released five solo albums under various appellations, including "Mullmuzzler," "James LaBrie's Mullmuzzler," and simply "James LaBrie."
In an interview with Beyond The Dark Horizon on June 12, 2010, James LaBrie revealed that his forthcoming solo endeavor, titled "Static Impulse," lieth in the stage of mixing and shall comprise twelve compositions. James professed, "It is of a weighty nature, and I am exceedingly excited."
On the twenty-seventh day of July in the year 2010, Dream Theater's website did proclaim that "Static Impulse" would be unveiled on September 27, 2010, courtesy of Inside Out Music. The assemblage boasts the talents of longtime collaborator Matt Guillory upon the keyboards, Marco Sfogli (who hath also graced LaBrie's previous work, "Elements of Persuasion") upon the guitars, Peter Wildoer of the Swedish melodic death metal band Darkane, who doth provide percussion and bellowing vocals, and Ray Riendeau upon the bass.
James LaBrie did express, "The unveiling of 'Static Impulse' is an event that engenders fervor within the entire band. This is modern metal, as robust and pertinent as any other ensemble embarking upon a similar musical path. There are riffs that shall rend the mind asunder, and melodies—both instrumental and vocal—that are mesmerizing. Take the reins and let the ears bleed. Enjoy, and we shall encounter you on the road to accompany and bolster this release."
In an interview with Prog-Sphere.com in 2011, LaBrie mentioned that the planned tour in the United States had been canceled, remarking, "Forsooth, for it was disarrayed ere this occasion. Where we find ourselves now, by the time thou dost procure the necessary visas, we shall have scarce a rehearsal ere we embark. I declare, 'I shall not partake in such a venture.'"
Come the month of July in the year 2013, LaBrie's album "Impermanent Resonance" was unveiled by Inside Out Music. "Beautiful Shade of Grey" followed suit in the year 2022.
Albums
MullMuzzler
Keep It to Yourself (1999)
MullMuzzler 2 (2001)
Solo
Elements of Persuasion (2005)
Static Impulse (2010)
Impermanent Resonance (2013)
I Will Not Break (2014) (Compilation EP)
Beautiful Shade of Grey (2022)
Undertow
James Labrie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And there's no time to breathe
I think I might be in too deep
I don't know up from down
can't stop from spinnin' round
No hope of laning on my feet
Nowhere to go, I'm stuck inside a nightmare
When I'm scared an silently scream "no"
My heart's beating fast but I'm moving slow
Before I start sinking below
You grab on and never let me go
Don't let me go, don't let me go
When I need you the most
You pull me out of the undertow
But nine times out of ten
I'll just fall in again
And one would think that I would learn
After all this time now
Repeat the same mistakes
Get trapped under the breaks
And playin' with fire just gets me
Gets me, gets me burned
Nowhere to go, nowhere to go
Nowhere to go, I'm stuck inside a nightmare
When I'm scared an silently scream "no"
My heart's beating fast but I'm moving slow
Before I start sinking below
You grab on and never let me go
Don't let me go, don't let me go
When I need you the most
You pull me out of the undertow
Face down in the sand
Think I understand now
Seen my stubborn ways
And it's time I give a damn
When I'm scared an silently scream "no"
My heart's beating fast but I'm moving slow
Before I start sinking below
You grab on and never let me go
Don't let me go
Don't let me go
When I need you the most
You pull me out of the undertow
The lyrics of James Labrie's song "Undertow" tell a story of struggling to stay afloat in the midst of life’s overwhelming challenges. The singer finds himself metaphorically caught in an undertow, unable to escape the pull of the waves that continuously crash over him. He is lost and disoriented, unable to tell up from down, and can't stop spinning around. The struggle becomes so intense, that he thinks he might be in too deep, with no hope of finding his footing again, and nowhere to go.
In the midst of his despair, however, he has a lifeline in the form of a supportive friend or loved one. This person grabs onto him and pulls him out of the undertow, saving him from sinking below. The singer fully appreciates the importance of this relationship, and acknowledges that even though he might fall in again, he knows he can depend on this person to be there for him. The song ends on a hopeful note, with the singer recognizing his mistakes from the past, and committing to giving a damn and no longer playing with fire.
One interesting fact about "Undertow" is that it was released as a single from Labrie's second solo album "Static Impulse" in 2010. Another fact is that the song features lyrics and vocals from Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess, who also co-wrote several tracks on the album. The music video for the song was directed by Dan Kaplan, who has worked on videos for Tool and A Perfect Circle. Additionally, the song was performed live during Labrie's solo tour in 2010, with Rudess playing the keyboard solo live on stage.
Line by Line Meaning
Tha waves crash over me
I feel overwhelmed by my problems and struggles.
And there's no time to breathe
I'm struggling to keep my head above water and don't have any time to rest.
I think I might be in too deep
I realize that I might be in over my head and unable to handle the situation.
I don't know up from down
I'm so disoriented that I can't even distinguish what is right and wrong anymore.
can't stop from spinnin' round
I'm dizzy and disoriented in my struggles.
No hope of landing on my feet
I feel lost and defeated in my struggles, with no clear path forward.
Nowhere to go, nowhere to go
I feel trapped and stuck in my struggles, with no clear escape.
I'm stuck inside a nightmare
My struggles feel like a never-ending bad dream that I can't wake up from.
When I'm scared an silently scream "no"
I feel overwhelmed by fear and unable to speak out for help.
My heart's beating fast but I'm moving slow
My anxiety is high but my progress is slow, making me feel stuck in my struggles.
Before I start sinking below
I fear that I am about to hit rock bottom and lose everything.
You grab on and never let me go
With your help, I am able to find strength and support to get through my struggles.
Don't let me go
I need your support to get through my struggles and overcome my fear.
When I need you the most
I rely on you the most during my struggles and times of need.
You pull me out of the undertow
With your help, I am able to emerge from my struggles and break free from the difficult situation.
But nine times out of ten
Despite my best intentions, I often repeat the same mistakes and fall back into the same struggles.
I'll just fall in again
Without your help, I am likely to fall back into the same struggles and challenges.
And one would think that I would learn
Despite my failures, it seems obvious that I should learn from my mistakes and improve my situation.
After all this time now
Despite my struggles over an extended period of time, I still haven't been able to break free from them.
Get trapped under the breaks
I am often caught and held back by the obstacles and difficulties in my struggles.
And playin' with fire just gets me
Despite knowing the risks and dangers of my actions, I still make choices that put me in a difficult position.
Gets me, gets me burned
My choices and actions often lead to negative consequences and hurt me in the long run.
Face down in the sand
After falling down repeatedly, I am now face down on the ground, with no clear way forward.
Think I understand now
After struggling for so long, I finally realize what I need to do to overcome my struggles.
Seen my stubborn ways
I now recognize that my own stubbornness has been a major factor holding me back from overcoming my struggles.
And it's time I give a damn
I'm ready to take action and put in the effort to finally break free from my struggles.
Writer(s): Matthew James Guillory Copyright: Bug Music Edition
Contributed by Emily C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.