Jawbreaker
Jawbreaker is an American punk rock band from San Francisco, California, Un… Read Full Bio ↴Jawbreaker is an American punk rock band from San Francisco, California, United States. The band has its root in Los Angeles, CA, where Blake Schwarzenbach and Adam Pfahler were students at the exclusive private Crossroads High School. The band came together when they met Chris Bauermeister at New York University in 1988.
With Schwarzenbach on guitar and vocals, Bauermeister on bass, and Pfahler on drums, the band gained recognition in the late eighties and early nineties for their melodic yet driven sound built on the foundation for Schwarzenbach's poignant, bleeding-heart lyrics and signature rasp.
The band's first full-length release Unfun was put out by Shredder in 1990. On this, the band stuck close to the sound coming out of their contemporaries in the nascent pop punk scene in their sound, with the exception of Bauermeister's prominent bass lines and Schwarzenbach's lyrics, at times walking the line of the melodramatic.
Unfun was followed by Bivouac on Tupelo/Communion in 1992. Bivouac proved thicker and darker - both thematically and melodically - yet served to elevate the band above a crowd of previously similar acts. This more ambitious release also artfully used pieces of found-audio, in what was becoming one of the band's signatures, weaving it in and out of the ten minute title track, "Bivouac."
Their third release, 24 Hour Revenge Therapy, produced by the ubiquitous Steve Albini, unveiled a sparse pop-punk with more carefully crafted lyrics. This album also holds what has become arguably their best known song, "Boxcar."
Jawbreaker had seemed poised for critical and commercial success by the time of their fourth, and last album, Dear You. Despite a vigorous marketing push, Jawbreaker's album sales were anemic in the wake of a post-Green Day market, and was one of the causes leading to the end of the band's career in 1996.
The group recently reacquired the rights to Dear You and have successfully put the long out-of-print album back into circulation on Pfahler's label, Blackball Records.
The band's cult status as the definitive nineties proto-pop-punk band has grown since its breakup, and songs like "Kiss the Bottle" and "Jet Black" are referenced as influences by bands such as Sparta, Lucero, and Rocky Votolato. In 2003, a Jawbreaker tribute album, Bad Scene, Everyone's Fault was released on Dying Wish Records, and featured covers by 18 bands including Fall Out Boy, Nerf Herder, Sparta, and Face To Face.
Singer Blake Schwarzenbach went on to form the New York City-based band Jets to Brazil, who have also since broken up, and is now an adjunct English professor at Hunter College (CUNY). In the fall of 2008, he debuted his new band, Thorns of Life, formed with Aaron Cometbus of Crimpshrine and Pinhead Gunpowder on drums and ex-Gr'ups bassist Daniela Sea.
Drummer Adam Pfahler is currently drumming in San Francisco-based Whysall Lane, whose LP was released in 2006 on his own Blackball Records.
Bassist Chris Bauermeister has been playing in post-hardcore band Horace Pinker and pop-punk band Shorebirds, which was formed with Matt Canino, formerly of Latterman; Shorebirds split in the summer of 2008.
In 2021, Blake Schwarzenbach teamed up with Joyce Manor on a release.
In spite of the similar name, the band Jawbreaker Reunion is unrelated.
With Schwarzenbach on guitar and vocals, Bauermeister on bass, and Pfahler on drums, the band gained recognition in the late eighties and early nineties for their melodic yet driven sound built on the foundation for Schwarzenbach's poignant, bleeding-heart lyrics and signature rasp.
The band's first full-length release Unfun was put out by Shredder in 1990. On this, the band stuck close to the sound coming out of their contemporaries in the nascent pop punk scene in their sound, with the exception of Bauermeister's prominent bass lines and Schwarzenbach's lyrics, at times walking the line of the melodramatic.
Unfun was followed by Bivouac on Tupelo/Communion in 1992. Bivouac proved thicker and darker - both thematically and melodically - yet served to elevate the band above a crowd of previously similar acts. This more ambitious release also artfully used pieces of found-audio, in what was becoming one of the band's signatures, weaving it in and out of the ten minute title track, "Bivouac."
Their third release, 24 Hour Revenge Therapy, produced by the ubiquitous Steve Albini, unveiled a sparse pop-punk with more carefully crafted lyrics. This album also holds what has become arguably their best known song, "Boxcar."
Jawbreaker had seemed poised for critical and commercial success by the time of their fourth, and last album, Dear You. Despite a vigorous marketing push, Jawbreaker's album sales were anemic in the wake of a post-Green Day market, and was one of the causes leading to the end of the band's career in 1996.
The group recently reacquired the rights to Dear You and have successfully put the long out-of-print album back into circulation on Pfahler's label, Blackball Records.
The band's cult status as the definitive nineties proto-pop-punk band has grown since its breakup, and songs like "Kiss the Bottle" and "Jet Black" are referenced as influences by bands such as Sparta, Lucero, and Rocky Votolato. In 2003, a Jawbreaker tribute album, Bad Scene, Everyone's Fault was released on Dying Wish Records, and featured covers by 18 bands including Fall Out Boy, Nerf Herder, Sparta, and Face To Face.
Singer Blake Schwarzenbach went on to form the New York City-based band Jets to Brazil, who have also since broken up, and is now an adjunct English professor at Hunter College (CUNY). In the fall of 2008, he debuted his new band, Thorns of Life, formed with Aaron Cometbus of Crimpshrine and Pinhead Gunpowder on drums and ex-Gr'ups bassist Daniela Sea.
Drummer Adam Pfahler is currently drumming in San Francisco-based Whysall Lane, whose LP was released in 2006 on his own Blackball Records.
Bassist Chris Bauermeister has been playing in post-hardcore band Horace Pinker and pop-punk band Shorebirds, which was formed with Matt Canino, formerly of Latterman; Shorebirds split in the summer of 2008.
In 2021, Blake Schwarzenbach teamed up with Joyce Manor on a release.
In spite of the similar name, the band Jawbreaker Reunion is unrelated.
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Jawbreaker Lyrics
Accident Prone What's the furthest place from here? It hasn't been my…
Ache I believe in desperate acts. The kind that make me look…
Ashtray Monument Free, alone. The predawn white light's coming on. Bottle on …
Bad Scene I went to a party last night. What sick things I…
Bad Scene Everyone's Fault I went to a party last night. What sick things…
Basilica Sunken eyed best friend of mine. Why do you sit…
Better Half I see him coming We hold our rock we are ready The…
Big In this ocean I'm a bag of tea. I make some…
Bivouac Dug my fingers in the earth. Drew pictures of my pain. They…
Boxcar You're not punk and I'm telling everyone. Save your breath,…
Busy When all the consoling places Lose their charm and change th…
Caroline Caroline has a dime But none of her calls are getting…
Chemistry This must be the place. I can tell by…
Chesterfield King We stood in your room and laughed out loud. Suddenly the…
Condition Oakland I rode down to the tracks. Thinking that they might sing…
Crane Takes a crane to pick me up. A twenty gallon coffee…
Do You Still Hate Me Been hearing about you. All about your disapproval. Still …
Donatello When I come to life I'll suck the air so…
Down I'm down on the floor, there's a man on the…
Driven A darker power. Thick blood inside a flower. A beast who pre…
Drone Go ahead burn what you can't hide. It's a matter of…
Equalized Friend called today Said "No more no way" He saw things di…
Eye-5 In unbearable traffic. Radio and it's deafening static. I go…
Face Down Beneath the door I see a light. It's four A.M. in…
Fantastic Planet Anything you gotta pay You throw it on your floor Fill it…
Fine Day If I believed everything that you said, Then I'd never go…
Fireman Dreamed I was a fireman. I just smoked and watched…
First Step Did you ever have one of those days This is a…
For Esme Seems the competition is sweet like a slap in the…
Friendly Fire Walked beyond the fence, played outside our yard. You took i…
Friends Back East Welcome to your new home. Here's your bed. You'll sleep…
Gemini Says he will Meaning he might Takes his pills Doesn't swallo…
Gémini Says he will Meaning he might Takes his pills Doesn't…
Gutless Swallow your pride. But take it slow. What's left inside wit…
Housesitter I lost all my thoughts of angels in an aspirin…
I A week inside, I think I'm starting to show. I…
I Love You So Much It's Killing Us Both A week inside, I think I'm starting to show. I…
I Love You So Much Its Killing Us Both A week inside, I think I'm starting to show. I…
I'm sadding around Sleeping off the last five years Takes another five. Recover…
Imaginary War Underwater screams, He is so far gone. Drowned out by the un…
In Sadding Around Sleeping off the last five years Takes another five. Recover…
Incomplete We hear your one hand clapping. It's music to our ears. You…
Indictment I just wrote the dumbest song. It's gonna be a sing…
Into You Like a Train No kind of love No kind of love I don't…
Jet Black I'll be quiet to keep you quiet. Don't concern yourself…
Jinx Removing Talked out and now I'm feeling crowded. All the errands in…
Kiss the Bottle It gets lonliest (sic) at night. Down at the liquor…
Lawn Man on his lawn, staring inside his house. And it looks…
Like A Secret Did you ever wish you could be king? Holding heaven in…
Lurker II%3A Dark Son Of Night Connect the cable. Have sex a lot. A hostile climate…
Lurker II: Dark Son Of Night Connect the cable. Have sex a lot. A hostile climate…
Lurker II: Son of Night Connect the cable. Have sex a lot. A hostile climate…
Million Would that you could touch this angel In a clutch…
Outpatient A little voice that's not quite your own. Count backwards f…
Oyster The world is an oyster locked in a shell. You…
p.s. New York Is Burning I leave it burning and count the dead. A jilted lover,…
Pack it Up (You guys are the pits of the world) And I'm…
Parabola I caught my eye in a swinging door. I'd never seen…
Peel it the Fuck Down Met my mother in a dream. She was just a…
Pretty Persuasion It's what I want, hurry and buy, All has been tried,…
Rich I can see for miles now Places I imagined Dreams becoming…
Save Your Generation I have a present: it is the present You have to…
Sea Foam Green A '63, 10,000 miles. What was I thinking? I drove myself…
Seethruskin You're undecided. You ride a fence but that fence divides. N…
Shield You Eyes There was a sun once. It lit the whole damn sky. It…
Shield Your Eyes There was a sun once. It lit the whole damn sky. It…
Shirt You're in my house. You're in my clothes. No one knows. You'…
Sister Seated by the wing. A little face inside a ring.…
Sleep It seems I spend my days now wrapped in veils of…
Sluttering Flattered that you think I warrant ugliness. Gutters drain w…
Softcore I'm putting on my blinders. I'm walking straight to me.…
Split I could walk a million miles Suffer freezing rain and failu…
The Boat Dreams from the Hill Boat on a hill, never going to sea. Anchored to a…
Tour Song Seven hundred miles to play to fifteen angry men. I need som…
Unlisted Track You can't sell me incense My world smells good enough to…
Want Been staring for a hundred hours Run down a spiral drain K…
West Bay Invitational All of the neighbors decided; It's time To have all our…
With Or Without You know, there's been a lot of talk about Dublin. See…
With Or Without U2 You know, there's been a lot of talk about Dublin. See…
Wound Tried to squeeze my eyes and scrape up my skin. There's…
You No kind of love No kind of love I don't…
You Don I was caught so unaware When you made other plans Promises…
You Don't Know… I was caught so unaware When you made other plans Promises y…
You're Right ? ? ?. You really shake that rattle. Mr. Hardcore, You woke…