JIBE is an alternative rock band from Dallas, Texas best known for their so… Read Full Bio ↴JIBE is an alternative rock band from Dallas, Texas best known for their song "Yesterday’s Gone" from their 2003 album Uprising. Initially active from 1994 to 2004, they reformed in 2015 and released their fourth studio album Epic Tales of Human Nature on June 9, 2017.

Jibe began in late 1993 after friends Joe Grah and Toby Bittenbender met bassist Sean Robinson while working at Guitar Center in Dallas, Texas. Drummer Ben Jeffries joined the other members upon moving to Dallas in February 1994. Jibe played their first show at a club called “The Basement” in Dallas in April 1994. The group soon became known for their energetic and intense live shows and relentless touring schedule, playing well over a thousand concerts in their first five years. Jibe released their first album, a live concert recorded at Trees in Dallas, in 1994. The self-titled LP Jibe followed in 1996.

The band received their first taste of success in 2000 with their single "I’ll Meet You Halfway" from their second studio album In My Head, which reached the #1 spot on college radio stations in Texas and Louisiana. Although compared by the press to classic rock acts such as James Gang and Led Zeppelin, the band cited contemporaries such as U2, Pearl Jam, and Jane’s Addiction as the primary influences on their developing sound.

In 2003 Jibe released their third album Uprising. The single "Yesterday’s Gone" received significant national airplay and spent nine weeks in the top 30 on the national rock chart, peaking at #26. The song soared to #1 at radio stations in Dallas, Austin, and Shreveport, and reached the top 10 at dozens of stations across Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana and made the top 20 in several other markets nationwide. "Yesterday’s Gone" charted at #71 on Radio & Records year-end list of the top 100 rock tracks of 2003 and was chosen by the Dallas Cowboys as the music bed for their 2003 season. Uprising was also a critical success, earning awards for alternative album of the year, male vocalist of the year, producer of the year, and song of the year at the 2003 KEGL local show awards.

Jibe quickly found themselves in high demand as an opening act for popular nationally touring post-grunge rock acts of the day such as Creed, Staind, Sevendust, Shinedown, Seether, Saliva, Ours, Oleander, Lit, and Our Lady Peace. Jibe toured with Nickelback, Jerry Cantrell, Josh Todd, Kings of Leon and Marilyn Manson and established themselves as one of the premier rock bands in the Dallas scene.

Breakup and hiatus
After playing over 2,500 concerts, Jibe suddenly broke up in June 2004, much to the dismay of their fans. According to the Dallas Observer, the band seemed to be “perpetually perched on fame’s doorstep” and after the success of their most recent album, by all accounts were “on their way up”. According to Jibe frontman Joe Grah, one night he simply got in his car and drove to Los Angeles and didn’t tell anyone for three days. During his time in Jibe, Grah had become addicted to drugs and alcohol and believes that if he hadn’t left Dallas and broken up the band, he probably would have died.

After leaving Jibe, singer Joe Grah joined the band Loser in Los Angeles, which also featured guitarist John 5. Loser was signed to Island Records and released the album Just Like You in 2006. Following the dissolution of Loser, Grah fronted the bands South of Earth and I Am The Wolf. He also formed the electronic rock project Dead Girls Don’t Lie.

Ben Jeffries drummed for the band The Feds from 2004 to 2008 before leaving the band to attend college.

Toby Bittenbender joined Zayra Alvarez’s backing band and played on her 2006 album Ruleta. Later he played with Dallas rock band Overscene.

Corey Tatro played bass in the metal band DownLo, and also plays lead guitar in the Whiskey River Ramblers.

Legacy
Jibe’s reputation in the Dallas scene has become legendary. The legacy of the band is inextricably tied to the pinnacle of the Deep Ellum music scene of the 1990s and early 2000s. Along with other prominent Dallas bands such as Tripping Daisy, The Toadies, Drowning Pool, Flickerstick, Edgewater, Old 97's, Slow Roosevelt and Reverend Horton Heat, Jibe are revered as standard-bearers of a bygone era when rock fans packed the clubs of Deep Ellum.

Jibe played their first concert in eleven years on September 25, 2015 at Gas Monkey Bar N' Grill in Dallas. The show was free, but required tickets which could be reserved at Dallas rock radio station KDGE’s website. The tickets sold out in less than ten hours, and the concert was moved to a larger venue, where tickets again sold out. In 2016 the band wrote and recorded a new album, Epic Takes of Human Nature with producer Matt Noveskey and mixer Toby Wright. The first single from the album ,"We've Only Just Begun", was released November 8, 2016. The song "Release" is the second single. The full album was released to fans who pre-ordered on June 9, 2017 and had a wider release on October 6, 2017. Along with the new album, Jibe also released a collection of B-sides and rarities, and are also working on a documentary film about the band's history and reunion.

Band members
Joe Grah – lead vocals (1993–2004, 2015-present)
Toby Bittenbender – guitars (1993–2004, 2015-present)
Corey Tatro – bass (1998–2004, 2015-present)
Todd Harwell – drums (2017–present)

Sean Robinson – bass (1993-1998)
Ben Jeffries – drums (1993-2004, 2015-2017)

Conversation
Jibe Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

She said she wants to kill me
The way we're living has taken its toll
I really think she wants to kill me
From the look in her eyes she's ready to go
Promises, promises
Don't mean anything at all
When dreams become reality
That's when I'll take my fall

All this time wasted
Living the lies we've created

She said she wants to thrill me
I think she wants to lose control
(Come on)
She said, "You might have to commit me"
But when I'm insider her I can't let her go
Promises, promises
Don't mean anything at all
When dreams become reality
That's when I'll take my fall
All this time wasted
Living the lies we've created

She said she wants to kill me
I really think she's gonna kill me

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Jibe's song Conversation depict a relationship that has taken a dark turn. The singer describes his partner's desire to kill him, and the toll that their way of life has taken on them both. The repetition of the phrase "promises, promises" emphasizes the lack of trust and reliability in the relationship. The line "when dreams become reality, that's when I'll take my fall" suggests that their hopes and aspirations have become twisted or unattainable, leading to a downward spiral.

The second verse adds a layer of complexity to the situation, with the singer admitting that he is also drawn to the danger and excitement of the relationship. The line "when I'm inside her I can't let her go" implies that their physical connection is intense and consuming, but also potentially destructive. The final repetition of "she said she wants to kill me, I really think she's gonna kill me" leaves the listener with a sense of impending doom and uncertainty.

Overall, the lyrics to Conversation are intense and evoke strong emotions. They paint a vivid picture of a relationship that is both thrilling and dangerous, but ultimately unsustainable.

Line by Line Meaning

She said she wants to kill me
She expressed a desire to harm me.

The way we're living has taken its toll
Our lifestyle has had a negative impact on us.

I really think she wants to kill me
I am genuinely concerned for my safety due to her demeanor.

From the look in her eyes she's ready to go
Her eyes indicate a readiness to take action.

Promises, promises
Repeated assurances are meaningless.

Don't mean anything at all
They hold no weight or value.

When dreams become reality
When our aspirations turn into actuality.

That's when I'll take my fall
That is when I will suffer the consequences.

All this time wasted
We have expended a considerable amount of time.

Living the lies we've created
We are living in a falsehood that we have constructed.

She said she wants to thrill me
She expressed a desire to excite me.