Laguardia’s sound comprises crystalline keyboards and spangled guitars eleg… Read Full Bio ↴Laguardia’s sound comprises crystalline keyboards and spangled guitars elegantly intertwined to produce ornate lattices of shimmering melody. Clambering up them are tartly sweet lead vocals and mischievous backing harmonies. The rhythm section provides well-muscled but agile support, with bass guitar adding bonus tunefulness. Sneaking into New York for their first public performances, they quickly gained a sizeable following and began gaining fans in other bands. Laguardia were touring the U.S. time and again in the company of outfits like Eyes Adrift, Bobby Bare Jr., The Brian Jonestown Massacre and others even before they had a label.

WELCOME TO THE MIDDLE their debut album was recorded in Los Angeles this past Spring with producer Brad Wood (Smashing Pumpkins, Tortoise, Sunny Day Real Estate, Liz Phair, Red Red Meat…) Despite working in an elaborate studio with a name producer, the band stuck to essentials: great songwriting performed with passion and obvious skill. Main singer Joshua Ostrander points out: “We made such an effort to bring the live show to tape. We tried so hard to not overproduce the sounds. We didn’t want to use four guitar tracks or five keyboard tracks when one or two would do. And I wanted my vocals to be totally dry and singular.” On the other hand the band members did take advantage of the studio situation to experiment and expand on certain ideas where they felt it was warranted.

“We’re always trying to come up with new stuff in the studio: what can we add here? Or should it go this way? In the studio there’s time to think, evaluate, and even re-evaluate,” bassist Michael Morpurgo explains.

All the group’s members had a hand in writing WELCOME TO THE MIDDLE, either individual songs or collaborations with one another. Songs like “Holy Ghost” and “Sex” are ambitious yet pithy sonic adventures charged with the palpable air of excited exploration, bursting with raw power to boot. In this and other songs, the chiming guitar lines of Ostrander and lead guitarist Lee Bernstein circle one another with elegant ruthlessness, a fabulous Flamenco danced in zero gravity. Tracks such as “Banner” and “Sleep Over” are more relaxed, expansive and subtle, but still conceptually audacious and masterfully executed. Drummer Greg Lyons spins out sparse but consistently unorthodox rhythms, abetted by Michael’s deft and pointedly melodic bass playing here and through the length of the album. The first single, “Duct Tape,” begins deceptively calm with a reserved vocal and stately guitar arpeggios, but quickly picks up force and fire powered by especially primal drum pounding by Lyons and Ostrander’s singing which grows more and more frenzied by the line. Every number has its own unique, determined agenda to promote in turn and the group delivers the goods with impressive ability and verve. Most importantly, all this exotica has been forged into an album that is undeniably seductive and intensely infectious. WELCOME TO THE MIDDLE is every bit as ambitious and infectious as the four envisioned when they first decided to work together as a group.

Laguardia grew in part out of a reaction against some members’ past experiences as musicians. Morpurgo had spent some ten years playing hooky but raucous post-psychedelia in Philadelphia’s Dandelion, releasing two major label albums. He met Joshua through a mutual friend in 1998 and the pair hit it off immediately. Two years later, they were playing together in Ty Cobb with survivors from another local outfit, Trip 66, who had been label-mates of Mike’s former group. Morpurgo began casually recording with Lee Bernstein, the younger brother of Ty Cobb guitarist Ryan, calling Josh in to help out. Soon afterwards, the trio decided to start a group of their own, Laguardia. All they needed was a strong drummer, smart and technically adept enough to deal with the stylistically diverse, ambitiously composed songs. “We all answered the same,” Morpurgo chuckles, “GREG LYONS! Lee and Josh grew up watching him play in Trip 66 and I watched him grow into the stellar percussionist that he is. It only took one rehearsal (August, 2000) at some crappy rehearsal room in Southampton, Pennsylvania and we ALL knew that this was going to be that ‘something special.’”

After putting themselves through a relentless rehearsal regimen, Laguardia made a conscious decision to make waves-and work out the bugs-outside their home town, undertaking a string of increasingly well received shows in New York. When they finally debuted back home in Philly, they were an immediate hit and proceeded to reach out to music lovers across the country, touring from Coast to Coast again and again with several pioneering bands including Interpol and Idlewild. In Spring of 2003, they struck a deal with Republic/Universal Records and soon thereafter set to work recording WELCOME TO THE MIDDLE. The end result is every inch the “something special” Laguardia intended when they first convened in that crappy rehearsal space six years ago.

Laguardia broke up shortly after the release of Welcome to the Middle. Leadman Joshua Ostrander and drummer Greg Lyons have teamed up with Vern Zaborowski on bass to form The Eastern Conference Champions.

Sex
Laguardia Lyrics

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Oh oh oh, yeah

Well, well, well, hazy days
And the sleepless nights
We'll set my eyes on Jesus Christ
But, it is a gamble but the kids are all doing it

Altercations with situations

These revelations on AM stations
Children run to your preists
Tell him all on your knees
Uh, it is a gamble but the kids are all doing it
I'd give you samples but the potion will make you sick

Altercations with situations
These revelations on AM stations
And children run (yeah)
To your preist (yeah)
Tell him all (yeah)
All these things
Well, it is a gamble but the kids are all doing it
And I'd give you samples but the potion will make you sick

It is a gamble but the kids are all doing it
I'd give you samples but the potion will make you sick, sick

Overall Meaning

The song "Sex" by Laguardia is an eclectic mixture of different themes and ideas. The song is a commentary on the youth culture of the time and the growing trend of experimentation with drugs and sex. The lyrics are cryptic and poetic, leaving the interpretation of the meaning to the listener.

The song's opening lines "Well, well, well, hazy days/And the sleepless nights/We'll set my eyes on Jesus Christ" sets a melancholic tone. The juxtaposition of Jesus Christ and hazy days indicate that the singer is seeking clarity amidst a culture that is clouded by excess and experimentation. The line "But, it is a gamble, but the kids are all doing it" serves as a warning against the dangers of following the crowd blindly.

The chorus is repeated twice, with slight variations in the final line. The line "I'd give you samples but the potion will make you sick" suggests that the singer has firsthand experience with the dangers of experimentation, but is powerless to stop others from making the same mistakes.

Overall, "Sex" by Laguardia is a cautionary tale about the dangers of blindly following the trends of youth culture. The song's lyrics are open to interpretation, allowing each listener to find their own meaning within the lines.

Line by Line Meaning

Oh oh oh, yeah
Expressing excitement and enthusiasm

Well, well, well, hazy days
Acknowledging a state of haziness and uncertainty

And the sleepless nights
Referring to struggles and hardships

We'll set my eyes on Jesus Christ
Turning to religion for guidance and hope

But, it is a gamble but the kids are all doing it
Acknowledging risks and trends in society

Altercations with situations
Struggling with challenging circumstances

These revelations on AM stations
Finding enlightenment through media and news sources

Children run to your preists
Seeking guidance and support from religious leaders

Tell him all on your knees
Confessing and opening up to a higher power

Uh, it is a gamble but the kids are all doing it
Reiterating the risky behavior of young people

I'd give you samples but the potion will make you sick
Warning against the dangers of experimenting with new experiences