The band has 11 releases through Fat Wreck Chords: eight studio albums, one EP, one live album and a collection of B-sides, compilation tracks and demos. Lagwagon has never had, nor have they seemed to pursue, strong mainstream success, but they do have a devoted underground following in North America, Europe and Asia. Their moderate success reflected a growing interest in punk rock during the 1990s, along with fellow California bands Rancid, Green Day and The Offspring. Their song 'May 16' was also featured in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2.
The story about the name Lagwagon is that Joeyβs mom was often late picking him and his brother up from school. She drove a station wagon, which his brother dubbed the "lagwagon". After signing to Fat Mike's label Fat Wreck Chords, Lagwagon released their debut album for the label, Duh, in 1992. Frontman Joey Cape commented on how the album was made, "Back then, we were inexperienced in the studio. It was less about the recording process and more about rehearsing. We recorded and mixed Duh in 4 days. There's something to be said for a budget. You have to have your shit together before you go into the studio and the end result is a record that better reflects the band's sound at the time." Two years later, Lagwagon released Trashed, their second record on Fat, which turned out to be highly successful, leading to the eventual production of a video for "Island of Shame." During this time, a number of punk bands, such as Green Day, The Offspring and Rancid, had hit the mainstream and Lagwagon turned down offers to join several major labels. Hoss, the third Lagwagon album, was released on November 21, 1995. After the release of that album and an extensive tour in Europe, Australia, and Japan, both guitarist Shawn Dewey and drummer Derrick Plourde would leave the band and be replaced temporarily by Ken Stringfellow (The Posies) on guitar, and permanently by Dave Raun (RKL) on drums. Shawn Dewey, already in the side project band Buck Wild on Lobster Records would go on to release two full-length LPs Beat Me Silly and Full Metal Overdrive and do two European tours with Good Riddance and Ten Foot Pole.
After two more albums, Double Plaidinum and Let's Talk About Feelings, the band went on indefinite hiatus in 2000, due to all members working on side projects. Lagwagon resurfaced in 2002, and released their sixth album Blaze the following year. In 2004, frontman Joey Cape released a split album with No Use for a Name vocalist Tony Sly featuring acoustic versions of songs by both bands. On November 1, 2005, Lagwagon released Resolve, which is a homage to the life of Derrick Plourde, original drummer for Lagwagon and Bad Astronaut.
In 2008, Lagwagon released an EP titled I Think My Older Brother Used to Listen to Lagwagon. Despite earlier reports that the band would begin recording their next full-length studio album by 2009, Lagwagon had gone on hiatus from touring and writing again, due to Cape launching a solo career, releasing Bridge in 2008 and Doesn't Play Well with Others in 2010.
In January 2010, Joey Cape announced during an interview with Canada's Exclaim! magazine[4] that Jesse Buglione had left Lagwagon, having been with the band since its foundation in 1990. However, Cape dismissed rumors of Lagwagon breaking up. While he was not sure if Lagwagon would record a new album or embark on another full-scale tour, he said that he was open to playing shows and possibly recording and releasing new Lagwagon songs sporadically. Jesse Buglione confirmed his departure on Lagwagon's official message board himself, as reported by sputnikmusic.com and punknews.org. Lagwagon toured with No Use for a Name that summer. In an interview with fasterlouder.com.au Joey Cape, revealed former RKL bassist Joe Raposo is Lagwagon's new bassist. In a June 2011 interview with ExploreMusic however, Joey Cape said that things didn't work out with Raposo, and the band is testing a new bassist. After first announcing Patrick Solem as the new bass player in August 2011, the band decided that Raposo would remain in the band permanently.
On September 22, 2011, Fat Wreck announced they would be re-issuing expanded editions of the first 5 albums on CD, vinyl, and digital download. The albums were available both separately and in a box set titled Putting Music In Its Place. The reissues were released November 22, 2011, with a short line-up of concerts in the USA played in December and January, and a European tour following in April 2012. As of October 2012, Lagwagon is headlining a full U.S. tour titled The Fat Tour 2012, with Dead To Me, The Flatliners, and Useless ID as support.
In October 2012, Joey Cape stated that there will be a new Lagwagon album, which will be their first since 2005's Resolve. While details and release dates are not yet known, the band announced on its Twitter feed that songs are being written for a new album. The September 22 Tweet reads, "Writing, writing, writing. New album... It's gonna happen!"
The band recorded their eighth album, Hang, with Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore at The Blasting Room, Ft Collins, CO. The album was released on October 28, 2014, and debuted at #95 on the Billboard 200.
On October 4, 2019, the band released their ninth studio album Railer.
Razor Burn
Lagwagon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Two days later
I think she met
Her Don Juan in Italy
She has a new man,
I have a new mustache
Now all my friends
And everyone will think
That I'm a stupid drifter
To walk the earth alone,
I'll never shave again
On the night she left me,
Facial hair grew miraculously
I dressed in black like Johnny Cash,
And grew this beard of shame
I've heard it said she looks a lot like,
Sherilyn Fenn
And sometimes I'm mistaken for,
Billy Gibbons
I may appear wise, but I'm an idiot
It's over, she left me,
And she will soon forget me
She found out I was lame,
I grew a beard of shame
Come all be faithful, joyful and triumphant
I am a new man, I have a beard of shame
The song "Razor Burn" by Lagwagon tells the story of a man who has recently been broken up with by his significant other. Just two days later, he believes that she has moved on and started seeing someone else while in Italy. In response to the breakup, the singer of the song decides to stop shaving and grows a mustache and a beard. He believes that he now looks like a "mountain man" and everyone will think that he is a "stupid drifter."
The lyrics of the song explore the idea of how a physical appearance can serve as a reflection of one's emotional state. The singerβs appearance is meant to convey to the world that he feels heartbroken and is struggling with the recent breakup. The lyrics also imply that he feels like he has lost his sense of identity and is using his facial hair as a way to distinguish himself as a new person.
Overall, "Razor Burn" is a song about moving on from heartbreak and using outward appearances as a way to cope with it. The lyrics suggest that although the singer may look different, he is still feeling the pain of the breakup deep down.
Line by Line Meaning
She broke up with me, Two days later
My girlfriend ended our relationship and almost immediately started seeing someone else.
I think she met Her Don Juan in Italy
I suspect that she met her new lover while on a trip to Italy.
She has a new man, I have a new mustache
She is now with a new man and I have grown a new mustache as a symbol of change.
Now all my friends Are gonna call me mountain man
I expect my friends to give me a nickname based on my new facial hair style.
And everyone will think That I'm a stupid drifter
People may now perceive me as a foolish wanderer due to my new appearance.
To walk the earth alone, I'll never shave again
I plan to keep my new beard even if it leaves me wandering alone with the label of a societal outcast.
On the night she left me, Facial hair grew miraculously
Immediately after the break-up, my facial hair began growing at an abnormal rate.
I dressed in black like Johnny Cash, And grew this beard of shame
I adopted a sombre appearance, resembling Johnny Cash, and grew this beard to hide my pain and shame.
I've heard it said she looks a lot like, Sherilyn Fenn
I have heard that my ex-girlfriend looks similar to Sherilyn Fenn, a famous actress.
And sometimes I'm mistaken for, Billy Gibbons
Due to my new appearance, there are times when people mistake me for Billy Gibbons, the guitarist of ZZ Top.
I may appear wise, but I'm an idiot
Although I may seem to have gained more wisdom through this experience, I have actually been acting foolishly.
It's over, she left me, And she will soon forget me
Our relationship has ended, and she will eventually move on and forget about me.
She found out I was lame, I grew a beard of shame
After discovering my shortcomings, I grew this beard as a physical representation of my feelings of shame and regret.
Come all be faithful, joyful and triumphant
This phrase is commonly associated with Christmas carols and suggests a hopeful tone for the future.
I am a new man, I have a beard of shame
Although I have been hurt, I am now moving forward as a different person with a new facial hair style reflecting my experiences.
Lyrics Β© O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Hansen 80
Grew up with that Hoss record this came out when i was about 15 years old. Iam 40 now and still love it.π€π
Freedumb Squirts
Twenty years later and it still rings true.
Hellon Heilmann
Class! I have this one in a old VHS tape! 90's HC rules!
Arturo Batista
Me too! Lagwagon and VHS rules!
Jenny Bertrand
Fat needs to release a Lagwagon doc!
Stephen Dre
Hangin with the Wagon came out in 2014
Joshua Schmidinger
Nice throwback to the old school πππ€π₯ I grew up with lag wagon and fat bands and played In a punk band...these were the days.
Minka GeΓner
I really love itπ
Tipi83
Hands down, Hoss is the best Lagwagon album!
Franco Kerplunk
@Tipi83 duh