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 Joey’s 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.
South
Lagwagon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Got to designate a driver before the show
It's your turn now at the wheel
There's nothing like a guard rail
To wake you up in the middle of the night
And we are drivin' north, goin' south
It looks like we'll sleep here
We're headed south on the north bound
Our wheels might as well be square
Cause we're not really getting anywhere
Tire tracks throughout, felt the brakin'
I don't think we're gonna make it
Drivin' around, goin' down
It looks like we'll sleep here,
I need a beer
South, goin' south, check us out we're goin' south
South, headed south, check it out, we're goin' down
South, goin' south
The lyrics of Lagwagon's song "South" describe the challenges of touring as a band, particularly when it comes to long drives on the road. The chorus repeats the phrase "South, goin' south," which can be interpreted as a metaphor for the band's downward trajectory, both in terms of their physical location and their emotional state. The first verse talks about the necessity of having a designated driver and the danger of falling asleep at the wheel. The second verse references running out of beer and feeling like they're not making any progress despite hours of driving. The final lyrics suggest that they may not make it to their destination and will have to sleep where they are.
Line by Line Meaning
Gotta drive all night if not a go
We have to keep driving throughout the night, otherwise we won't make it
Got to designate a driver before the show
We need to choose someone to drive us to the show instead of taking turns
It's your turn now at the wheel
You need to start driving now since it's your turn
There's nothing like a guard rail
A guard rail can be helpful in keeping you awake while driving
To wake you up in the middle of the night
The guardrails are also useful in making you stay alert during late-night drives
And we are drivin' north, goin' south
We're going in the opposite direction of where we want to go
It looks like we'll sleep here
We may have to stop and sleep somewhere since we're out of beer
We're out of beer
We have run out of alcohol to keep us going
We're headed south on the north bound
We're driving opposite of the lanes we should be in
Our wheels might as well be square
Our wheels are not turning well and we're not making much progress on our journey
Cause we're not really getting anywhere
We're not making any progress and may have to stop soon
Tire tracks throughout, felt the brakin'
We've been driving for so long, we can feel the impact and are now experiencing our car slowing down
I don't think we're gonna make it
We may not be able to finish our journey due to our vehicle problems and lack of direction
Drivin' around, goin' down
We're driving around aimlessly and don't know where we're headed
I need a beer
I need alcohol to help me forget about our current situation and stay motivated
South, goin' south, check us out we're goin' south
We've decided to keep going south despite our challenges
South, headed south, check it out, we're goin' down
We're going down and may not make it to our destination but we're going to keep going
South, goin' south
We're heading south despite the difficulties and may never make it to our destination
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@chrishall8188
There's nothing like the guardrail to wake you up in the middle of the night! I remember beer bonging and smoking brick weed having a ball back in the day
@adiversion9413
The "Dude, you wanna fucking drive?" at 1:38 always cracks me up.
@1thess523
there was only about 2 other bands that had drummers on this same level it was "Strung Out" and " S. Surfers"
@anthonybrault6531
Good Riddance has pretty amazing drumming too
@mascoots
Don't forget about Josh Freeze from Vandals. One of the most technical drummers in punk rock history. But Derrick had his own style and as a drummer myself I have to say he was a beast!
@francokerplunk
Temazo
@yourmothersdouchebag
great song, one of a few that Lagwagon has that perfectly sum up what life is REALLY like for a touring band... it ain't all sex, drugs, and rock &roll... there's also alot of long shitty drives, "where the fuck are we gonna sleep?"s, and "Fuck you"s
@mikenolan1889
kinda sums up life as well "were heading south on the north bound our wheels might as well be square cause were not really getting anywhere"
@MrTigerstyle80
holy balls these guys are not of this earth!
@SouthSho450
@1thess523 damn fuckin right !! big wig's one pretty good though...