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.
Weak
Lagwagon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And what makes them burn
Take out your aggressions
And alleviate the hurt
Fueled by some loss we'll never know
I sit down now, 'cause
I'm not playing with you
Your peers and all your demons
In passive, aggression,
Accusing all else but you
Hurt the ones, you've grown to love
You feed on them embitterment
Refills your empty soul
Release it into them your sharp words,
Alcohol enhanced
Fueled by guilt your checkered past,
You had the last word
Laugh at me as I sit this one out,
And they're dancing around me, afraid
Come to know them and what makes them burn
Take out your aggressions
And alleviate the hurt
Fueled by some loss we'll never know
You give me strength to call it, weak
In Lagwagon's song "Weak", the lyrics explore the idea of someone who is dealing with their inner demons and using others as a way to cope with their unresolved emotions. The song speaks to the concept of hurting those who are closest to you as a way of projecting your own pain onto others. The lyrics suggest that this behavior is fueled by an unknown loss, causing the individual to lash out and cause harm to those around them.
The song's opening lines, "Come to know them and what makes them burn, take out your aggressions and alleviate the hurt," suggests that the person is not only aware of their emotions but also understands how to control them. However, as the song progresses, it becomes evident that this individual is struggling to deal with their emotions and is using alcohol and verbal abuse as a way to cope.
The line "You feed on them embitterment, refills your empty soul, release it into them your sharp words, alcohol enhanced" is particularly poignant, as it depicts the person's use of others as a way to fill their own emotional void. Ultimately, the song concludes with the line, "You give me strength to call it, weak," suggesting that the person recognizes their harmful behavior but does not have the strength to overcome it.
Line by Line Meaning
Come to know them
Take the time to truly understand the people in your life
And what makes them burn
Learn about their pain and struggles so that you can help them heal
Take out your aggressions
Don't take your frustrations out on other people
And alleviate the hurt
Instead, try to ease the pain of others and show kindness
Fueled by some loss we'll never know
Perhaps the person who hurt you is dealing with their own pain and loss that you may not understand
I sit down now, 'cause I'm not playing with you
Refuse to engage in negative behavior with someone who seeks to hurt you
Abusing, amusing, Your peers and all your demons
The person who is hurtful is taking their pain out on those around them, including their own inner struggles
In passive, aggression, Accusing all else but you
They may not even realize that they are being hurtful and instead blame others for their problems
Hurt the ones, you've grown to love
Unfortunately, the people closest to them often bear the brunt of their pain and anger
You feed on them embitterment
The person who is hurtful may actually enjoy making others feel bad, as it temporarily distracts them from their own pain
Refills your empty soul
Hurting others may provide only temporary relief for their own pain, and they may feel empty inside despite it
Release it into them your sharp words, Alcohol enhanced
Alcohol may worsen the situation by lowering inhibitions and making hurtful words flow more freely
Fueled by guilt your checkered past, You had the last word
Perhaps their hurtful behavior is driven by feelings of guilt or shame from their past, and they may feel a sense of power from winning arguments
Laugh at me as I sit this one out, And they're dancing around me, afraid
The person who is hurtful may find some sort of twisted pleasure in making others feel weak or inferior, even if it means losing them in the long run
You give me strength to call it, weak
Despite the pain caused by this person, you can find strength in recognizing their behavior as weak and refusing to engage in it
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Brian Morgan, Larry Troutman, Roger Troutman, Shirley Murdock
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
telenofunken
Come to know them and what makes them burn
Take out your aggressions and alleviate the hurt
Fueled by some loss we'll never know
I sit down now, cause I'm not playing with you
Abusing, amusing, your peers and all your demons
In passive, aggression, accusing all else but you
Hurt the ones, you've grown to love
You feed on them embitterment refills your empty soul
Release it into them your sharp words, alcohol enhanced
Fueled by guilt your checkered past, you had the last word
Laugh at me as I sit this one out, and they're dancing around me, afraid
Come to know them and what makes them burn
Take out your aggressions and alleviate the hurt
Fueled by some loss we'll never know
You give me strenght to call it, weak
telenofunken
Come to know them and what makes them burn
Take out your aggressions and alleviate the hurt
Fueled by some loss we'll never know
I sit down now, cause I'm not playing with you
Abusing, amusing, your peers and all your demons
In passive, aggression, accusing all else but you
Hurt the ones, you've grown to love
You feed on them embitterment refills your empty soul
Release it into them your sharp words, alcohol enhanced
Fueled by guilt your checkered past, you had the last word
Laugh at me as I sit this one out, and they're dancing around me, afraid
Come to know them and what makes them burn
Take out your aggressions and alleviate the hurt
Fueled by some loss we'll never know
You give me strength to call it, weak
telenofunken
Come to know them and what makes them burn
Take out your aggressions and alleviate the hurt
Fueled by some loss we'll never know
I sit down now, cause I'm not playing with you
Abusing, amusing, your peers and all your demons
In passive, aggression, accusing all else but you
Hurt the ones, you've grown to love
You feed on them embitterment refills your empty soul
Release it into them your sharp words, alcohol enhanced
Fueled by guilt your checkered past, you had the last word
Laugh at me as I sit this one out, and they're dancing around me, afraid
Come to know them and what makes them burn
Take out your aggressions and alleviate the hurt
Fueled by some loss we'll never know
You give me strenght to call it, weak
Cory LeBlanc
i think this might be their best song
AntonPlaysGuitar
one of their best songs ever!!!!!!!
Spaceballs
Legendary band
Isaac Don
The base at 2:10 is epic
Rhys Canty
i fucking love this song
Franz Roth
Dat pick slide at 1:26 hnnggggg
elb
who didnt like this? why?
taxinuse
nice fuckn song!
Tiozãodorage
2023 👊