Lo-Pro’s climb has been steep but rewarding, and is reflected with brutal honesty in Revenge’s 14-song rollercoaster. While so many modern rock crews wallow in unearned misery, frontman Pete Murray bluntly and unapologetically retraces his band’s rocky road, from the infectious gallop of “Texas” (“Maybe I did it all because I wanted to”) to the jarring chugs of “Early Morning Anger” (“Was I so out of line to think you’d be there?”) Yet, the quintet is just as adept at conjuring mid-tempo thunderclaps (“A Life That’s Just Begun,” “Wasting Away”) that boast Murray-favorite U2’s sprawling emotional majesty. This is an angry record, but it’s just as confessional and introspective.
“It’s been a challenge,” Murray laughs of his band’s layoff. “That was definitely helped by picking up yoga. I went through a period when I was pissed off, and some of those songs are on the record—but lyrically, the songs track a journey. It goes from finger-pointing to a way more hopeful vibe.”
Little comes easy in the Lo-Pro universe, and that includes geography: guitarist Pete Ricci lives in Massachusetts, and the rest of the band—Murray’s longtime Ultraspank writing partner, guitarist Neil Godfrey, drummer Tommy Stewart (ex-Godsmack) and bassist Jerry Oliviera—are spread out through L.A., Santa Barbara and San Diego. Subtle changes in approach have made Revenge easily their most accomplished work, with principal writers Murray and Godfrey remaining tight through both lean and boom times.
“[The Aaron Lewis acoustic tour] opened up this whole new way of writing, where we started writing everything on acoustic guitar first and building from there,” Murray reveals. “We usually write the music first and I’ll do vocals. Now we strip out the music and I send back [Godfrey] songs with drums and vocals, and he rewrites around the vocals.”
“[Neil and I have] been writing music for almost 20 years now. We’ve known each other since we were little punks out in Isla Vista, CA. We were playing in rival bands for a while; we hated each other for a long time. Now we’ve been writing music together forever, and it’s great. We can criticize what we do and it isn’t a personal attack, which is a huge thing to overcome.”
From the sweeping electronic flourishes on the evocative mid-album segue “Say” to the layered spoken word breaks on the volcanic “Ingenious,” it’s obvious that Lo-Pro couldn’t have picked a better time to be so inspired.
Aaron Lewis of Staind says, “People in the business have come and gone. I’ve always believed in the music, and Lo Pro is the real deal. That’s why I’m still here.”
“The business is brutal,” Murray shrugs. “It’s chewed us up a couple times. We just want to play music—that’s all I’m in it for. From where we’re sitting, we’re in a great place.”
New album The Beautiful Sounds Of Revenge out June 8th, 2010.
Clean the Slate
Lo-Pro Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can turn my face up towards the sun
Now I'm set to embrace, learn from my mistakes
I can leave it behind and do whatever it takes
I can clean the slate, it's a new day
It's a good day and I'm moving on
I've been keeping all of this inside for way too long
Dwelling on the ways that everyone's done me wrong
I'm moving on, I'm leaving all of this behind me
I'll admit you got me, but that was only once
I won't live so blindly because I can learn to confront
I can clean the slate, it's a new day
It's a good day and I'm moving on
I've been keeping all of this inside for way too long
Dreaming of a way to start my own revolution
Dwelling on the ways that everyone's done me wrong
I'm moving on, I'm leaving all of this behind me
I have learned to tolerate
And now there's nothing you can say about me
To make me feel like I'm not something
That was the old me and it's a new day
I'm moving on.
I've been keeping all of this inside for way too long
Dreaming of a way to start my own revolution
Dwelling on the ways that everyone's done me wrong
I'm moving on, I'm leaving all of this behind me
I'm moving on
It's been so long
The lyrics of the song "Clean the Slate" by Lo-Pro speak of a desire to move past previous mistakes and grievances that have been carried on for too long. The first verse speaks of accepting responsibility for one's actions and embracing the opportunity to learn from these mistakes in order to move forward. The chorus reinforces this sentiment with the metaphor of cleaning the slate, starting anew and leaving the past behind. The second verse speaks of feeling trapped by anger and hurt, but dreaming of a way to create change and overcome these feelings. The bridge of the song marks a turning point, with the singer declaring that they have learned to tolerate and reject negative opinions of them, and that the person they used to be was holding them back. The repetition of "I'm moving on" at the end highlights the determination to leave old habits and grudges behind for good.
Overall, "Clean the Slate" is a song that is about self-growth and taking control of one's life. It encourages listeners to stop dwelling on negativity and hurt feelings, and to instead use past struggles as opportunities for learning and growth. The lyrics present a hopeful message that it is possible to move past past mistakes and achieve a happier, more fulfilling life.
Line by Line Meaning
I can learn to live with all the things I've done
I can accept and come to terms with the mistakes I've made in my life
I can turn my face up towards the sun
I can have a positive outlook towards life and move forward with hope
Now I'm set to embrace, learn from my mistakes
I am ready to accept my mistakes and learn from them to make myself a better person
I can leave it behind and do whatever it takes
I am willing to let go of my past and take necessary steps to move forward in life
I can clean the slate, it's a new day
I can start fresh, leave my past behind and embrace new opportunities
It's a good day and I'm moving on
I am excited for what the future holds and feel positive about it
I've been keeping all of this inside for way too long
I have been holding onto my past, my regrets and my emotions for a long time
Dreaming of a way to start my own revolution
I am imagining a way to make positive changes in my life and the society
Dwelling on the ways that everyone's done me wrong
I have been focusing on all the negative ways in which others have treated me unfairly
I'll admit you got me, but that was only once
I accept that you fooled me once, but I am not going to let that define me or affect my future decisions
I won't live so blindly because I can learn to confront
I won't be naive or ignorant anymore as I am ready to face challenges and confront situations that come my way
I have learned to tolerate
I have become more patient and accepting of others' differences
And now there's nothing you can say about me
I am no longer affected by what others say or think about me
To make me feel like I'm not something
To make me feel insecure or inferior
That was the old me and it's a new day
I have changed for the better and I am embracing a new, positive chapter of my life
I'm moving on.
I am leaving my past behind and moving forward
It's been so long
It has taken me a long time to come to this realization and make positive changes in my life
I'm leaving all of this behind me
I am ready to move on from my past mistakes and make a fresh start
I'm moving on
I am determined to move forward in life and embrace new opportunities
Contributed by Zoe Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@RangerMcFriendlie
They were going to release an acoustic DVD but never did. I'd love for them to release mixing tracks to play around with. So much potential.
@frackus101
It doesn't matter how many times I listen to this, I still get blown away by how great it is...
@zac3306
Please don’t ever delete your YouTube account, because this song will disappear forever. this and the acoustic version of Ignition are two of my favorite Pete Murray tunes ever. And this is the only place I can hear them
@RangerMcFriendlie
True to their name. I thank myself for buying their first album and giving them a chance and I'm glad I did. The crap I hear on metal/rocks stations today is nothing compared to Lo-Pro. Can't wait for their new album!
@benrock19941
Johnnykillmore This band is definitely one of the few bands that translate their heavy music into incredible sounding acoustic tunes. I wish I had control of the music industry and MTV so that I could flood the airwaves with these guys and give them the love and admiration they deserve.
@nickl8980
Totally agree w/ the better acoustic fact... but no matter how they play it these guys f@#king rock! SOOOOOO insperational or however u spell it.... They move me!
@JohnnyKillmore
Rare for me to say, but their acoustic version are MUCH better. When you write really good stuff, you don't need to cover it with layers and effects. Would like to hear this with percussion added though. This and "Oblivion" are stunning acoustic pieces.
@mcdonrolando
i spent some time with the band when i was poor and they were nice enough to let me sleep on a couch. i use to smoke their cigs and play chess even on christmass morning!
@RangerMcFriendlie
@paintedtaintful I'm sorry about your parents. Lo-Pro makes some very inspirational music that anyone can relate to and I really think it is mature of them to not be explicit. Good clean music. I've got some stuff of Lo-Pro and Pete Murray's other work that I will be uploading soon. Take care!
@bigtommydoyle
be honest a scrubs episode brought me here a few month ago. sence then iv been right into lo pro really awsome band. not herd one bad song just all good including this one.