1. First, Duff McKagan'… Read Full Bio ↴There is more than one band with this name:
1. First, Duff McKagan's Loaded. Their picture appears here as an artist picture on Last.fm.
2. Second, a streetpunk band based in Mannheim, Germany, who recorded the other albums listed below: "Fearless Street", "More Midnights Than Mornings", "Hold fast" and "Turn Your Head & Cough". Their MySpace is http://www.myspace.com/getloaded.
3. Third, a band formed Cary, North Carolina in 1998 had recorded many albums, such as "Where's The Beef?" "Who Cut The Cheese?" "Isaac Jacobs & The Abrahams", "Isaac Jacobs 2", "Hit The Wall", and "Isaac Jacobs 3", before changing their name to Isaac Jacobs & The Abrahams in 2007 to avoid collisions with other bands. Their MySpace is http://www.myspace.com/isaacjacobsloaded .
4. The album "Trophy Wives", also featured here, belongs to a fourth band called Loaded.
5. The short lived project of Chemlab programmer Dylan Thomas More, who had one track released on the "Mortal Kombat: More Kombat", soundtrack called "Fatality".
The following is a description for Duff McKagan's Loaded:
Loaded (also known as Duff McKagan's Loaded) is an American hard rock supergroup that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1999. It's current lineup consists of founder Duff McKagan of Velvet Revolver, formerly of Guns N' Roses, on lead vocals and guitar, Mike Squires formerly of Alien Crime Syndicate and Nevada Bachelors on lead guitar, Jeff Rouse formerly of Alien Crime Syndicate, Vendetta Red, and Sirens Sister on bass and drummer Isaac Carpenter formerly of Loudermilk, Gosling and The Exies. They have released two albums (Dark Days and Sick) one EP (Wasted Heart) and one live album (Episode 1999: Live) since the groups inception.
Originally comprising vocalist, bassist and songwriter Duff McKagan (formerly of Guns N' Roses), guitarist Michael Barragan (formerly of Plexi), guitarist Dez Cadena (formerly of Black Flag) and drummer Taz Bentley (formerly of The Reverend Horton Heat), the band released Episode 1999: Live in 1999.
In 2000, McKagan began recording Dark Days, which was released in 2001, with drummer Geoff Reading (formerly of New American Shame and Green Apple Quick Step) and Dave Dederer (formerly of The Presidents of the United States of America) with additional guitar parts added by touring guitarist Mike Squires (formerly of Nevada Bachelors and Harvey Danger). For the tour, bassist Jeff Rouse (formerly of Alien Crime Syndicate) was added to the group. During the tour, both Squires and Rouse left to rejoin Alien Crime Syndicate with gutiarist Dave Kushner, formerly of Wasted Youth and Electric Love Hogs, and bassist George Stuart Dahlquist, formerly of Asva and Burning Witch, replacing them.
With both McKagan and Kushner going on to form Velvet Revolver with McKagan's former Guns N' Roses bandmates, Slash and Matt Sorum, and then former Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland in 2002, Loaded were put on semi-hiatus with the band playing a few shows each year with former members Rouse and Squires returning to the group.
Loaded regrouped in 2008, with the lineup still consisting of McKagan, Squires, Rouse and Reading. The band released extended play Wasted Heart in September in support of their UK/European tour. The follow up to Dark Days, Sick, was released on April 7, 2009 and charted at number 43 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers Chart. A tour of the US and Europe as well as South America followed along with stints supporting Black Stone Cherry and Mötley Crüe.
In September 2009, drummer Reading announced his departure from the group with Isaac Carpenter, formerly of Loudermilk, Gosling and The Exies, announced as his replacement. The group are currently working on new material for their next release.
Then & Now
Loaded Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah, you were gone,
So far gone.
The scene was set for Armageddon
And your grip on me was strong.
If you saw me yesterday
You wouldn't recognize my face
Yeah, you might have ran away
Sister Uptown, you're a metaphor
For all life's grief and pain
Brother Downtown, such a devil
Make a snake out of any man
If you saw me yesterday
You wouldn't recognize my face
If you saw me yesterday
Don't feel like crawling out of my cage (I used to say)
Some other lame song and dance
About a thing from my past (I hope is not boring you)
In the end I lost a few friends
So I got up, I got up and I ran away
Drugs, party in 526
Is where I got my kicks
But where are they today?
Dead and gone the damage is done
I got nothing else to say.
If you saw me yesterday
You wouldn't recognize my face
If you saw me yesterday
Yeah, you might have ran away
If you saw me yesterday
Yeah, you might have ran away
Loaded's song "Then & Now" is a reflection on the consequential life that they have lived, contrasting their past self to their present self. The lyrics suggest that the singer is experiencing a transformative moment in their life, one that has the power to make or break them: "When I first saw you, baby / Yeah, you were gone, / So far gone. / The scene was set for Armageddon / And your grip on me was strong." The first verse captures the electricity of meeting someone who would change their life forever, even though it may not have been in the best way. By being exposed to such forced realities, they come to a clear understanding of the self-destructive nature of hedonistic living.
The second verse reveals how much the past haunted the current version of themselves: "If you saw me yesterday / You wouldn't recognize my face / If you saw me yesterday / Yeah, you might have run away." The singer has had to confront the stark reality of their circumstances and lives joyously in the moments, trying to be a better version of themselves. The chorus mentions two people, Sister Uptown and Brother Downtown, who serve as a metaphor for life's grief and pain. Sister Uptown symbolizes the emotional and mental suffering brought upon the singer due to their past. Brother Downtown, on the other hand, is someone who turns people into snakes, symbolizing how deep and extensive the moral degradation of a hedonistic lifestyle can be.
Loaded's "Then & Now" is a chilling reminder of the impact that our choices have on our lives, and how, with time and awareness, one can take charge and chooses a different path. The song does not shy away from the harm that was done in the past; it recognizes that their past self is part of their present version, and the life they lived is a culmination of all those moments.
Line by Line Meaning
When I first saw you, baby,
Yeah, you were gone,
So far gone.
The scene was set for Armageddon
And your grip on me was strong.
When I first met you, you were already in a bad place in your life. It was like the world was about to end and you were holding me tightly.
Sister Uptown, you're a metaphor
For all life's grief and pain
Brother Downtown, such a devil
Make a snake out of any man
Sister Uptown, you represent all the sadness and sorrow in life. Brother Downtown, you're like a demon who can turn anyone into a bad person.
Don't feel like crawling out of my cage (I used to say)
Some other lame song and dance
About a thing from my past (I hope is not boring you)
In the end I lost a few friends
So I got up, I got up and I ran away
I used to feel trapped and not want to do anything. I would talk about the same old things from my past, hoping not to bore anyone. But in the end I lost some friends and so I decided to leave and start fresh.
Drugs, party in 526
Is where I got my kicks
But where are they today?
Dead and gone the damage is done
I got nothing else to say.
I used to enjoy doing drugs and partying, but now I realize that it only caused harm. Those people I partied with are now gone and nothing good came out of it.
If you saw me yesterday
You wouldn't recognize my face
If you saw me yesterday
Yeah, you might have ran away
I've changed a lot since yesterday and you wouldn't even recognize me. You might even be scared of who I am now.
Contributed by Jackson A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.