Billy Sawilchik – guitar
Dino Kourelis - bass
Read Full Bio ↴Marty Casey - vocals
Billy Sawilchik – guitar
Dino Kourelis - bass
Bobby Kourelis - drums
LOVEHAMMERS’ triumphant new disc, HEAVY CROWN, restores faith that heartfelt rock and roll can still thrive. With an inimitable and unpretentious sound, Chicago’s homegrown heroes punch out an album of thought-provoking, hook-injected airwave contenders that are long on hooks and incendiary riffs.
“Heavy Crown is Lovehammers firing on all cylinders,” says bassist Dino Kourelis. From the explosive opening salvo “Guns” to the soaring “Honest I‘ll Wait,” Lovehammers nail a variety of approaches with expert finesse. With sonic jewels like “Your Time, My Time” and the infectious “Oh My Baby” forging a direct line to the any self-respecting rock music fan, Heavy Crown offers a refreshing respite from today’s over-compartmentalized musical climate,
Yet for all of its creative achievements, Heavy Crown carries some of the weight that its title suggests. Lovehammers have survived the blessings and curses that came their way when vocalist Marty Casey became a household name, earning the adoration of millions of television viewers as the runner-up on the 2005 reality series ‘Rockstar INXS’. Casey, guitarist Billy Sawilchik, bassist Dino Kourelis and drummer Bobby Kourelis found themselves the recipients of a major label deal that didn’t live up to its promise. As it worked to wrangle itself out of a series of unfavorable business arrangements, the foursome’s decade-plus loyalty to one another was tested.
That allegiance ultimately persevered and Lovehammers hatched a plan to remix and re-release some of its signature songs on its own terms. But before too long, Heavy Crown turned into the band’s first new studio disc in three years. “I didn't want this record to sound like anything we have done previously,” Marty explains. “Personally I wanted to challenge myself in the writing process. I wanted it to be a combination of light and dark. I wanted to break free of every song being about personal life stories. The writing of the song ‘That’s Life’ was a direct attempt at focusing the lyrics on the lives of other people and trying to make a point. Of course, in the end most of the material is a storyline of my life and I tried my best to make it as honest as possible and tell stories to get some
things off my chest.”
The exceptionally memorable “Find Your Way” was an opportunity for the band’s drummer to do the same. Says Casey, “I have no idea if it’s true or not but I always thought that Bobby wrote that song about me. He was upset with me for quite some time about some decisions I had made. It felt like he was making a statement to me like, ‘Open your eyes and figure out where you are.’ It might not be true but I like to think so as I often enjoy living in my imagination.”
That healthy exchange of ideas has been an integral part of Lovehammers’ song quality control during its dozen years as a recording unit. With a back catalog of four albums and three EPs (see discography below) and friendships that date back to their Hickory Hills Little League days, the band’s chemistry can’t help but be special. “This band is extraordinary,” says Dino, “in that we have known each other since we were 8, so we aren’t afraid to speak our minds to each other in fears of hurting feelings. In most cases, the person that has an idea for a song knows it needs work and asks the band to help develop it or make it better. In general, we just try to have fun and enjoy ourselves.” Taking song ideas, tearing them apart and reassembling them to get the most out of each track, the group’s self-professed “Lovehammers manipulation machine” can take a bare bones song and morph it from an acoustic jam to a full-on orchestration. From there it’s on to tracking–which the band did in Chicago and California with the help of producer Marti Frederickson (Buckcherry, Pink, Faith Hill, Papa Roach). From there, Anthony Focx was brought in to mix the record.
“Anthony had just finished working on mixing Aerosmith, Metallica, and Buckcherry–all bands that are definitely rock with big pop sensibilities. I thought he would be perfect for us,” Dino says. “His passion, dedication and love for this record is something I haven’t seen before from someone that was not in our band.” Or as Bobby says succinctly, “He's a rock guy that gets what we are trying to sound like, and knows what we should sound like.”
For Sawilchik, Heavy Crown was an opportunity to stretch his guitar-tistic boundaries, whether he was in the studio proper, in Dino’s basement or at Chicago Recording Company. “We never really had a serious discussion about where the album should go stylistically,” he says. “When we were arranging and writing the songs, my main goal was to avoid shying away from the tried and true chord progressions and arrangements.” That focus may be most evident on the uplifting title track. “That song means a lot to all of us but the depth and potency is the same,” Marty says of the tune. “The tone of the story came from life experience and we knew we were bold enough to make it as epic as possible. We were simply trying to make the music feel as bold as the message.” Adds Dino, “Marty has grown a lot and is not really afraid to show his emotions in his songs or leave himself vulnerable. When Marty asked me to help out with the lyrics, I know he had someone in mind while writing it. I told him that I was going to approach it as if it was a message to my 90 year old grandmother, if she was on her deathbed. She raised 12 kids, countless grandkids and she’s basically the strongest woman I know.”
“We weren’t splitting the atom when it came to chord progressions or arrangements,” Billy injects. “The trick is to convey a song with conviction and authenticity. I think that comes across in our music because we really love what we do and it is important to get that passion across to the listener.”
With Heavy Crown, Casey hopes that each song finds a home. “I want ‘Your Time, My Time’ blasting at a summer barbecue. As for ‘Oh My Baby,’ I just want to keep to myself. When you write the goodbye letter and watch someone you love walk off into the sunset, you don’t really want to mail it. You’d rather burn it.”
Now that the band has returned to Lovehammers--after being forced to alter their title to put Marty’s name in front for their lone Epic Records release--the foursome has come full circle, releasing Heavy Crown via its REEP label with distribution through Fontana/INgrooves. “We have control again and feel comfortable returning to our original name,” says the frontman.
“We’ve been together since 1988,” Casey continues. “There are not many bands that have spent nearly their entire lives together. When you stick together this long, you are bound to become your own unique thing. We just tried to write songs that we like and we would listen to. For Heavy Crown, we said ‘Let’s just put everything into these songs with no care of the synchronicity of the songs on a whole.’ It’s funny that they all seem to work well together in the end.”
Lovehammers Discography
Ultrasound, 1997, REEP Records
Demolition EP, 1999, REEP Records
How We Live EP, 2001, SLH Records
L’Strange, 2002, REEP Records
Murder on My Mind, 2003, SLH Records
Live/Raw (DVD), 2004, SLH Records
Marty Casey and Lovehammers, 2006, Epic Records
And The Rest Is History (DVD), 2006, SLH Records
Merry Christmas (All Year Long) Single, 2006, SLH Records
Heavy Crown, 2009, REEP Records/Fontana/INgrooves
www.lovehammers.com
www.myspace.com/lovehammers
www.facebook.com/lovehammers
www.twitter.com/lovehammers
The Tunnel
Lovehammers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wait for me
And I'll be coming home soon
And when you cry your eyes I'll remember
Stare at me
I can hypnotize you
Keep calling
Keep calling, keep calling, keep calling
I will stay true
Keep calling, keep calling, keep calling
Till I find you
And the distance has been murder
On my mind
Can't see you with my own eyes
If you decide to get with another
Remember who
I'm the one that loves you
Always
Keep calling, keep calling, keep calling
I will stay true
Keep calling, keep calling, keep calling
Till I find you
Keep calling, keep calling, keep calling
Can you hear me
Keep calling, keep calling, keep calling
'Cause you're disappearing
If I could just go back
One more time
I'd hold on and never let go
Just go back
One more time
I'd never let, never let you go
And there's a light at the end of the tunnel
Wait for me
And I'll be coming home soon
You have to die to get discovered
Peek-a-boo
I see you through the exit wound
Keep calling
Keep calling, keep calling, keep calling
I will stay true
Keep calling, keep calling, keep calling
Till I find you
Keep calling, keep calling, keep calling
Can you hear me
Keep calling, keep calling, keep calling
'Cause you're disappearing
Well I found your hiding places
In the bedroom, in the basement
Like a scared child under the blankets
No one knows you like I know you
They'll try to control you like I told you
They'll try to control you
No, no, no, no!
The Lovehammers’ song “The Tunnel” is about the intense longing and desire of the singer to be reunited with the person he loves. He sings about seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, indicating that he's getting closer to his destination. The “tunnel” can be seen as a metaphor for the distance and obstacles he has to cross to reach the person he loves. He reassures his lover that he will find them by constantly “keep calling” for them. The lyrics suggest that there is a sense of urgency and desperation that drives the singer to keep moving towards his goal.
The melancholic tone of the song is further conveyed by the use of words like “murder” and “disappearing” which evoke the pain and frustration experienced by the singer. He expresses to his lover that he will love them no matter what, even if they decide to “get with another”. The lyrics highlight the fact that love can be challenging and that it requires a lot of effort to sustain the connection between two people.
Overall, “The Tunnel” represents the idea of love as the ultimate goal that everyone strives to reach. The singer’s determination to find his lover despite the obstacles and hurdles that he faces in his journey represents the deep emotional commitment that love entails.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a light at the end of the tunnel
Despite the difficulties, there is hope for our situation.
Wait for me
Be patient with me as I work to resolve things.
And I'll be coming home soon
I am determined to return to you as soon as possible.
And when you cry your eyes I'll remember
I am aware of your sadness.
Stare at me
Look at me and let us share this moment.
I can hypnotize you
I have a captivating presence that draws you in.
Keep calling
Don't give up on me, keep reaching out.
Keep calling, keep calling, keep calling
Repeatedly try to contact me when you need me.
I will stay true
I will remain loyal to you.
Till I find you
I won't stop looking for you until I locate you.
And the distance has been murder
Being separated from you has been extremely difficult.
On my mind
I can't stop thinking about you.
Can't see you with my own eyes
I am unable to physically be with you at the moment.
If you decide to get with another
In case you find happiness with someone else.
Remember who
Don't forget that we had a special connection.
I'm the one that loves you
I have genuine feelings for you.
Always
This feeling for you won't fade away.
Can you hear me
Are my attempts to contact you coming through?
'Cause you're disappearing
I am afraid of losing you altogether.
If I could just go back
If I had the chance to change things from the past.
One more time
Just one more opportunity to make things right.
I'd hold on and never let go
I would fiercely hold onto our relationship.
You have to die to get discovered
Only in death do some people's talents or struggles become known.
Peek-a-boo
I see you, even when you don't think I do.
I see you through the exit wound
I recognize you even in your vulnerability.
Well I found your hiding places
I know where you try to conceal your emotions and struggles.
In the bedroom, in the basement
These are some of the specific locations where you try to hide.
Like a scared child under the blankets
You cower like a frightened and vulnerable child trying to escape reality.
No one knows you like I know you
I have unique insight into your character and experiences.
They'll try to control you like I told you
Others will attempt to manipulate and stifle you the way I foresaw.
No, no, no, no!
I refuse to let this happen, I will fight for you.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@billybobfu7244
This song reminds me of Great white, awesome song, awesome album, awesome band,hope they keep it up!