Billy Sawilchik β guitar
Dino Kourelis - bass
Read Full Bio ↴Marty Casey - vocals
Billy Sawilchik β guitar
Dino Kourelis - bass
Bobby Kourelis - drums
LOVEHAMMERSβ triumphant new disc, HEAVY CROWN, restores faith that heartfelt rock and roll can still thrive. With an inimitable and unpretentious sound, Chicagoβs homegrown heroes punch out an album of thought-provoking, hook-injected airwave contenders that are long on hooks and incendiary riffs.
βHeavy Crown is Lovehammers firing on all cylinders,β says bassist Dino Kourelis. From the explosive opening salvo βGunsβ to the soaring βHonest Iβll Wait,β Lovehammers nail a variety of approaches with expert finesse. With sonic jewels like βYour Time, My Timeβ and the infectious βOh My Babyβ forging a direct line to the any self-respecting rock music fan, Heavy Crown offers a refreshing respite from todayβs 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 βRockstar INXSβ. Casey, guitarist Billy Sawilchik, bassist Dino Kourelis and drummer Bobby Kourelis found themselves the recipients of a major label deal that didnβt live up to its promise. As it worked to wrangle itself out of a series of unfavorable business arrangements, the foursomeβs 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 bandβs first new studio disc in three years. βI didn't want this record to sound like anything we have done previously,β Marty explains. βPersonally 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 βThatβs Lifeβ 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.β
The exceptionally memorable βFind Your Wayβ was an opportunity for the bandβs drummer to do the same. Says Casey, βI have no idea if itβs 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, βOpen your eyes and figure out where you are.β It might not be true but I like to think so as I often enjoy living in my imagination.β
That healthy exchange of ideas has been an integral part of Lovehammersβ 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 bandβs chemistry canβt help but be special. βThis band is extraordinary,β says Dino, βin that we have known each other since we were 8, so we arenβt 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.β Taking song ideas, tearing them apart and reassembling them to get the most out of each track, the groupβs self-professed βLovehammers manipulation machineβ can take a bare bones song and morph it from an acoustic jam to a full-on orchestration. From there itβs on to trackingβwhich 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.
βAnthony had just finished working on mixing Aerosmith, Metallica, and Buckcherryβall bands that are definitely rock with big pop sensibilities. I thought he would be perfect for us,β Dino says. βHis passion, dedication and love for this record is something I havenβt seen before from someone that was not in our band.β Or as Bobby says succinctly, βHe's a rock guy that gets what we are trying to sound like, and knows what we should sound like.β
For Sawilchik, Heavy Crown was an opportunity to stretch his guitar-tistic boundaries, whether he was in the studio proper, in Dinoβs basement or at Chicago Recording Company. βWe never really had a serious discussion about where the album should go stylistically,β he says. βWhen we were arranging and writing the songs, my main goal was to avoid shying away from the tried and true chord progressions and arrangements.β That focus may be most evident on the uplifting title track. βThat song means a lot to all of us but the depth and potency is the same,β Marty says of the tune. βThe 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.β Adds Dino, βMarty 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 sheβs basically the strongest woman I know.β
βWe werenβt splitting the atom when it came to chord progressions or arrangements,β Billy injects. βThe 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.β
With Heavy Crown, Casey hopes that each song finds a home. βI want βYour Time, My Timeβ blasting at a summer barbecue. As for βOh My Baby,β I just want to keep to myself. When you write the goodbye letter and watch someone you love walk off into the sunset, you donβt really want to mail it. Youβd rather burn it.β
Now that the band has returned to Lovehammers--after being forced to alter their title to put Martyβs 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. βWe have control again and feel comfortable returning to our original name,β says the frontman.
βWeβve been together since 1988,β Casey continues. βThere 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 βLetβs just put everything into these songs with no care of the synchronicity of the songs on a whole.β Itβs funny that they all seem to work well together in the end.β
Lovehammers Discography
Ultrasound, 1997, REEP Records
Demolition EP, 1999, REEP Records
How We Live EP, 2001, SLH Records
LβStrange, 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
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Trees
Lovehammers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Without you by my side
And I got it all worked out
In my head here's how it's got to be
It'll be you and me
Up in the trees
And the forest will give us the answer
Up in the sky
It's a combination for disaster
We, we make believe
In a world we rule together
We can build our dreams
With a knot tied tight to last forever
It'll be you and me
Up in the trees
And the forest will give us the answer
It'll be you and I
Up in the sky
It's a combination for disaster
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, yeah
We got one shot
So let's use our imaginations
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, yeah
You're all that I got
So where do we go from here
It'll be you and me
Up in the trees
And the forest will give us the answer
It'll be you and I
Up in the sky
It's a combination for disaster
I know there's more for us in this life
If we hold on, if we hold strong
I know there's more for us in this life
Can we hold on, can we hold on
The Lovehammers song "Trees" is a romantic and hopeful tune about building a life with someone special. The lyrics suggest a desire for a lifelong partnership with a beloved companion, and that the duo can tackle whatever life throws at them together. The song opens with a declaration that the singer doesn't want to go through life alone, and that he has an idea of how it should be. The answer, according to the poet, lies in the forest and the sky.
The chorus affirms that the ideal life partnership will be between the singer and his significant other, up in the trees or up in the sky. At the same time, he realizes that the magical combination they have is potentially explosive and dangerous. However, the pair can make-believe in a world where they rule together and can build their dreams by tying a knot strong enough to last forever. The chorus repeats this sentiment throughout, highlighting the importance of the partnership and the potential risks, but also the limitless nature of their dreams.
In the final verse, the poet acknowledges that there is more to life for the couple to discover and enjoy together. He encourages the partner to hold on and hold strong, confident that they can navigate whatever comes their way, together. In short, the Lovehammers' song "Trees" is a sweet, idealistic song about love and building a future with someone special while acknowledging the potential risks.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't wanna go through this life
I don't want to live my life without you by my side
Without you by my side
Living without you is not an option for me
And I got it all worked out
I have a plan for us
In my head here's how it's got to be
I have a clear vision of our future together
It'll be you and me
Our future will involve only the two of us
Up in the trees
Metaphorically, we will be high up and away from everything else
And the forest will give us the answer
We will look to nature for guidance
It'll be you and I
Again, our future will involve only the two of us
Up in the sky
Metaphorically, we will be even higher up, in the clouds
It's a combination for disaster
This plan could go terribly wrong if we're not careful
We, we make believe
We like to pretend
In a world we rule together
We want to be in control of our lives
We can build our dreams
We have the power to make our dreams come true
With a knot tied tight to last forever
Our commitment to each other will be strong and unwavering
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, yeah
An expression of excitement and enthusiasm
We got one shot
We only have one chance at this
So let's use our imaginations
We need to be creative and think outside the box
You're all that I got
You are everything to me
So where do we go from here
What are our next steps?
I know there's more for us in this life
I believe there is a bright future ahead for us
If we hold on, if we hold strong
We need to stay committed and persevere
Can we hold on, can we hold on
Can we stay strong and committed?
Lyrics Β© O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@adi_jo1990
15 year old me was digging this jam...30 year old me just unlocked a memory and had to find it...still know every word...I fell in love with his voice when he sang Queen Britneys song on the showβ€β€
@alexandrapollock
This song re-premieres in my brain every so often as it is entirely a core fucking memory. I am glad its not just me!!
@kristingorman5172
Rick star Inxs babyβ¦ β€οΈ
@sabfitz1978
I just rewatched rock star inxs cant believe its 15 years already, loved marty, I actually went on Twitter the other night and posted about watching again, marty followed me, I'm over the moon x
@deecee5996
me too ive watched it especially the best part of JD and Marty.. the mansion, the competition..
@ninja_tony
This makes me so happy to see I'm not the only one still thinking about the show and some of it's best singers. I feel like the show was mostly forgotten, especially since after the two seasons it had, they never could figure out how to keep it going (and the second season wasn't even half as good as the first). Hearing this again now for the first time in almost 15 years reminds me of how pissed my mom was when Marty didn't win. JD was awesome too, but Marty was so talented, and would have been a better fit for INXS for sure.
@davidkoonce1510
Back in high school I watched Marty sing this on RockStar INXS and immediately went to LimeWire and downloaded the song...Everytime the bell would ring to end class I would put an earbud in and listen to as much of this song as possible before my next class started...I just found this song for the first time since then...such a DAMN good song still!
@operationjuggalotakeover0t894
only limwire virus can compare to the new one out now
@MrBrightSide77
It's been what 16-17 years and i still love this song. Marty was my favourite throughout that competition. His version of Wish you were here is still my favourite.
@luisconleche72
I remember him from that competition as well. He covered this one live with Dave Navarro, I believe.