In 2020, Mike Szuter would bring back the Szuters name and release Sugar. This album would have no involvement from anyone other than Mike, however.
Magna-Fi came together in Las Vegas NV in the year 2000. Founding members and brothers Mike and C.J. Szuter, both guitarists and vocalists, had played together since they were 10 and 11 years old. Growing up in a small town in Ohio, they played anywhere and everywhere in the Midwest, got close to a couple of record deals, but ultimately decided to move out West to be closer to LA (and more record deals). They chose Las Vegas so they wouldn’t have to actually live in LA (if you’ve ever spent some time in the San Fernando Valley and Las Vegas you’ll know why).
Raised on the music of Van Halen, Cheap Trick, Led Zeppelin and Judas Priest, they weren’t really sure what kind of music they wanted to make, except that it had to be LOUD and something you’d remember when the show or disc was over. As music changed, they assimilated all of the stuff they came across, bands like Nirvana, Alice In Chains and some other indie bands like Failure and Chavez, all loud and memorable.
They picked up the other half of the band in Las Vegas. Drummer Charlie Smaldino was recommended by Robbie Allen, Mike’s practically brother in law, as he had tried out for Robbie’s band, and although not the right fit for them (the 90’s act Candlebox), he was definitely the drummer for Magna-Fi. Loud and aggressive, and a veritable pit bull when it comes to accomplishing things, he drives the band musically as well as in all other aspects of getting the job done. Bassist and vocalist Rob Kley had played off and on with Charlie in Las Vegas. Being in bands his whole life, he showed the same type of drive and love for music as the rest of the guys and was a no brainer to complete the lineup.
Their first big break came in the form of a recording deal with indie label Gold Circle Records (famed for also making the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding), a deal engineered with the help of Las Vegas radio station Xtreme Radio. Gold Circle ultimately was better at promoting Hollywood Movies than Rock Music, and the week before Magna-Fi’s debut was to be released they folded their record label (insert mental picture of band drinking A LOT). The album the band made at that time was called Burn Out The Stars and was produced and mixed by producer Paul Lani, who worked with acts such as Megadeth and Enuff Z Nuff. They took this album and released it independently, continuing to perform in support of it all over the U.S., and with considerable help from former Gold Circle A&R man Mike Sikkas (who became the bands impromptu manager the moment the label disintegrated) managed to land another indie label deal with Phoenix based Aezra Records. Aezra signed the band and nationally released Burn Out The Stars in 2003, putting the band on the road for almost two years in support of the album (once again, insert mental picture of band drinking A LOT, but this time with smiles on their faces). For that two year period, the band cris-crossed the United States at least 5 times, starting out in a van in support of Fuel and Breaking Benjamin, then graduating to an RV when they scored a slot on the second stage of Ozzfest 2004, ultimately ending up in a tour bus in support of Sevendust early 2005. The bands they got to perform with along the way is a long list, covering a wide range of musical styles and they were all very loud and very memorable. During this time they got to hear themselves on the radio for the first time, having two singles chart in the #30s, the songs Where Did We Go Wrong and Down In It. They also got to be on the same bill as their long time favorites Cheap Trick and Judas Priest.
At the end of the road so to speak, they sat down with Aezra to plan the recording of the next album. Due to a bunch of legal mumbo jumbo they can’t disclose the ultimate reasons, but this conversation ended with the band and the label parting ways, and the band deciding to record their next album on their own. This also marked the exit of Mikes’ brother C.J. and the entrance of Magna-Fi guitarist and vocalist Chris Brady, another Las Vegas native and long time friend of the band. VerseChorusKillMe is the title of the new album, a record produced, recorded and mixed entirely by the band itself. It is all of the things they ever thought an album should be, and of course it is the two things they always thought an album should be, LOUD and MEMORABLE.
Where Did We Go Wrong
Magna-Fi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From helping it along.
Just where did we go, just where did we go, just where did we go
My friends are moving on and fading out.
Beneath a sky of shame and clouds of ugly doubt you're all so perfect.
Complete and worth it.
Just where did we go wrong?
Where did we go wrong?
Where did we go wrong?
Where did we go wrong?
You and I were enemies in another life, in another life.
I don't want your sympathy.
Where did we go...
Where did we go wrong?
Where did we go wrong?
So let the truth be known and shout it to the world I always tell the truth so give it in return.
My life's a blunder.
My parents wonder.
Just where did we go wrong?
You're all so perfect it's just not worth it.
Just where did we, where did we go wrong?
Where did we go wrong?
Where did we go wrong?
Where did we go
The song "Where Did We Go Wrong" by Magna-Fi talks about the troubles and confusion that come with adulthood. The first line mentions a burning world, which is likely a reference to the chaos and destruction happening all around us. The singer is overwhelmed by it all and seeks escape in sleep, hoping to silence the noise. But the guilt of not doing anything to help doesn't go away. The repetition of the line "just where did we go" highlights the confusion and uncertainty that the singer feels about their present circumstances. The verse about friends moving on and fading out shows how people change and move in different directions. The ugly clouds of doubt may be a metaphor for the negativity that surrounds us, leading to feelings of worthlessness and inadequacy. The repeated refrain of "Where did we go wrong?" suggests a sense of regret and questioning about the path taken.
The song takes a confrontational turn in the second half. The lines about being enemies in a past life suggest a deep-seated resentment towards someone, perhaps someone who has succeeded where the singer has failed. There is a refusal to accept sympathy, a sense of stubborn independence. The bridge encourages speaking the truth, but the singer admits to being a blunder and wonders where they went wrong. The final line of "You're all so perfect it's just not worth it" implies a sense of envy and bitterness towards those who seem to have it all together.
Overall, the song conveys a sense of frustration, confusion, and regret that comes with growing up and realizing the harsh realities of the world. It also highlights the resentment and envy that can arise towards others who seem to have it all figured out.
Line by Line Meaning
This world is burning down, I sleep to stop the sound.
The state of our world is depressing and I try to escape through sleep.
From helping it along.
I'm not making the situation any better.
Just where did we go, just where did we go, just where did we go
I am questioning where we went wrong.
My friends are moving on and fading out.
My friends are getting distant and disappearing.
Beneath a sky of shame and clouds of ugly doubt you're all so perfect.
I compare myself to others and feel inferior.
Complete and worth it.
Others seem to have it all figured out.
Just where did we go wrong?
I continue to wonder where we went wrong.
You and I were enemies in another life, in another life.
We have a rocky past.
I don't want your sympathy.
I don't want to be pitied.
Where did we go...
I still can't help but ask where we went wrong.
Where did we go wrong?
This question continues to plague me.
So let the truth be known and shout it to the world I always tell the truth so give it in return.
I am honest and expect others to be the same.
My life's a blunder.
I feel like I'm not succeeding.
My parents wonder.
Even my parents question where I went wrong.
You're all so perfect it's just not worth it.
I compare myself to others and feel like it's not worth it.
Just where did we, where did we go wrong?
This question continues to consume me.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jeff6043
I went to school with two of the guys in this band.Its too bad there is sooo much crap on the radio now and this album is not getting more play. Great band !
@zacharymellnitz8361
You lucky basterd lol
@itscrumbelivable
I swear you cant go more than two scrolls in any comment section of anything made before 2011 without seeing this comment!
@envy4131
Sure you did
@Ndriver3
The NASCAR sound tracks from 2004-2007 were absolutely incredible
@superninja252
You can add 2008 to it as well, NASCAR09 had some bangers as well
@SalisburyFox
@@superninja252 Ya 2003-09
@RacingGamerJosh
NASCAR 98 to 07 had the best soundtracks in the EA NASCAR games.
@CassiniDivision
These guys deserve more credit than a couple thousand views.
@seanmealins3805
Such a shame this isn't on Spotify.