Billy Sawilchik – guitar
Dino Kourelis - bass
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 rerelease 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
Trees
Marty Casey & 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 song "Trees" by Marty Casey & Lovehammers is a hopeful and optimistic love song about wanting to spend life with someone special. The singer expresses that he doesn't want to go through life without the person he loves by his side. He has it all worked out in his head, and he envisions them up in the trees and in the sky, dreaming of building their future together. The forest and the sky represent possibilities, and the singer believes that together they can conquer anything, even if it might be a combination for disaster.
The lyrics of the song evoke a sense of adventure, a desire to escape a mundane existence and explore the unknown. The idea of being up in the trees and the sky suggests that they are taking a risk, but they are doing it together. The phrase "We make believe in a world we rule together" reflects their shared optimism, and their refusal to be held down by reality.
Ultimately, the song is a call to action, a plea to take risks and to hold on tight to the people we love. The forest and the sky represent the unknown future, but the singer believes that with his love by his side, he can face anything. The song celebrates the power of love to transform and inspire, and it encourages the listener to believe in their own abilities to create a happy and fulfilling life.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't wanna go through this life
The singer doesn't want to live this life.
Without you by my side
The singer wants to have their loved one with them at all times.
And I got it all worked out
The singer has a plan for their future with their loved one.
In my head here's how it's got to be
The singer has a clear vision of how their future should be.
It'll be you and me
The singer wants to be with their loved one.
Up in the trees
The singer imagines them and their loved one up in the trees.
And the forest will give us the answer
The singer believes that nature will reveal the answer to their questions.
It'll be you and I
The singer wants to be with their loved one.
Up in the sky
The singer imagines them and their loved one up in the sky.
It's a combination for disaster
The singer knows that their relationship could potentially cause problems.
We, we make believe
The singer and their loved one indulge in their imaginations.
In a world we rule together
The singer envisions a world where they and their loved one are in control.
We can build our dreams
The singer and their loved one can make their dreams come true.
With a knot tied tight to last forever
Their bond will be strong and permanent.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, yeah
An expression of excitement and enthusiasm.
We got one shot
The singer realizes they only have one chance to make their life together perfect.
So let's use our imaginations
The singer wants them and their loved one to use their imaginations to achieve their goals.
You're all that I got
The singer considers their loved one their only priority.
So where do we go from here
The singer is uncertain about what direction their future will take.
I know there's more for us in this life
The singer believes that they and their loved one can have a better life.
If we hold on, if we hold strong
The singer is confident that they can overcome any challenges if they stay strong.
Can we hold on, can we hold on
The singer asks if they and their loved one can hold on and face their challenges together.
Lyrics © 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 show❤❤
@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 baby… ❤️
@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.