During his three years of exile in Boston as a scholarship student at the Berklee School of Music, far from his Florida home, Jonathan Bates pulled further and further away from all that the city represented. “There wasn’t much to do except get drunk, do drugs, or get into fights,” he remembers. “And it always seemed to be snowing. So I started to write music.”
Beginning with … boredom never sounded so sweet, a home-brewed EP that he produced in 1999 and gave away to strangers on the street, Bates put together a body of work under the name mellowdrone. “I didn’t want to use my own name because people might come to expect me to do only one kind of music,” he explains. “With another name, I felt that I could do anything.”
The disc made its way to L.A., and Bates, convinced that “Berklee really sucked,” followed. Essentially homeless for several months, he crashed on the couches of friends, picked up odd jobs, but mainly concentrated on writing new material. Once he got his own place he pieced together a makeshift studio, with a bargain-basement computer, a tinny Casio keyboard from Radio Shack, and a few guitars.
From this jumble of mismatched gear came the second mellowdrone EP, glassblower, on January 1, 2001, which Bates sold exclusively on his website, mellowdrone.com. Word of this odd, somewhat solitary, and frighteningly talented artist began to spread: Ryan Ayanian spent three months tracking him down in order to sign on as his co-manager, and producer/A&R executive Tony Berg, whose track record includes discovering Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Beck, made mellowdrone one of his first signings after coming onboard at ARTISTdirect Records.
“Jonathan isn’t afraid to take on difficult subjects,” he explains. “He does not write with inhibition. And that individuality is also manifest in his recording process, which is the most unusual hybrid of DIY and state-of-the-art I’ve ever encountered. His recordings have a homespun quality, yet you’re dazzled by the sonics. That, coupled with his songwriting and his talent as a musician, distinguishes him from anybody I’ve ever heard. Plus, he can make me laugh at will – which gives him a power over me I’m not altogether happy about.”
As an opening act for Elbow, South, Remy Zero, Starsailor, and other headliners at West Coast shows, mellowdrone added stage chops to studio wizardry, both in group and solo settings. “One moment he’s playing something beautiful and mesmerizing,” says Ayanian, “then all of a sudden he’s a total smart-ass onstage. At one of his earliest shows a few girls sitting in the front were laughing. Jonathan stopped in mid-song and said, ‘Hold on…will you laugh again, please?’ He totally put this girl on the spot, but she did laugh, and he recorded it and wove the sample into the rhythm of his next song. He had everyone eating out of the palm of his hand.”
Citing influences that range from film score composer Danny Elfman through French avant-gardist Erik Satie to his “favorite Beatle” George Harrison, Bates has taken the next big step in his career with the EP a demonstration of intellectual property, an ambitious project conceived specifically to break free from pop clichés and force people to look at themselves and their world in unfamiliar ways.
“I don’t want to be preachy,” he insists, “and if I took myself too seriously I’d be the first guy to make fun of that. But with everybody sick of what’s going on but not doing anything about it, if I can say something through music that makes people really question the way things are, then that’s all I really want to do. But who gives a fuck what I think anyway.”
For more info on the band please visit the official home page.
http://www.mellowdrone.com
http://myspace.com/mellowdrone
Drinking Song
Mellowdrone Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm assuming you don't have another way of getting the proof
I'm in charge of this party, I'll seduce the big beast
But before that...
Can I have some more? Just a little more
I think I'll tell you when I've had quite enough
I swear to god it wasn't my fault, I'm taking up space
Come and feed you some cake, I have no shame in pushing
So I just ask...
Can I have some more? Just a little more
I think I'll tell you when I've had quite enough
I'll save us
Can I have some more? Just a little more
I think I'll tell you when I've had quite enough
The lyrics to Mellowdrone's song "Drinking Song" are a poignant commentary on the struggles of addiction and the difficulties of facing up to one's own faults and responsibilities. The singer begins by swearing on his brother's lover that he is telling the truth, indicating a desperation to convince whoever he is speaking to that he is trustworthy. He acknowledges that there may be no other way to prove his honesty and then goes on to assert his role as the one in charge of the party, indicating perhaps a sense of powerlessness that propels him towards substance abuse.
The singer then asks for "just a little more" of whatever he is consuming, indicating an inability to control his urges or stop himself from indulging. He admits that it was not his fault that he ended up in this situation but also acknowledges that he is taking up space and perhaps causing problems. He seems to be attempting to distract others from his own shame and insecurity by pushing cake on them and asking for more of whatever he is consuming.
In the final line, the singer claims that he will "save us," perhaps indicating a desire to take control of the situation and salvage it from the brink. Overall, "Drinking Song" is a complex portrayal of addiction and the emotional turmoil that can accompany it.
Line by Line Meaning
I swear to god on my brothers lover, I'm telling the truth
I am so sincere, I even swear on something that my brother loves. I hope you believe me and have no reason to doubt my statement.
I'm assuming you don't have another way of getting the proof
I'm guessing that you have no other means of verifying my story, which is why I am assuring you.
I'm in charge of this party, I'll seduce the big beast
I am the person in charge of this celebration, and I will attempt to lure and captivate the main attraction.
Can I have some more? Just a little more
May I please have a bit extra to drink or consume? I'll let you know when I reach my limit.
I think I'll tell you when I've had quite enough
I'll notify you when I've reached my capacity and don't require any more, but I may request more in the future.
I swear to god it wasn't my fault, I ended up here
I am honest that I didn't plan or intend to be in this situation. However, it happened somehow, and I'm responsible for my actions now.
I swear to god it wasn't my fault, I'm taking up space
Again, I swear that I didn't plan to occupy this area or crowd the place, but I'm here now, and I'll try to make the most of it.
Come and feed you some cake, I have no shame in pushing
Please let me offer you some dessert, as I don't mind urging you to consume it or taking some myself.
I'll save us
I'll do my best to rescue or revive the mood, the party, or the situation, whichever applies at the moment.
Contributed by Xavier K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.