Mozart Season builded up an army of dedicated followers since they were teenagers. Their beloved hometown has provided the fuel for pursuing their musical aspirations and has served as their launching pad towards national recognition. Hoping to follow in the successful footsteps of fellow Sacramento-natives the Deftones, CAKE, and fellow post-hardcore outfits, Dance Gavin Dance and A Skylit Drive, the band emphasizes that their dreams spread far beyond their local venues, “... from day one our goal has been to make a name for ourselves in this city and in the rest of the world,” founding member and vocalist, Nate Richardson states. Selling out local venues since 2005, Mozart Season has already earned the respect of Sacramento and will next strive to win the hearts of new cities, both near and far.
Richardson and Trux, along with Troy Cooper (bass), Benton Christensen (guitar) and Luke Allen (drums) show maturity beyond their years, as they collectively produce innovative melodic, post-hardcore music on their latest EP, Nightmares. The album was recorded at Fat Cat Studios in Sacramento with engineer Jay Trammell [Self Against City, Early States] in March of 2010. Cooper explains Trammell’s role in the studio saying, “Jay would always push us to get the perfect take. He would never settle for something unless he thought it sounded good - that really helped us push ourselves to be more critical of our own songs and to get the sound that we really wanted.” Focusing on creating an album that sounds just as good when it’s performed live, the band chose to self-produce, leaving the final product to be a raw, natural expression of passion and skill. Working tirelessly through the night, nearly every night of their studio time, the band has already exemplified their commitment and dedication to living up to their greatest potential and creating their best effort to date.
Nightmares features three songs off of their previous release, Apotheosis, and three brand new songs showcasing their growth and development. Cooper describes the EP as the perfect mix of old and new, “...it gives listeners a chance to hear the range in our sound. There are some heavy songs, some jammy sing-alongs, the occasional breakdown and lots of catchy pop melodies over heavy, melodic guitars.” The title extends on the album’s theme of old and new, reflecting on the struggles and obstacles the band has endured and overcome in the past and serving as a reminder that with each new day, new opportunities will arise.
“In writing this EP, we definitely spent our time perfecting each song piece-by-piece and taking the time to fine tune every note and part...we really took the time to make the songs exactly what we wanted them to be,” Christensen, another founding member, explains. The extensive preparations made in pre-production proved to make all of the difference for Mozart Season’s in-studio experience. Cooper adds, “We worked really hard and I think the final product can speak for itself. These are some of the best songs we've ever written as band.”
From listening to bands on the label to being one of them, Mozart Season’s hard work and distinct sound has earned them a spot on the Equal Vision Records roster. Pushing themselves one step closer towards accomplishing their goal of widespread success, Mozart Season will next embark on their biggest tour yet, sharing the stage with veterans Gwen Stacy and Lower Definition. Content on their new family and their upcoming tour, Cooper reflects, “I grew up listening to bands like Fear Before, Bear Vs. Shark, Armor for Sleep, and Alexisonfire. Being a part of the label that helped launch these bands is a dream come true. As a band we've always talked about what label we'd like to be a part of and EVR was at the top of our list. Every band on the roster is unique and doesn't sound like everyone else; that’s something that we're really proud to be a part of.”
Members through out the years:
Nate Richardson - Vocals
Joel Rabara - Keyboard & Vocals
Matthew Scarpelli - Guitar
Brannon Harris - Guitar
Nick Richardson - Bass
Anthony Scarpelli - Drums
Benton Christensen - Guitar
Sam Trux - Guitar
Luke Allen - Drums
Josh Barnard - Drums
Troy Cooper - Bass
Discography:
2010 - Nightmares (EP, Equal Vision Records)
2009 - Apotheosis (EP, Self-Released)
2006 - Is Heaven Everything You Thought It Would Be? (EP, Self-Released)
2004 - A Year Of Impossible Goodbyes (EP, Self-Released)
2004 - Demo
Apotheosis
Mozart Season Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is a giant understatement!
To say that i was selfish headstrong and wrong,
Should be enough to feed your ego for now.
We were cursed from the start!
Well this is how the story goes:
It was the wrong place
Oh well we've come so far
Put the road to hell behind us.
This is how the story goes,
They'll never come to find us.
Well I've seen myself from the inside;
And, I don't think I like what i see.
It was just all of my mistakes
Staring back at me.
But I never wanted to go back
To where the happiest times were.
Where all of my lines were played out,
And we layed out,
For hours looking up through the trees.
The train just left the station,
And its never coming back.
So start your walk of shame!
Oh well we've come so far
Put the road to hell behind us.
This is how the story goes,
They'll never come to find us
The lyrics of Mozart Season's song Apotheosis tell a story of reflection and regret, with an undercurrent of defiance. The singer acknowledges that they have made mistakes and acted selfishly, but also feels a sense of pride at how far they have come, and a belief that they have left their past behind.
The opening lines "To say that we have gotten ahead of ourselves / Is a giant understatement" suggest that the singer feels they have escalated their situation beyond what is reasonable or necessary. They go on to apologize for their past behavior, admitting that they were "selfish headstrong and wrong", but also point out that this admission could be seen as an ego boost for the person they are talking to.
The chorus of the song asserts that despite the difficulties and curses that have beset the singer and their situation, they have come a long way and left behind the "road to hell". They are confident that they will not be found, suggesting that they have made a clean break from something or someone.
The second verse sees the singer examining themselves more closely, expressing dissatisfaction with what they see. They acknowledge that they made mistakes in their pursuit of happiness and that they don't want to return to their old ways. The final line, "So start your walk of shame!", is a defiant call to those who may judge them, asserting that they will not be ashamed of the path they have taken.
Overall, Apotheosis is a song about taking responsibility for one's actions, but refusing to be defined by them. The singer has made mistakes and admits to them, but they are determined to move on and leave their past behind them.
Line by Line Meaning
To say that we have gotten ahead of ourselves,
Is a giant understatement!
We have gone too far beyond what we are capable of, it is an extremely significant statement.
To say that i was selfish headstrong and wrong,
Should be enough to feed your ego for now.
I admit that I was wrong, selfish, and stubborn - you should be satisfied with this confession.
We were cursed from the start!
Well this is how the story goes:
It was the wrong place
At the wrong time!
Our fate was doomed from the beginning. Our story begins with being at the wrong place during the wrong time.
Oh well we've come so far
Put the road to hell behind us.
This is how the story goes,
They'll never come to find us.
We have made significant progress and left our painful past behind. This is how our story goes, and no one will ever search for us.
Well I've seen myself from the inside;
And, I don't think I like what i see.
It was just all of my mistakes
Staring back at me.
I have observed my true self, and my mistakes have reflected back at me. I do not appreciate what I see.
But I never wanted to go back
To where the happiest times were.
Where all of my lines were played out,
And we layed out,
For hours looking up through the trees.
I do not desire to return to when my life was the happiest. The moment when we laid out, looking at the trees, and my scripted dialogue was performed.
The train just left the station,
And its never coming back.
So start your walk of shame!
We missed our opportunity, and it will never come again. Begin your journey back in shame.
Oh well we've come so far
Put the road to hell behind us.
This is how the story goes,
They'll never come to find us.
We have made significant progress and left our painful past behind. This is how our story goes, and no one will ever search for us.
Contributed by Gabriella V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.