The Illinois-based combo's full length debut, "The Kicks of Passion" (released 31 July 2007), sees Powerspace unleashing its own inimitable sound, a brightly colored mash-up of pure power pop and electronica-inspired invention. Tracks such as "Powerspace Snap Bracelet" and "Right On, Right Now" literally snap and crackle with the just-out-of-their-teens quartet's uncontainable charm and energy.
The Powerspace team came together back in 2005 at Ohio's Miami University. Guitarist Tom Schleiter and bassist Daniel McMahon, both of whom played in bands in their native burbs of Chicago, had long discussed making music together. A year older, Schleiter spent his freshman term at Miami working with drummer Kevin Kane in a local band, an experience the guitarist describes as "unsatisfying." He spent the next summer focusing on writing songs for an as-yet-undetermined new band. When he told McMahon what he'd been up to, the bassist suggested the two form a new combo upon Dan's arrival at school in the fall.
Once they began collaborating, the three musicians embarked on a search for a lead singer. While they were excited about this new musical outlet, they admit to treating their initial quest with a grain of salt.
They worked briefly with an avant-garde poet and a girl singer who was plagued by shyness, not a particularly helpful quality in a frontperson. Their personnel problem was solved on a car trip home from Miami, when Schleiter's mom suggested that their high school friend and fellow Miami U. student Alec Cyganowski might want to give singing a shot.
With Cyganowski behind the mic, Powerspace was complete. The band started playing shows around Miami University and Cincinnati and by the summer, felt ready to do some recording. Rather than simply cutting a standard issue demo, they decided to enlist producer Mark McClusky (Hit the Lights, Ludo, Scenes From a Movie), who McMahon worked with in one of his previous bands. They laid down five songs in five days, resulting in the "Houston, We Have a Party" EP.
The EP quickly brought Powerspace to the attention of major label bigwigs and weasels, all of whom began waving contracts under the band's noses. In the end, Powerspace inked with the label that most reflected their own aesthetic views and artistic goals – Fueled By Ramen.
Rather than splitting their focus between the band and their studies, Powerspace chose to take an indefinite breather from Miami University. They played a number of local gigs, sharing stages with such bands as June, Quietdrive, and 2*Sweet. More significantly, they spent endless time in their practice space, concentrating on their chosen craft.
By December 2006, they were ready to record, again opting to work with McClusky. But first, the producer needed the band to give him a hand setting up his new digs in Lincoln Park, dubbed "Dorisland," after McClusky's beloved pooch.
Powerspace spent much of the winter in the studio, carefully crafting what would be dubbed – for reasons the band prefers to keep close to the vest – "The Kicks of Passion." Taking off from such diverse influences as INXS, The Darkness, The Wrens, and Squarepusher, the album is bracingly creative, displaying Powerspace's multi-layered pop stance, a glamtastic sonic approach kissed with electro textures and metallic virtuosity.
"The Kicks of Passion" is alive with ingenious vigor, with soaring tracks like "It Smells Like Electricity In Here" evincing the band's artistic ambition. The skyscraping melodies and overall exuberance are counterpointed by deeply personal lyricism, often touched with a melancholy and reflection that the band attributes to its time at Miami U.
With "The Kicks of Passion" ready to go, Powerspace is turning its attention to playing out. Having spent much of the last year honing their craft, the band is full-on fired up about at last hitting the road and getting down with the kids.
Drummer Kevin Kane announced the band's break up on February 17, 2010.
The Remaining Members minus Alec are in a new band Bad City
Amplifire
Powerspace Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're away
At least that's what the magazines all say
You drive the streets
Where he let his love deplete
We're one and the same
Two suburbanites looking for someone to blame
Maybe right now you look bored enough to die
Tomorrow you'll be getting on a plane
And I don't know why
You won't be smiling on the flight home
When you know that
He left you, left you alone in limbo
So disconnect the phone
And let your sorrow stretch from here to LA
'Cause you know that I'm still here
And I know it's been a hard year
And it's clear that your life is changing still
So let your smile stretch from here to LA
I know you're trying
And at night you stay up, crying
You're awake
You shut your ears and realize your mistake
The West Coast sunset
Doesn't seem like so much fun yet
Does it now?
So you climb the stairs and search for your way out
And I've never hurt you
Like the boy you called your savior
Darling, do me just one favor
Look what a mess he's made you
Chicago's just a phone call away
I'll be up all night
There doesn't seem to be a solution
That makes this right
You won't be smiling on the flight home
When you know that
He left you, left you alone in limbo
So disconnect the phone
And let your sorrow stretch from here to LA
'Cause you know that I'm still here
And I know it's been a hard year
And it's clear that your life is changing still
So let your smile stretch from here to LA
You let him in
Believe your skin, oh
Baby, I know you'll survive
You may be down
But you're breathing and you're still alive
You let him in
Believe your skin, oh
Baby, you're still breathing
Baby, you're still breathing
You won't be smiling on the flight home
When you know that
He left you, left you alone in limbo
So disconnect the phone
And let your sorrow stretch from here to LA
'Cause you know that I'm still here
And I know it's been a hard year
And it's clear that your life is changing still
So let your smile stretch from here to LA
The lyrics of Powerspace's song "Amplifire" tell the story of a narrator who comforts a friend who has been left heartbroken by a lover. The writer portrays the girl as a hometown competition who is temporarily away, possibly chasing her dreams in Los Angeles. The song expresses the friend’s compassion and understanding for the girl’s heartbreak while acknowledging her resilience and strength in moving forward with her life despite the pain.
The singer encourages the girl to disconnect from her sorrow and let her smile stretch from here to LA. The song is an upbeat, supportive chorus with lyrics like "You let him in, believe your skin oh / Baby, I know you'll survive / You may be down, but you're breathing and you're still alive." Powerspace's "Amplifire" emphasizes the importance of surrounding oneself with a support system of friends and family to overcome the pain of heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
In your position with this hometown competition
You find yourself in a place where you're competing with people from your own town.
You're away
You're not there, you're distant.
At least that's what the magazines all say
That's what the media is portraying.
You drive the streets, Where he let his love deplete
You're walking on the same streets where he broke your heart.
We're one and the same, Two suburbanites looking for someone to blame
We're both from the suburbs and we're looking for someone to hold responsible.
Maybe right now you look bored enough to die
You seem apathetic and disillusioned with life.
Tomorrow you'll be getting on a plane, And I don't know why
You'll be flying out tomorrow and I don't understand the reason behind it.
You won't be smiling on the flight home, When you know that, He left you, left you alone in limbo
You will be sad on your flight back home when you realize that you're left alone in an uncertain state.
So disconnect the phone, And let your sorrow stretch from here to LA
Cut off communication and let your sadness spread out as far as LA.
'Cause you know that I'm still here, And I know it's been a hard year, And it's clear that your life is changing still
I'm still around and I understand that you've had a difficult year and your life is still in flux.
So let your smile stretch from here to LA
Let your happiness and positivity reach as far as LA.
I know you're trying, And at night you stay up, crying, You're awake
I know you're making an effort and staying up at night, crying, because you're unable to sleep.
You shut your ears and realize your mistake
You stop listening to what others are saying and accept your mistake.
The West Coast sunset, Doesn't seem like so much fun yet, Does it now?
The sunset on the West Coast doesn't seem appealing to you yet, does it?
So you climb the stairs and search for your way out
You try to find a way out of your current predicament by going up the stairs.
And I've never hurt you, Like the boy you called your savior, Darling, do me just one favor, Look what a mess he's made you
I never hurt you like the boy you thought was your savior did. Please take a look at the damage he's done to you.
Chicago's just a phone call away, I'll be up all night, There doesn't seem to be a solution, That makes this right
I'm just a phone call away in Chicago and I'll be up all night. Unfortunately, there seems to be no solution that can fix this situation.
You let him in, Believe your skin, oh
You allowed him to enter your life and trusted him based on your intuition.
Baby, I know you'll survive
I believe that you will survive this difficult time.
You may be down, But you're breathing and you're still alive
You may be feeling low, but you're still alive and breathing.
Baby, you're still breathing
You're still alive and you have the strength to carry on.
You won't be smiling on the flight home, When you know that, He left you, left you alone in limbo
You won't be happy on your flight back home when you realize that you're left alone in an uncertain state.
So disconnect the phone, And let your sorrow stretch from here to LA
Cut off communication and let your sadness spread out as far as LA.
'Cause you know that I'm still here, And I know it's been a hard year, And it's clear that your life is changing still
I'm still around and I know you've had a difficult year and your life is still in flux.
So let your smile stretch from here to LA
Let your happiness and positivity reach as far as LA.
Contributed by Caleb E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.