In 1998, Project 86 released its self-titled debut on BEC Recordings, a division of Tooth & Nail Records, and was immediately labeled "rapcore" due to strong similarities to acts such as Rage Against the Machine. Though Schwab's vocals could barely be called rapping, it was a convenient label due to the popularity of that genre of music at the time. The album and a supporting tour opening for P.O.D. and Blindside on the Warriors Tour stirred a lot of hype for the band and their sophomore album was excitedly anticipated.
Project (as the band is often referred to by its fans) released Drawing Black Lines in early 2000 to very strong aclaim and the album is widely considered to be the band's defining work. In support of Drawing Black Lines, Project 86 toured extensively with the addition of a second live guitarist (Cory Edelman, formerly of No Innocent Victim), headlining with supporting bands such as Living Sacrifice and Stavesacre and also opening for P.O.D. and Linkin Park. Perhaps more importantly, influential modern shock rocker Marilyn Manson took interest in the band and had the song "P.S.", originally released on Drawing Black Lines, added to the Blair Witch 2 soundtrack. Probably due to this interest, Project 86 became a higher priority for Atlantic. DBL was slated to be re-released with new artwork and three new songs, but in actuality it was only a bare bones repackaging of the exact same album. However, Atlantic did pour over half a million into Project's next musical foray, entitled Truthless Heroes (2002), which, though proving to be the band's most popular outing yet, was released amidst great turmoil.
Over the course of recording Truthless Heroes (which took around a year to complete) Project 86 had increasing difficulty with its management, as well as both record labels (Tooth & Nail still had rights to release their music to the Christian market). This wore the band down immensely, but by the time the album was finished, the difficulty seemed to have worked out in Project's favor - Atlantic bought all of Tooth & Nail's remaining rights to the band and released "Hollow Again", the first single from the album, on mainstream radio. Word came out that the band would be shooting a video for the song shortly, but it never materialized as Atlantic ran into troubles of its own and liquidated some of its assets - including Project 86. In 2003, finding themselves cut loose by both label and management, Project started its own independent label.
Also during this time, the members of Project 86 became outspoken concerning the Contemporary Christian Music scene, siding with other similar acts such as Stavesacre and MXPX in saying that they wanted to distance themselves from the label and the idealogical restrictions that the CCM label automatically places on bands. A Truthless Heroes website containing links to various underground news organizations, as well as edgy visual art pages that decried the dehumanizing effect of pornography, surfaced and generated much controversy among the band's fans.
Project 86's fourth album, Songs To Burn Your Bridges By, was released independently in the fall of 2003 and went on to sell quite well despite being sold only at shows and online. Come 2004, the band mended relations with and re-signed to Tooth & Nail Records and Songs To Burn Your Bridges By was re-issued with three new songs and completely new artwork.
In February 2005, Project 86 announced that they were working on a new album. The title was later announced as ...And The Rest Will Follow. The band spent several weeks in the studio with Garth Richardson over the summer recording the material, and then began releasing a new song every Monday on their purevolume site. The album was released on September 27, 2005, and sold 8,000 copies in its first week, more than any other Project 86 album. A release tour began September 23, with Spoken, Number One Gun, Mourning September, and The Fold.
On January 6th, 2006, Project 86 appeared live on G4's Attack of the Show!, performing "My Will Be A Dead Man" and "The Spy Hunter". This was the band's first appearance on mainstream cable television.
In other recent news, announced March 28th, 2007, on the band's website: "Recently, Alex Albert officially left Project 86. After many years as the drummer for the band, it was time for him to move on to pursue other interests. Alex parted the band on friendly terms, and Project 86 wishes him the best in this new chapter in his life. Thanks for all your years of comraderie, Alex, and you are in our prayers!"
From www.project86.com:
Project 86 has been riding high since the release of their 6th studio album "Rival Factions" in June, 2007. The record grabbed P86 their highest career Billboard debut at 123 and their 1 single "Evil -A Chorus of Resistance" has topped rock charts for the last several months. The new record has garnered extensive critical praise with glowing reviews in AP, Infuze, All Music Guide, Sputnik, The OC Register, etc. The guys were also featured in Outburn and CCM, and graced the July cover of HM Magazine. Add the recent tapping to have their music used on the upcoming film "The Seeker-The Dark Is Rising" video blog series on MTV.com and its clear the guys in P86 have much to celebrate.
"The Kane Mutiny-EP" was released on Nov. 27 2007, making it the first EP that Project 86 ever released.
Then, after almost a year of no new music, Project 86 released the "This Time Of Year EP", a christmas album with 5 tracks on it.
On April 24, 2009, Project 86 Announced that their seventh studio release would be entitled "Picket Fence Cartel." On May 20, 2009, they uploaded two songs from Picket Fence Cartel, "Destroyer" and "Dark Angel Dragnet" to their MySpace page, for streaming play. They also added the song from 'Picket Fence Cartel' called A John Hancock with the safety off on June 4, 2009. The album was released on July 14, 2009.
After fulfilling their last agreement with T&N, in December 2011 the band announced a Kickstarter campaign via their official website and Facebook page, stating that "the fans are now our record label." Their eighth studio release, Wait for the Siren, was released on August 21, 2012.
Featuring all star guest appearances by: Bruce Fitzhugh (Living Sacrifice), Rocky Gray (Evanescence), Brian "Head" Welch (Korn, Love and Death), Andrew Welch (Disciple), Blake Martin (A Plea for Purging) and The Wedding. The new album was produced by Steve Wilson and Andrew Schwab and engineered/mixed by Steve Blackmon.
Described as Andrew Schwab's opus the record promises to be a fresh take on the P86 sound. Schwab said, "On this record I was really able to take the reins of the creative process in a direction I was passionate about. I was able to write songs that pushed me to grow as an artist. It was also insanely fun to have so many of my friends involved in the process and at this point in the game that is what its about. I am really looking forward to people hearing this album." With concert goers noting the new energy of the songs and new band members Scott Davis on drums, Dustin Lowry on guitar and Mikee "Norman" Williams on bass it seems P86 has benefited from a back to basics reinvention.
2. Also, in the early 90's, house producers Howie How & Little Carlos released 12"s on seminal labels R&S Records and Nu Groove Records, under the name "Project 86". They are otherwise totally unrelated. See also the following link for detail on this collaboration: http://www.discogs.com/artist/Project+86
A Shadow on Me
Project 86 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This blackened rose
This soil all my own
Shrouding your hollowed ground
Like seeds who'll never sow
Like forgery and larceny
And my ill-gained revelry
I recite these scripted lines
Go drifting by
When every word you ever said came true
All I missed
In all of this was you
Can you see
A shadow on me, calling me to leave
Find in me
(you're the only home, you're the only home I know)
A trace of you in all this tragedy
These pieces
These shattered shards
Dancing in the moonlight
Glimmering and glistening
Preparing me for the night
I never learned to walk the surface on my own
So lately this ocean floor's been feeling more like
Home
When every word you ever said came true
All I missed in all of this was you
Can you see
A shadow on me, calling me to you
Find in me
(you're the only home, you're the only home I know)
A trace of you in all this tragedy
So take me in these fleeting moments of solitude in you
Remove this sordid fascination with shadow and remove
This shattered self for preservation
This commitment to undo
All that you forgave and give
And all you promised too
And all you promised too
Can you see
A shadow on me, calling me to you
Find in me
A trace of you in all this tragedy
Can you see
The shadow lifting; drifting home again
The song "A Shadow on Me" by Project 86 is a dark and introspective piece that explores themes of loss and regret. The imagery used throughout the song is vivid and haunting, as the singer reflects on their past mistakes and their current state of being. The opening verse speaks of a "blackened rose" and "soil all my own," painting a picture of decay and decay of beauty. The singer then goes on to reference "seeds who'll never sow," tying this in with their own sense of failure to nurture and grow.
Throughout the song, there is a sense of longing and desperation, as the singer seeks to find a trace of the person they have lost. The chorus is particularly powerful, with the repetition of the line "Can you see/A shadow on me, calling me to you." This creates a sense of urgency and desire, as the singer yearns to be reunited with the person they have lost. There is also a mention of "these shattered shards/Dancing in the moonlight/Glimmering and glistening/Preparing me for the night," which could be seen as a metaphor for the singer's fractured sense of self.
Overall, "A Shadow on Me" is a haunting and thought-provoking song that delves deep into the psyche of its narrator. The lyrics are rich in imagery and emotion, and the music serves to enhance the mood of the piece. It is a powerful reflection on the power of loss and the search for redemption.
Line by Line Meaning
These petals
The remnants and memories of something beautiful, now blackened and dead.
This blackened rose
Something that was once beautiful and brought joy, now withered and dead.
This soil all my own
The pain and sorrow is personal to the singer, as if they have created it themselves.
Shrouding your hollowed ground
The darkness and pain surrounding the memory of the person being sung to.
Like seeds who'll never sow
Like wasted opportunities or dreams that will never come to fruition.
Like forgery and larceny
Like something fake or deceitful that was stolen and will never measure up to the real thing.
And my ill-gained revelry
The singer's misguided and selfish joy at the expense of others.
I recite these scripted lines
The empty and meaningless words that are often spoken out of obligation rather than sincerity.
While embers of a different time
Memories of a time long gone that still resonate with the singer.
Go drifting by
The memories slowly fading and drifting away over time, leaving only pain and regret behind.
When every word you ever said came true
The singer's acknowledgement of the truth in the promises made by the person being sung to.
All I missed
The realization that the singer failed to appreciate and cherish that which was promised to them.
In all of this was you
It was the person being sung to who was the source of the thing that was missed and now longed for.
Can you see
The plea for understanding and acknowledgement from the person being sung to.
A shadow on me, calling me to leave
The darkness and pain cast over the singer's life, urging them to move on.
Find in me
The request for the person being sung to to find something worth holding onto in the singer.
(you're the only home, you're the only home I know)
The person being sung to is the only source of comfort and security for the singer.
A trace of you in all this tragedy
Even though everything seems hopeless and tragic, the singer clings to the memory of the person being sung to as a source of hope and light.
These pieces
The broken shards of the singer's life and heart.
These shattered shards
The pieces of a life that has been shattered and broken.
Dancing in the moonlight
The beauty and wonder that can still be found despite the brokenness and pain.
Glimmering and glistening
The things that still shine and bring joy, despite everything else being in darkness.
Preparing me for the night
The glimmers of hope and beauty that the singer clings to give them the strength to face the darkness and pain.
I never learned to walk the surface on my own
The singer has always relied on others and doesn't know how to navigate the world alone.
So lately this ocean floor's been feeling more like home
The darkness and pain of the singer's life feels more familiar and comforting than the uncertainty and unpredictability of life on land.
So take me in these fleeting moments of solitude in you
The singer pleads to the person being sung to for comfort and solace in their darkest moments.
Remove this sordid fascination with shadow and remove
The desire to be consumed by darkness and pain needs to be taken away.
This shattered self for preservation
The brokenness and pain of the singer's life needs to be healed and made whole again.
This commitment to undo
The singer's pledge to undo the damage that they have caused and to make things right.
All that you forgave and give
The singer asks for the forgiveness of the person being sung to and pledges to do better moving forward.
And all you promised too
Acknowledging the things that the person being sung to has pledged to provide or do.
The shadow lifting; drifting home again
The darkness and pain slowly lifting, and the hope of going to a place of light and security once again.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: ALEXANDER ALBERT, ANDREW SCHWAB, RANDY TORRES, STEVEN DAIL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind