Fronted by mercurial, beguiling 19 year-old Ryann Donnelly (an ex-musical theatre devotee teeming with preternatural savoir-faire and pipes Ann Wilson would die for) Schoolyard Heroes catapult tuneful metal intricacy to new, surprising heights. Clearly, the tension between the band's boisterous attitude and the sheer weight of their riff heavy operatic horror rock has proved itself infectious from the get go.
"Heroes grabs at metal, punk and even opera dynamics with both hands and crosses in and out of each with gusto." -Chico News & Review.
"[Schoolyard Heroes)] put on one hell of a rock show, and with their steadily growing fan base, I'm not the only one who thinks so" -Seattle Weekly
Soon after their inception, the band came in second place at EMP's Sound Off! competition, played the Bumbershoot festival, and found themselves sharing the bill with Franz Ferdinand and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs at staunch supporters KNDD's huge EndFest fete. The Heroes wowed audiences opening for Pretty Girls Make Graves and Vendetta Red, all while headlining their own crowds of over 500.
Donnelly has classically romanticized the curious fun of 60s pulp horror tomes and Troma films in Schoolyard Heroes' songs, wailing, growling and crooning lines like "Check the body before it gets cold!" (from their debut's "Yours Truly, Jonathan Harker") with piercing intensity.
2005's Fantastic Wounds sure is a fun ride through Amityville - but it's much more than that; showcasing a band whose driving charisma and unending creativity have continued to transcend peers since since their nascency. Building on the Mars Volta-style rock assaults of their earlier days, on Wounds, Schoolyard Heroes speed through "Thunderstruck"-era AC/DC riffs on the hyper "Battlestar Anorexia", kill on the anthemic battle cry of "Serial Killers Know How to Party" and rip through spectral opener "Body Shots."
Just like the band's dominating live show, Fantastic Wounds oozes with Donnelly's raucous 'tude, stunning style and brash confidence. Here, Donnelly channels the raging metal theatrics of Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson, the curious intensity of Melt Banana and the controlled acrobatics of Yes' Jon Anderson, while bassist and second vocalist Jonah Bergman, axe wielder Steve Bonnell and percussionist Brian Turner churn out the most unapologetic chops to come out of Sea-town since the Blood Brothers. At once muscular and complex, our Heroes' compositions are as beguiling as Donnelly's smirk, right before the band launches into their surprising rock onslaught.
The band split up in late 2009 due to two members fazing themselves out of the band. It was announced November 20th, 2009 by the band. Their last show was Home for the Horrordays, December 19th, 2009.
Ryan and Jonah have gone on to form a new band named Blood Cells.
They Live
Schoolyard Heroes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We love like homicide
We'll write your future
Control both space and time
We control reality
We control your chemistry, baby
Rearrange anatomy
Deep within these shadows we're alive
Look at all these imbeciles
Shaking hands while decomposing
We've crunched these numbers and we've found that your soul is null and void
Come with me you pretty thing, and we'll celebrate with amputations
We've wasted everything and now they've come to take our children.
Your secret's safe with me,
I'll take it to the grave, now baby.
God help you please my dear
I'm gonna take your dead soul away.
Below these sutures
Hate flows like cyanide
Destroy your future consume your everything
We destroy reality
We control your chemistry, baby
Rearrange mortality
What we do is not your concern
Come with me you pretty thing, and we'll celebrate with amputations.
We've wasted everything and now they've come to take our children.
Your secret's safe with me, I'll take it to the grave, now baby.
God help you please my dear I'm gonna take your dead soul away
We live like creatures
We love like homicide
We'll write your future
Control both space and time
We live like creatures
We love like homicide
We'll write your future
When your heart broke off your words were cut off, your conscience shut off
Remorse is useless now
God doesn't want us back now, baby
God doesn't want us back now, baby
God doesn't want us back now, baby
God doesn't want us back now, baby
The lyrics of Schoolyard Heroes' song "They Live" depict life lived as creatures, loving like homicide, and being in control of everything from space to time. There is the use of imagery throughout the piece, such as "deep within these shadows we're alive," to create an eerie and dark atmosphere. The theme of control extends to the control of reality, chemistry, anatomy and mortality, which shows the supremacy of the singer. The use of the phrase "amputations" to celebrate indicates the level of violence that the singer is comfortable with.
The second verse of the song shows a growing disdain for the society and people around them, who are referred to as "imbeciles." They have found that the soul of society is null and void, which shows a higher level of contempt. The line "destroy your future consume your everything," also hints at a desire to take everything from others, further showcasing the singer's manipulation and control.
The final lines of the song start with "when your heart broke off," which indicates a lack of remorse for the singer's actions. There is a disregard for the consequences of their words and actions, with God being blamed for the state of things. The repetition of "God doesn't want us back now, baby," adds a haunting element to the end of the song, almost as if the singer is resigned to their fate.
Line by Line Meaning
We live like creatures
We live in a primitive, animalistic manner without regard for societal norms.
We love like homicide
Our love is intense and destructive, akin to the killing of another person.
We'll write your future
We have power and influence over the direction of your life.
Control both space and time
We have the ability to exert control over all aspects of your life.
We control reality
We shape and define the world around us to our liking.
We control your chemistry, baby
We have the power to manipulate your emotions and desires.
Rearrange anatomy
We have the ability to physically alter your body.
Deep within these shadows we're alive
We thrive in the darkness and operate in secret.
Look at all these imbeciles
We view others as unintelligent and inferior.
Shaking hands while decomposing
Others are deteriorating physically and mentally while they pretend to be civil.
We've crunched these numbers and we've found that your soul is null and void
We have assessed your worth and determined that you have no value.
Come with me you pretty thing, and we'll celebrate with amputations
We will inflict physical harm as a means of celebration.
We've wasted everything and now they've come to take our children.
Our actions have led to consequences that we are no longer able to control.
Your secret's safe with me, I'll take it to the grave, now baby.
I will guard your secret until death, out of a sense of obligation or loyalty.
God help you please my dear I'm gonna take your dead soul away.
I will take your life, leading your soul to death, regardless of any religious implications.
Below these sutures
Beneath the stitches holding things together.
Hate flows like cyanide
Our emotions are toxic, dangerous, and destructive.
Destroy your future consume your everything
We will ruin your future and consume everything you hold dear.
What we do is not your concern
Our actions are none of your business or interest.
When your heart broke off your words were cut off, your conscience shut off
Your grief caused you to become numb and unresponsive.
Remorse is useless now
There is no point in feeling regret for past actions.
God doesn't want us back now, baby
We have committed unforgivable sins and are beyond redemption.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
epmac epmac2312
this band is incredibly underrated and undergound ,even after all these years.i wish they were still active
Chillproduction
Thank god for Spotify, I learned about them a few years ago and they, I think, are my favorite band
theboyoofoly
@xz yz the first two definitely were not, the third had wider distribution but was still difficult to find in physical form, but at that point (2006ish) they were selling music on iTunes and Amazon, but they weren't exactly selling albums at bestbuy or target, even so availability isn't the same as popularity, they were never all that well known, they were mostly known as a small scale local indy band, I wish they had been more well known, but it doesn't matter anymore
theboyoofoly
@xz yz "underground" is generally used to describe a non-mainstream band, their last album had one music video that briefly ended up on mtv2, but playtime for all three albums (and their Christmas/Hanukkah special) was mostly reserved for "local highlights" shows on the few radio stations that actually played their music, in any case they were great, and played great shows, let's just enjoy the memories of what once was :)
theboyoofoly
They were amazing live
God Ofsauce
The singer is
Barry Kinard
I was at Criminal Records in Atlanta one random day in 2006, they were setting up to do a small gig to a small group of Little Five Point hippies buying records...I had never heard of them, yet they became one of my favorites that day. I stumbled upon their second CD one day like 10 years later in a second hand store in Florida, bought it of course, and it has completely rekindled the magic I found that random day back in 2006. Man, I wish they were still together.
Matt Arrington
I was at this show at El Corazon in Seattle when they filmed this video. God I miss these guys. Hands down one of my favorite local bands.
Murdereress
I was just murdered by her charisma. My god, I hope I'm half as goodlooking as she is when I'm on stage.
TastieFace Lez
Still listening to syh in 2020. I used to mosh with them back when I was 13❤❤❤