This Detroit, MI band recorded their first Tooth and Nail full-length, A Fire So Big the Heavens Can See It, in St. Cloud, FL with James Paul Wisner, who has also produced Dashboard Confessional, Underoath, and The Academy Is. While making this CD, the band fought off small town cabin fever, was restricted to bicycle transportation, and even shared a lake with an alligator. But such ordeals are colorful stories for another time because these guys are simply thrilled (but not to death) with the finished product.
The track “To the Moon for All I Care” is one of the group’s favorite new tunes. On the surface, one might assume it is based around what Ralph Kramden always told his wife Alice on the old The Honeymooners show. But as drummer Adam McMillion explains it, this song goes far deeper than that.
“The song is about our favorite movie, Danny Deckchair, which is about this guy that’s kind of fed up with his girlfriend who is not very faithful. And his job is really boring, so he decides to attach these balloons to his fold-up deckchair and he flies away,” McMillion says. When he finally lands, he’s in a faraway town, miles from everything and everyone he knows. “He kind of gets to start his life over, and we always thought that’s just such a cool concept,” McMillion continues. In fact, this song’s main character demands at one point, “Tell me about my future ‘cause I already know my past.”
Another noteworthy song has the intriguing title of “Detroit Is Built on Secrets”. This one takes on some of the nasty rumors oftentimes spread about rock bands – even about nice guys like Search The City. “So this is what we’re up against in this city of secrets,” states its anti-gossip lyric. But even when confronted with obvious lies, this thoughtful band still finds room for a little self-examination. “In the bridge it says, “Oh my God, forgive me for who I’m not,”” McMillion elaborates. “All these rumors are going around,” he continues, “but we’re still not the people we want to be. We’re still not the people God wants us to be. It’s just a cry out; kind of a confession. We wanna be better. We realize that we’re not who we should be.”
These closely bonded band members, which also include Alex Sheldon (guitar), Jim Czech (guitar), and Josh Frost (vocals), draw artistic inspiration from many loud and noisy sources, then translate these harsher sounds into surprisingly melodic, highly emotional songs.
“We’re more influenced by hardcore music than anything else,” Frost says of Search The City’s sound. “It doesn’t show so much because we’re pretty pop-y in parts. But collectively, we all love bands like Jimmy Eat World and bands like that.” So how would they describe their unique style? “We’d probably say progressive rock or something like that,” answers Frost.
Although the group is proud of their new CD, this band is truly in their element in concert. “Live is definitely Search The City’s favorite thing to do,” McMillion says without any hesitation. “It’s a chance to release a lot of emotion. We all love what we do onstage where we’ll just look at each other and just start laughing and smiling because it’s so much fun. Playing live is definitely the best part about being in a band.”
Search The City’s original nucleus, Sheldon, Czech, and McMillion, came up with the band’s Mapquest-like moniker while seeking out other musicians to complete their final lineup. “They named it that because they were looking for all of the different members, all over different cities,” Frost explains. “That meant all over Michigan. And because I was living in Florida at the time, they just called it Search The City.”
No doubt, Search The City succeeded in getting all their geographic coordinates correct.
After the band went their separate ways and onto some side projects, Frost and Czech have announced via Facebook and AboslutePunk.com has reported that they are back together and writing a second full-length album that's due out in the spring of 2012.
Bigger Scars Make Better Stories
Search The City Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Do the heavens really stretch so far?
From you to me and all things left in between
This is my nightmare, the reason I lie awake at night
But in this ghost town we've doused all the lights
I've got this half moon and I'll save the other half for you
'Cause close don't count when you're counting on me
This is how we'll ruin everything
Staring at the same stretch of highway for far too long
These winding roads, they never lead me back
To the place that I belong
I count the planes as they pass overhead
The engine's warm and will serve as my bed
I slept on the hood of my car to pretend the world was ours
So close, so close, forget it
'Cause close don't count when you're counting on me
This is how we'll ruin everything
I wish that you could see how this is killing me
If bigger scars make better stories
Then you should see the scars on me
I've got this half moon, I'll save the other half for you
And every step I take is a step I should be taking
Back to you, to you, to you, to you, to you
So close, so close, forget it
'Cause close don't count when you're counting on me
This is how we'll ruin everything
So close, so close, forget it
'Cause close don't count when you're counting on me
This is how we'll ruin everything
I wish that you could see how this is killing me
If bigger scars make better stories
Then you should see the scars on me
So close, so close, forget it
'Cause close don't count when you're counting on me
This is how we'll ruin everything
I wish that you could see how this is killing me
If bigger scars make better stories
Then you should see the scars on me
The lyrics of Search The City's song Bigger Scars Make Better Stories convey feelings of longing, confusion, and regret. It starts with questioning the vastness of the world and how much distance separates people. There's a sense of distance and disconnect, which later comes to light when the singer talks about being apart from someone close to them. The lyrics "So close, so close, forget it, 'Cause close don't count when you're counting on me, This is how we'll ruin everything" imply a certain level of guilt and awareness of their shortcomings in maintaining relationships.
The lyrics also paint a picture of the singer's journey, both physically and emotionally. They are alienated in their surroundings and can't find their way back home. The line "These winding roads, they never lead me back, To the place that I belong" reflects that the singer is lost and unsure of what direction to take.
The final stanza shows the singer's vulnerability as they wish for someone to recognise their struggles. They compare their emotional wounds to physical scars, and perhaps hope that these scars can make them more interesting or worth paying attention to.
Overall, the lyrics convey a sense of restlessness, regret, and a desire for emotional connection. They show the complexities of navigating relationships and the vulnerability that comes with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Can you see the same sky from where you are?
Do you share the same view of the world as I do?
Do the heavens really stretch so far?
Does this world still hold unfathomable wonders for you?
From you to me and all things left in between
Between us, and all that separates us, there lies a great distance
This is my nightmare, the reason I lie awake at night
This is the constant fear that keeps me up at night
But in this ghost town we've doused all the lights
In this lifeless place, we've given up all hope
I've got this half moon and I'll save the other half for you
I have only half of myself left, and I'll give the other half to you
So close, so close, forget it
Our proximity means nothing if we can't depend on each other
'Cause close don't count when you're counting on me
The fact that we're near each other doesn't matter if I can't be relied on
This is how we'll ruin everything
These shortcomings, if left unaddressed, will destroy our bond
Staring at the same stretch of highway for far too long
We've been stuck in this same rut for far too long
These winding roads, they never lead me back
No matter how far I travel, I can't seem to find my way home
To the place that I belong
To the place where I feel at home
I count the planes as they pass overhead
I keep track of every escape route that presents itself
The engine's warm and will serve as my bed
I'll seek refuge in my car, which offers the only warmth and safety I'll find
I slept on the hood of my car to pretend the world was ours
In a desperate attempt to escape our harsh reality, I imagined that we owned the world
I wish that you could see how this is killing me
I wish you could understand how unbearable this is for me
If bigger scars make better stories
If suffering can be redeemed through art
Then you should see the scars on me
Then you should see the extent of my pain and suffering
And every step I take is a step I should be taking
Every choice I make should be leading me back to you
Back to you, to you, to you, to you, to you
To find my way home, to the one I love most
Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP, Capitol CMG Publishing
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind