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.
Get A Grip
Search The City Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We swim ashore and escape the sinking ship
The only place that I feel at home
Is beside this fire that longs to grow
And now I see this means more to me
Than a runaway dream could ever be
So take time, take time, get a hold of it
Memories hold us back from everything we could be
These memories hold me down
From all that I'm trying to be
I always knew there was something more
Outside this windows stepping out the door
With little money in his dirty jeans
He sets out to change his scenery
And though he knows he is far from home
He feels more alive than he's ever known
Sure, he's always had a little hope of
All that we have left to show.
So take time, take time, get a hold of it
We build this house as we see fit
And hold tight, hold tight to the side of it
We build this house as we see fit
Memories hold us back from everything we could be
These memories hold me down
From all that I'm trying to be
Memories hold us back from everything we could be
These memories hold me down
From all that I'm trying to be
We're holding out for something
Something I'm certain, let's break
This type of thinking, let's make
Let's make this count for something
Let's make this count for something
Memories hold us back from everything we could be
These memories hold me down
From all that I'm trying to be
Memories hold us back from everything we could be
These memories hold me down
From all I'm trying to
You're holding out for something
Something I'm certain, let's break
This type of thinking, let's make
Let's make this count for something
The lyrics of Search The City's song "Get A Grip" speak about leaving the past behind and striving towards a brighter future. The singer acknowledges that memories can hold us back and prevent us from turning our aspirations into reality. He emphasizes the importance of taking control of our lives and building the future we want, regardless of the obstacles we face.
The first verse paints a picture of a sinking ship, a metaphor for a situation that is not sustainable or desirable. The singer and his companions "cast away their worries" as they swim ashore and find refuge by a fire that "longs to grow". The warmth of the fire represents the hope and potential for growth, for building a better life. The singer realizes that this is where he feels most at home, and that the fire symbolizes something that is more meaningful and fulfilling than a mere "runaway dream".
In the chorus, the message becomes clearer. The singer calls on his listeners to take time and "get a hold of" their lives. They can build their own "house" as they see fit, and not let their memories hold them back from becoming all they could be. The second verse introduces a character who sets out to change his life, despite having little money and being far from home. He feels more alive than he ever has, and is hopeful about what is yet to come.
Overall, "Get A Grip" is a song about empowerment, taking control of one's life, and breaking free from the limitations that our past experiences - both good and bad - can place upon us.
Line by Line Meaning
We cast away our worries of losing grip
We let go of our fears of losing control
We swim ashore and escape the sinking ship
We leave behind our troubles and escape to safety
The only place that I feel at home
The only place where I belong
Is beside this fire that longs to grow
Next to this fire that craves to become bigger and brighter
And now I see this means more to me
I realize that this is more important to me
Than a runaway dream could ever be
More than a dream that leads me away from reality
So take time, take time, get a hold of it
Take your time and grab onto what really matters
We build this house as we see fit
We shape our lives the way we want
Memories hold us back from everything we could be
Our past experiences limit our potential
These memories hold me down
My memories weigh me down
From all that I'm trying to be
From all that I aspire to become
I always knew there was something more
I always felt like there was something greater
Outside this windows stepping out the door
Beyond this window, once we leave the house
With little money in his dirty jeans
With only a small amount of cash in his old pants
He sets out to change his scenery
He embarks on a journey to change his surroundings
And though he knows he is far from home
Even though he's away from his familiar place
He feels more alive than he's ever known
He feels more alive than he ever has before
Sure, he's always had a little hope of
He always had a small glimmer of hope for
All that we have left to show.
All that we can still achieve.
And hold tight, hold tight to the side of it
And hold onto what we have tightly
We're holding out for something
We're waiting for something better
Something I'm certain, let's break
I'm sure we can overcome this, let's break free
This type of thinking, let's make
Let's change our way of thinking
Let's make this count for something
Let's make this matter, let's make it worth it
Memories hold us back from everything we could be
Our past experiences limit our potential
These memories hold me down
My memories weigh me down
From all that I'm trying to be
From all that I aspire to become
You're holding out for something
You're waiting for something better
Something I'm certain, let's break
I'm sure we can overcome this, let's break free
This type of thinking, let's make
Let's change our way of thinking
Let's make this count for something
Let's make this matter, let's make it worth it
Contributed by Annabelle D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.