The band was conceived in 1991, and was originally named Solid State. Orignal line up consisted of Chris Galas (vocals), Scott Dressler (guitar), Joe Smith (guitar), Daryl Taberski (bass), and Mike Kimaid (drums). After the release of their first 7 inch "Comatose", Galas was replaced on vocals by Taberski, Jon Salemi joined and replaced Joe Smith. and Bob Whiteside took over on bass. In 1993, Kimaid left the band and was replaced on drums by Tim Redmond. Their first full length "Lookinglassself" was released in 1993. In 1995, the band released the "Steps" EP. This was the last recording to feature Scott Dressler, who left the band in the fall of 1995. He was replaced by Frank Vicario. In the summer of 1996, "The California Takeover" was released which featured live recordings from Snapcase, Earth Crisis, and Strife.
April 1997 saw the release of "Progression Through Unlearning". The band set out on a summer tour, and featured performances on the Vans Warped Tour. In the fall of 1997, the band took some time off so that members could pursue education. In 1998, the band resumed touring, and was the opening band on the fall tour of the Deftones. A split EP was released in the summer of 1999 with Boy Sets Fire. These were the last recordings with bassist Bob Whiteside. He was replaced by Dustin Perry, formerly of the Minnesota band Threadbare. They headlined Hellfest that summer in Syracuse, NY.
"Designs For Automation" was released in January 2000. They spent most of 2000 on tour, and performed on the Deconstruction tour in Europe with NOFX, played the main stage of the Vans Warped Tour in the summer. Ben Lythberg began playing drums for the band during the fall, winter and spring while Redmond finished his masters degree.
In September 2002, "End Transmission" was released. Redmond left the band and was replaced by Lythberg. They toured that fall with Boy Sets Fire and Atreyu. The final European tour was in early 2003. They opened for Bad Religion and Finch in the spring of 2003. "Bright Flashes" was released in November 2003. This featured songs that were recorded for End Transmission, along with covers of songs by Helmet, Devo, and Jane's Addiction along with 3 remixes of songs from End Transmission. One of the album's songs, Skeptic, was featured on the game Need for Speed Underground 2 as in-game music. The band announced in the fall of 2004 that they would be disbanding, and would play their final show in January 2005 in Buffalo, NY. The final show featured appearances by almost of every member who had ever played in the band. Redmond, Dressler, and Whiteside joined Salemi and Taberski for a performance of the song 'Lookinglasself", and orignal vocalist Chris Galas joined them for the song "Comatose".
The band claimed to have been on "a mission to combine intellectual theory with aggressive music". The members of the band are all straight edge, but according to Frank Vicario, they're "not really singing about it or promoting it".
After Snapcase dissolved, Vicario, Perry and Lythberg formed the band Attractive, with Josh English from the band Sixgoingonseven.
Tim Redmond now teaches AP government at Williamsville East High school.
A retrospective DVD is set for release in 2007, and will feature footage filmed at their final performance in January 2005.
In early 2010, Snapcase confirmed to play a series of shows in Europe including a performance at the 2010 Groezrock Festival in Belgium and also confirmed a reunion show with Sick of It All in Buffalo, N.Y., for May 8, 2010.
She Suffocates
Snapcase Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is she accepted or rejected
We consume her shell
She must refuse his pride
This world she must defy
Defy
They will sell her as a mindless games
And you're a winner when you own her
Doors don't open as she suffocates
And she will teach us and make some change
But we don't learn a thing
We don't see her
We don't see her
We'll consume her
But we don't see her
The lyrics to Snapcase's song She Suffocates depict the struggle of a woman who is devalued and objectified in a male-dominated society. The first line, "We don't see her beyond her molded worth," suggests that she is judged based on her physical appearance and societal expectations of what a woman should be. The second line poses the question of whether she is accepted or rejected, highlighting the unfair and arbitrary nature of this judgment.
The next lines, "We consume her shell / She must refuse his pride / This world she must defy," emphasize the idea that she is reduced to an object to be consumed rather than a person with her own agency. She is expected to comply with the male ego and the patriarchal structures that oppress her but instead, she must defy and resist them. The repetition of "defy" emphasizes the importance of standing up against this oppression.
The following lines shift the focus to the broader societal context, "They will sell her as a mindless game / And you're a winner when you own her / What we expect is vain." Here, the song points out how the media and society often portray women as objects to be won or attained, perpetuating the narrative of male dominance. The final lines, "Doors don't open as she suffocates / And she will teach us and make some change / But we don't learn a thing / We don't see her / We'll consume her / But we don't see her" suggest that even though women are often at the forefront of fighting against these oppressive structures, society fails to learn from them and continues to consume and objectify them without seeing their worth beyond their physical appearance.
Line by Line Meaning
We don't see her beyond her molded worth
We only value her superficially, based on external qualities like appearance, rather than truly seeing her for who she is as a person with unique worth.
Is she accepted or rejected
We judge her and place her in a category based on our own biases and standards, rather than accepting her as she is.
We consume her shell
We objectify and use up her physical body without regard for her feelings, thoughts or aspirations.
She must refuse his pride
She must resist the societal pressure to conform to male dominance and superiority.
This world she must defy
She must stand up against the oppressive norms and unjust systems that exist in the world.
They will sell her as a mindless games
Her value will be reduced to a commodity that can be bought and sold for the pleasure of others, with no recognition of her personhood.
And you're a winner when you own her
The culture reinforces the idea that owning and dominating women is a marker of status and achievement for men.
What we expect is vain
The expectations that we place on women are unrealistic and unattainable, and ultimately pointless in terms of true happiness or fulfillment.
Doors don't open as she suffocates
As she is constantly restricted and oppressed, she is not able to move forward or progress in life.
And she will teach us and make some change
Despite the obstacles she faces, she has the power to educate and inspire others to create positive change.
But we don't learn a thing
Unfortunately, many people remain blind to the struggles and experiences of women, and do not take action to support their rights or address inequality.
We don't see her
We continue to overlook and undervalue women and their contributions to society.
We'll consume her
We will continue to treat women as objects to be used or discarded, rather than recognizing their inherent worth and dignity as human beings.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CHICK COREA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind