In 2006, Matt Villani left the pop punk group Valet Parking to form a new project, soon coming up with the name Stereo Skyline. He played piano, synth, and was the lead vocalist and had Kevin Bard on guitars and vocals, Jay Marotta on guitar, Tom Angenbroich on bass, and Anthony Purpura on drums. The band recorded their debut EP, entitled 'Worst Case Scenario'. in 2006 with producer Nick Zinnanti. Following their EP, the band began playing shows around the island. In 2007, they went through a major lineup change. Kevin Bard became the lead singer, Matt Villani moved to guitar and piano, Jay Marotta continued on guitar, Tom Angenbroich continued on bass, Anthony Purpura was moved to synthesizer, and Rob Michelson was added on drums.
The band continued playing shows, and they won a competition to play the 2007 Bamboozle Festival. Afterwards, the band obtained a new manager, resulting in the departure of their bassist Tom Angenbroich, who quit due to disagreements in the new direction, and shortly after kicked out their synth player, Anthony Purpura. Jay Marotta was moved to bass, and Kevin Bard picked up the guitar. Tom Angenbroich would have a short spell in The Farewell Effect following this, however, he left to pursue promotion. He is now the bassist for upcoming power pop band Set In Color as well as a promoter for Club Loaded. Anthony Purpura played guitar and vocals for Forever on the Shoreline, a power pop group from Levittown, and is now the guitarist for Set In Color as well.
Stereo Skyline then released a digital seven-song 'Self Titled Demo', toured throughout the country numerous times, and finally recorded their first full album. On July 16th, the band released the tracks from their first full work, which was recorded at Claude Zdanow's Stadiumred. In September 8, Matt was kicked out due to constant conflicts with the other band mates. This lead to the creation of his aforementioned project Set In Color with fellow aforementioned former Stereo members Tom Angenbroich and Anthony Purpura. Matt was replaced by Brian Maddox, formely of Scenes and Sirens.
The aforementioned first studio album, Stuck on Repeat, appealed to a wide variety of fans from teenage girls loving their pop sensibilities to older fans licking the throwback power pop feel similar to artists such as Rick Springfield and Cheap Trick. Tracks that got significant airplay included "Heartbeat" and "Tongue Tied". The album also received praise from the All Music Guide.
On November 8th, Jay was removed from the MySpace, indicating that he had left the band. It was announced in January 2009 that the band had signed a publishing deal with Sony/ATV. On February 9th of the following year, they were picked up by the Paradigm Booking Agency. They were represented by Matt Galle and Mike Marquis. In April of 2009, the band performed at Bamboozle Left! on the Saints and Sinners Stage. They played with rock contemporaries such as Fight Fair, The Jakes, The Friday Night Boys, Say it Twice, Racing Kites, The Morning Light, All the Day Holiday, Sonny, Breathe Carolina, and Brokencyde.
In June 2009, they announced that they had signed a record deal to Columbia Records. As interest the band waned, members Clayton Johnson and Brian Maddox left Stereo Skyline to pursue a different music career path together, forming an electronica project known as BLAC. The group, then a duo, released a few songs and soldiered out before calling it quits soon afterwards.
Downtown
Stereo Skyline Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Girl, maybe I made this just a little bit harder
Than it has to be but you'll see that one day
Just don't spin me around
Please don't mess me around again
'Cause I've been making my way downtown to your window
Watching old movies, thinking I should be with you
Yeah, girl, that's what I'm gonna do
And your friends say don't sweat it
Don't let her get into your head again
But maybe, yeah, one day
Just don't spin me around
Please don't mess me around again
'Cause I've been making my way downtown to your window
Staying up late on the phone talking real low
Watching old movies, thinking I should be with you
Yeah, girl, that's what I'm gonna do
'Cause she knocks the socks off my feet
She's hot like a fever of one-oh-three
She turns my frown upside down
'Cause I've been making my way downtown to your window
Staying up late on the phone talking real low
Watching old movies, thinking I should be with you
Yeah, girl, that's what I'm gonna do
'Cause I've been making my way downtown to your window
Staying up late on the phone talking real low
Watching old movies, thinking I should be with you
Girl, that's what I'm gonna do
Yeah, girl, that's what I'm gonna do
The lyrics to Stereo Skyline's song "Downtown" are about a boy who is trying to win the heart of a girl that he really likes. The boy admits that he may have made things harder than they needed to be, but he is determined to win her over anyways. He talks about how he has been making his way downtown to her window, staying up late on the phone with her, and even watching old movies, all while thinking that he should be with her. Despite warnings from the girl's friends to not let her get into his head again, he remains persistent and determined to make her his.
The lyrics are filled with hope and optimism, as the boy is convinced that he will win the girl over eventually. There is a sense of innocence and sincerity to the lyrics that is really endearing. The imagery of him making his way downtown to her window and staying up late talking to her on the phone creates a romantic and nostalgic atmosphere.
Overall, "Downtown" is a catchy and upbeat song that captures the excitement and nerves of trying to win over someone's heart.
Line by Line Meaning
Girl, maybe I made this just a little bit harder
I acknowledge that I may have contributed to the difficulties in our relationship
Than it has to be but you'll see that one day
However, I believe that you will eventually come to understand my perspective
Just don't spin me around
Please don't confuse or mislead me
Please don't mess me around again
I don't want to be hurt again
'Cause I've been making my way downtown to your window
I have been making a consistent effort to see you in person
Staying up late on the phone talking real low
I have also been talking to you over the phone late into the night
Watching old movies, thinking I should be with you
During this time, I have been pondering the possibility of us being together
Yeah, girl, that's what I'm gonna do
I am fully committed to pursuing a relationship with you
And your friends say don't sweat it
Although your friends advise me not to worry about our relationship
Don't let her get into your head again
And warn me not to let you manipulate my emotions once more
But maybe, yeah, one day
However, I remain optimistic that we can work things out
'Cause she knocks the socks off my feet
I am taken aback by how amazing you are
She's hot like a fever of one-oh-three
Your attractiveness is undeniable
She turns my frown upside down
Being around you makes me incredibly happy
Girl, that's what I'm gonna do
Once again, I am certain that pursuing a relationship with you is the right choice
Yeah, girl, that's what I'm gonna do
I am fully invested in making this relationship work
Contributed by Lucy V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.