Several of Streetlight's members were already well known among the New Jersey ska community for their roles in past ska bands from that area, most notably Catch 22's Tomas Kalnoky, James Egan, Mike Soprano, and Josh Ansley, as well as One Cool Guy's Stuart Karmatz, Pete Sibilia, Dan Ross, and Chris Paszik.
The band's first album, Everything Goes Numb, was released on August 26, 2003, and was distributed by Victory Records. They headlined their first ever show at Rutgers University on December 9, 2003 in front of a sold out audience.
The line-up has gone through several changes since the band's conception and currently consists of Matt Stewart on trumpet, Mike Brown on alto and baritone saxophone, Jim Conti on alto and tenor saxophone, Tomas Kalnoky on guitar and lead vocals, Pete McCullaugh on bass guitar, Karl Lyden on trombone, and Chris Thatcher on drums.
Though the band has enjoyed little mainstream commercial success, they have received acclaim in alternative music circles, and their debut album is currently in Interpunk.com's top 100 items, over 2 years after its release. In addition, they regularly sell out their live shows, and their first few shows at Rutgers and The Stone Pony not only sold out, but had people coming from as far as Minnesota and Canada. Their second album, a reworking of Catch 22's Keasbey Nights was released on March 7, 2006.
Streetlight Manifesto's third album, entitled Somewhere in the Between came out on November 13, 2007. Rumors also have it that the band is currently working on a series of 8 albums entitled "The 99 Songs of Revolution" in co-operation with Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution, a side-project of singer Tomas Kalnoky slated for release in early 2009.
On November 17, 2009, the band's website announced that "99 Songs of Revolution: Volume One" has been ready for release for quite some time but "some record labels are just plain horrendous." They are also in the process of arranging a tour for 2010 but will spend some time in the studio until they have "a few records to release."
The first album of 99 Songs of Revolution was released on March 16, 2010. On this CD, the band covered songs by artists such as The Postal Service, Radiohead, and NOFX.
Band Members:
Mike Brown - Baritone Sax
Karl Lyden - Trombone
Jim Conti - Tenor Sax
Matt Stewart - Trumpet
Chris Thatcher - Drums
Tomas Kalnoky - Guitar, Vocals
Pete McCullaugh - Bass
www.streetlightmanifesto.com
Don
Streetlight Manifesto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I watched a girl from far so away,
But every time she passed me by,
I turned my head away and quietly sighed.
And when she walked by her hair would dance,
A secret tango that only I could understand,
And when she'd ask me for the time of day,
I'd look her in the eyes and quietly say.
Oh Kristina, Kristina, do you have any clue who I am? (HELL NO!)
So listen up cause I'll tell ya once and I'll explain myself the best that I can, whoa,
Kristina, Kristina you don't know me so ill have to persist, (whistle)
I'm kinda shy so no wonder why,
Kristina she don't know I exist.
From class to class, I followed her,
But I swore id leave her undisturbed,
And if she'd ever stopped and turned around,
I'd get so nervous that I'd stare at the ground.
And then one day in photography,
I found a contact print that I could not believe,
and there she was staring back at me.
So I took her home so quietly.
Oh Kristina, Kristina, do you have any clue who I am? (HELL NO!)
So listen up cause I'll tell ya once
and I'll explain myself the best that I can,
Kristina, Kristina you don't know me so I'll have to persist, [whistle]
I'm kinda shy so no wonder why,
Kristina she don't know I exist.
1.17.98 has been a day that I've come to hate,
As I walked into the video store,
There she stood as my jaw fell to the floor.
Tapping her toe, and waiting in line,
With a movie and another guy,
Why did I bother, Why did I care,
About this girl named Kristina Behr?
Kristina, Kristina, you'll never get to know who I am (YOUR LOSS!)
This is goodbye so please don't cry and ill let you down as softly as I can,
Kristina, Kristina, another name to cross off my list.
Another life, it could've been nice, but Kristina she won't know what she missed.
In Streetlight Manifesto's song Don, the singer tells the story about his unrequited love for a girl named Kristina. He reveals how he watched her from afar during his high school days and how he was too shy to approach her. He would simply turn his head away, sighing quietly whenever she passed him by. Even when Kristina would ask him for the time of day, he would muster just enough courage to look into her eyes, but then quietly say nothing. It was only when he discovered a contact print of Kristina in his photography class that he was able to take a piece of her home.
Despite his timidness, the singer refused to give up on Kristina. However, he explains that January 17, 1998, was a day that he had come to hate. He saw Kristina in a video store waiting in line with another guy, and it was then that he decided to let go of his unrequited love for her. The song ends with the singer saying goodbye to Kristina and moving on, despite knowing that Kristina would never get to know who he really was.
The song's melancholic lyrics are set to a upbeat, danceable ska melody that creates a stark contrast to the singer's bittersweet story. It perfectly captures the feeling of being in love with someone who doesn't return your affections and the struggle to move on from those feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
Not long ago in my high school days,
The story takes place when the singer was in high school.
I watched a girl from far so away,
The singer is observing a girl from a distance.
But every time she passed me by,
The girl is walking by the singer regularly.
I turned my head away and quietly sighed.
The artist is shy and doesn't want to be noticed by the girl.
And when she walked by her hair would dance,
The girl's hair moves in an alluring way.
A secret tango that only I could understand,
The singer is infatuated by the girl's movements.
And when she'd ask me for the time of day,
The girl is trying to make small talk with the singer.
I'd look her in the eyes and quietly say.
The artist responds to the girl without saying much.
Oh Kristina, Kristina, do you have any clue who I am? (HELL NO!)
The artist is wondering if the girl knows who he is but assumes that she doesn't.
So listen up cause I'll tell ya once and I'll explain myself the best that I can, whoa,
The artist is addressing the girl and introducing himself.
Kristina, Kristina you don't know me so ill have to persist, (whistle)
The singer is admitting that he is shy and will have to try harder to get the girl's attention.
I'm kinda shy so no wonder why,
The artist is justifying why he hasn't made a move on the girl yet.
Kristina she don't know I exist.
The singer feels invisible to the girl.
From class to class, I followed her,
The singer is going to great lengths to be near the girl.
But I swore id leave her undisturbed,
The singer is trying to be respectful of the girl's space.
And if she'd ever stopped and turned around,
The artist is hoping for some kind of acknowledgment from the girl.
I'd get so nervous that I'd stare at the ground.
The artist is too nervous to make eye contact with the girl.
And then one day in photography,
The singer and the girl are in the same photography class.
I found a contact print that I could not believe,
The singer is shocked to see the girl in a photo that he took.
and there she was staring back at me.
The girl is captured in the photo looking back at the artist.
So I took her home so quietly.
The artist takes the photo of the girl home with him.
1.17.98 has been a day that I've come to hate,
The date 1.17.98 holds some kind of significance for the artist that makes him dislike it.
As I walked into the video store,
The singer is going into a video rental store.
There she stood as my jaw fell to the floor.
The girl is in the video store and the artist is surprised to see her there.
Tapping her toe, and waiting in line,
The girl is waiting in line at the store and seems agitated.
With a movie and another guy,
The girl is with another guy who she is renting a movie with.
Why did I bother, Why did I care,
The singer is questioning why he put so much effort into liking the girl when she didn't even notice him.
About this girl named Kristina Behr?
The artist reflects on the girl and her impact on his life.
Kristina, Kristina, you'll never get to know who I am (YOUR LOSS!)
The artist has given up on trying to get the girl's attention and is telling her that she missed out on something good.
This is goodbye so please don't cry and ill let you down as softly as I can,
The singer is saying goodbye to the idea of the girl and is trying to be gentle about it.
Kristina, Kristina, another name to cross off my list.
The singer is giving up on the girl and moving on with his life.
Another life, it could've been nice, but Kristina she won't know what she missed.
The artist is imagining what could have been with the girl but knows that she will never know what she missed out on.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind