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
Punk Rock Girl
Streetlight Manifesto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I met a girl there and she almost knocked me dead
Punk rock girl, please look at me
Punk rock girl, what do you see?
Let's travel round the world
Just you and me punk rock girl
I tapped her on the shoulder
She looked at me and smiled and said she did not know
Punk rock girl, give me a chance
Punk rock girl, let's go slamdance
We'll dress like Minnie Pearl
Just you and me punk rock girl
We went to the Phillie Pizza Company
And ordered some hot tea
The waitress said 'Well no, we only have it iced'
So we jumped up on the table and shouted 'anarchy'
And someone played a Beach Boys song on the jukebox
It was 'California Dreamin'
So we started screamin'
'On such a winter's day'
She took me to her parents for a Sunday meal
Her father took one look at me and he began to squeal
Punk rock girl, it makes no sense
Punk rock girl, your dad is the Vice President
Rich as the Duke of Earl
Yeah you're for me punk rock girl
We went to a shopping mall
And laughed at all the shoppers
And security guards trailed us to a record shop
We asked for Mojo Nixon
They said 'He don't work here'
We said 'If you don't got Mojo Nixon
Then your store could use some fixin'
We got into a car
Away we started rollin'
I said 'How much you pay for this?'
She said 'Nothing man, it's stolen'
Punk rock girl, you look so wild
Punk rock girl, let's have a child
We'll name her Minnie Pearl
Just you and me, eating fudge banana swirl
Just you and me, we'll travel round the world
Just you and me, punk rock girl
The lyrics of Streetlight Manifesto's "Punk Rock Girl" tell the story of a young man who meets a girl at Zipperhead, a now-defunct punk merchandise store in Philadelphia. The man is immediately drawn to her and asks her to travel the world with him, but she initially declines. However, he persists and eventually convinces her to go with him. They have a wild time together, causing chaos at a pizza restaurant and a mall, and eventually, he meets her family, including her father who is the Vice President but seems unimpressed by the young man's punk rock style. Despite this, he declares his love for her and suggests they have a child together.
The song is a fun, upbeat depiction of a punk rock romance, complete with slamming dance, anarchic behavior, and stolen cars. It's a celebration of youthful rebellion, individuality, and living life on your own terms. At the same time, it's a commentary on the mainstream society's disdain for counterculture and the romanticization of anti-establishment movements such as punk rock. The lyrics are rich in irony and sarcasm, and they poke fun at the stereotypes and cliches associated with punk rock.
Line by Line Meaning
One Saturday I took a walk to Zipperhead
I visited Zipperhead store last Saturday while taking a walk.
I met a girl there and she almost knocked me dead
I met an incredible girl there, and I was highly impressed by her charms.
Punk rock girl, please look at me
Hey punk rock girl, could you look at me for a moment?
Punk rock girl, what do you see?
What do you perceive when you glance at me, punk rock girl?
Let's travel round the world
I want to wander the world with you, seeing new sights and sounds while having an amazing time.
Just you and me punk rock girl
I want to take this journey alongside you, punk rock girl, leaving everything else behind.
I tapped her on the shoulder
I gently touched her shoulder, attempting to get her attention.
And said do you have a beau?
I asked her whether she already had a boyfriend or not.
She looked at me and smiled and said she did not know
She smiled at me and replied that she was unaware if she currently had a significant other.
Punk rock girl, give me a chance
Hey punk rock girl, why don't you let me take a shot?
Punk rock girl, let's go slamdance
Let's go slamdance, punk rock girl!
We'll dress like Minnie Pearl
Our attire will resemble that of Minnie Pearl, as we have a shared sense of humor.
We went to the Phillie Pizza Company
We visited Phillie Pizza Company to grab a bite to eat.
And ordered some hot tea
We ordered hot tea to drink along with our meal.
The waitress said 'Well no, we only have it iced'
Our server let us know that we could only get iced tea, to our disappointment.
So we jumped up on the table and shouted 'anarchy'
We expressed our displeasure by jumping up on our table, screaming 'anarchy!'
And someone played a Beach Boys song on the jukebox
Someone put on a Beach Boys tune on the jukebox.
It was 'California Dreamin'
They chose to play 'California Dreamin' by The Beach Boys!
So we started screamin'
We began to scream, caught up in a frenzy of excitement.
'On such a winter's day'
And the phrase 'On such a winter's day' was uttered in the song lyrics.
She took me to her parents for a Sunday meal
She brought me over to her parents' home to have a meal on a Sunday.
Her father took one look at me and he began to squeal
After glancing at me, her father let out a high-pitched noise.
Punk rock girl, it makes no sense
Punk rock girl, none of this makes any sense to me.
Punk rock girl, your dad is the Vice President
Punk rock girl, your dad happens to be the Vice President, believe it or not.
Rich as the Duke of Earl
He's exceedingly rich and influential, much like Duke of Earl.
Yeah you're for me punk rock girl
I'm for you, punk rock girl!
We went to a shopping mall
We decided to visit a mall together.
And laughed at all the shoppers
We laughed at all the people shopping around and doing their thing.
And security guards trailed us to a record shop
As we went to a record store, security guards followed us around.
We asked for Mojo Nixon
We requested to see music artist Mojo Nixon.
They said 'He don't work here'
We were informed that he wasn't employed at the store.
We said 'If you don't got Mojo Nixon
We joked that if this store didn't have Mojo Nixon,
Then your store could use some fixin'
then it's obvious they could use some improvement and a proper shake-up.
We got into a car
We entered a car together.
Away we started rollin'
And we hit the road and started driving away.
I said 'How much you pay for this?'
I asked her how much she paid for the car we were in.
She said 'Nothing man, it's stolen'
Disconcertingly, she replied that it wasn't paid for at all, rather stolen.
Punk rock girl, you look so wild
Punk rock girl, you've got such an untamed appearance.
Punk rock girl, let's have a child
Hey punk rock girl, what do you reckon about having a baby together?
We'll name her Minnie Pearl
If we do have a girl, let's name her Minnie Pearl.
Just you and me, eating fudge banana swirl
Just you, me, and an indulgent fudge banana swirl dessert, so sweet and delectable.
Just you and me, we'll travel round the world
Just the two of us, wandering to different places all over the world.
Just you and me, punk rock girl
Just you and me, punk rock girl, never saying goodbye.
Contributed by Micah R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.