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
The Blonde Lead The Blind
Streetlight Manifesto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You were practically surrounded, you were trapped
But the opposition stalled, their blood ran cold
When they saw the look of love in your eyes
Maybe the times we had, they weren't that bad
And everything else was part of the plan
We sang: "I don't know where we go from here"
This is the alpha, omega, beginning and the end
And we all just idolize the dead
So you were born (So you were born), and that was a good day
Someday you'll die (Someday you'll die), and that is a shame
But somewhere in the between was a life of which we all dream
And nothing and no one will ever take that away
You had a love and that love had you
And nothing mattered, you were fine
If some will complain, they're just bitter, what a shame
They know that loving and losing is better than nothing at all
Maybe the times we had, they weren't that bad
And everything else was part of our path
We sang: "I don't know where we go from here"
This is the anthem, the slogan, the summary of events
And we all just idealize the past
So you were born (So you were born), and that was a good day
Someday you'll die (Someday you'll die), and that is a shame
But somewhere in the between was a life of which we all dream
And nothing and no one will ever take that away
(Instrumental Solos)
Yeah, the times we had, they were not that bad
And everything else, it was part of the plan
And we sang, "I don't know where we go from here"
This is the Alpha (Alpha!), Omega (Omega!), beginning and the end!
And we all just idolize the dead
So you were born (So you were born), and that was a good day
Someday you'll die (Someday you'll die), and that is a shame
But somewhere in the between was a life of which we all dream
And nothing and no one will ever take that away
And someday soon my friends, this ride will come to an end
But we can't just get in line again.
The lyrics of "The Blonde Lead the Blind" by Streetlight Manifesto appear to be about embracing the good times in life and the inevitability of death. The song tells the story of someone who was trapped but was able to find love, and the beauty and importance of that love in life. The chorus states that birth and death are both significant, but what matters most is the life in between.
The lyrics are quite poetic and metaphorical, with a lot of the meaning being left to interpretation. The mention of "the opposition" and "their blood" running cold could suggest that the person was in some sort of danger or conflict before finding love. The line "we all just idealize the past" further emphasizes the idea of the importance of the present and the life in between birth and death.
In the end, the song urges the listener to make the most of life, as it is all they have. The final line, "But we can't just get in line again," suggests that life is not infinite and one must make the most of it while they have the chance.
Line by Line Meaning
You were gone when we found you
You were in a really bad place when we came across you
You were practically surrounded, you were trapped
You were unable to escape from your predicament
But the opposition stalled, their blood ran cold
The people around you, who were causing your pain, were scared off by something
When they saw the look of love in your eyes
The people who were hurting you realized that you were loved by someone else
Maybe the times we had, they weren't that bad
Perhaps the moments we spent together weren't as terrible as we thought they were
And everything else was part of the plan
Everything that happened to us had a purpose
We sang: "I don't know where we go from here"
We were unsure about what the future held
This is the alpha, omega, beginning and the end
This journey we're on goes from start to finish
And we all just idolize the dead
We tend to look back on people who have passed and think of them in ideal terms
So you were born (So you were born), and that was a good day
Your birth brought joy to the world
Someday you'll die (Someday you'll die), and that is a shame
Your eventual passing will be a tragedy
But somewhere in the between was a life of which we all dream
In the middle of all the ups and downs, there was a life that we all hope to live
And nothing and no one will ever take that away
No one can take away the memories we have of the good times
You had a love and that love had you
You experienced mutual love with someone else
And nothing mattered, you were fine
When you were together, nothing else in the world mattered
If some will complain, they're just bitter, what a shame
Anyone who complains about that kind of love is just jealous
They know that loving and losing is better than nothing at all
Even though love often leads to heartbreak, it's still worth experiencing
This is the anthem, the slogan, the summary of events
This song is a summary of what has happened up until this point
And we all just idealize the past
We have a tendency to look back at the past and romanticize it
Yeah, the times we had, they were not that bad
Our past experiences weren't as terrible as we remember them being
And everything else, it was part of the plan
All the things that happened to us were meant to shape who we are
And we sang, "I don't know where we go from here"
We really had no idea what the future had in store for us
And someday soon my friends, this ride will come to an end
Eventually, our journey will come to a close
But we can't just get in line again.
We can't just start over once our journey is done
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
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