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
This One Goes Out to...
Streetlight Manifesto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well I never mind the boredom cause I use it for a crutch
Just to get me to that plae
Its a different state of sane
And everytime I try to change I always end up quite the same
Thinking back to happier days
When everyone was ignorant
And all the kids behaved
But me and my friends and the ice cream man
That was our existence, that was our clan
This one goes out to the friends I never had:
Hey I don't understand but I'd like to anyway
Hey I don't understand but I like it anyway
Hey I don't understand but I like you anyway
Hey I don't understand
Shelter in the city
We decided to go in
And I gave a man some money to buy herion
But the homeless man returned and he gave me back a dime
He said, "put it in your sock my friend and save it for another time"
But: lessons are learned and later unlearned
If he knew then what he knows now
Well he could rule the world
But I'm not one to judge what happened yesterday
Cause I got me
I got myself
My future is at stake this one goes out to...
The song "This One Goes Out to..." by Streetlight Manifesto is a reflective piece about the singer's memories of days gone by which he longs for, although he acknowledges that they are largely illusory. The song opens with a description of a moment of boredom spent staring out of the window of someone's pickup truck, an experience that the singer has apparently been through before, and which he describes as a "crutch" that gets him through life. The destination of the journey is described as a "different state of sane", which implies that the singer is not content with his present circumstances and is looking for an escape from them. However, he notes that whenever he has tried to change his situation in the past, he has always ended up back where he started, suggesting that he is trapped in a cycle.
The second verse of the song describes a different kind of experience, one that is more associated with city life. The singer and his friends go into a shelter in the city, where he gives a homeless man some money to buy heroin. The man returns the money, telling the singer to save it for another time, and the singer reflects that "lessons are learned and later unlearned". It is unclear whether he is referring to the lesson that he should not give money to drug addicts or a deeper, more psychological lesson. However, he closes the song by asserting that his future is at stake, and that he must focus on himself rather than dwelling too much on the events of the past.
Line by Line Meaning
Staring out the window of somebody's pickup truck
Looking out of a truck, lost in thoughts
Well I never mind the boredom cause I use it for a crutch
Boredom helps to support him in a way
Just to get me to that plae
Trying to get to a different place than where he is now
Its a different state of sane
Being in a different state of mind
And everytime I try to change I always end up quite the same
He is trying to change but always ends up where he was before
Thinking back to happier days
Reminiscing about better times
When everyone was ignorant
When everyone was unaware and didn't know better
And all the kids behaved
All the children were well-behaved
But me and my friends and the ice cream man
Himself and his friends and a particular ice cream man were close
That was our existence, that was our clan
They were a group with a common way of living
This one goes out to the friends I never had:
The song is next dedicated to people that he never really had in his life
Hey I don't understand but I'd like to anyway
Trying to understand things even though he doesn't at first
Hey I don't understand but I like it anyway
Enjoying something even if it is not understood fully
Hey I don't understand but I like you anyway
Liking someone regardless of whether they understand them or not
Hey I don't understand
They still don't understand
Shelter in the city
Finding shelter in an urban area
We decided to go in
They chose to go there
And I gave a man some money to buy herion
Gave money for an unknown man to buy heroin
But the homeless man returned and he gave me back a dime
The man returned money but with less and not what was expected
He said, "put it in your sock my friend and save it for another time"
The man suggeststo save the change for later
But: lessons are learned and later unlearned
People learn things and later forget it
If he knew then what he knows now
If the man knew then what he knows now
Well he could rule the world
He could have a different life altogether
But I'm not one to judge what happened yesterday
He does not judge people based on their past experiences
Cause I got me
He has himself
I got myself
He only needs himself to survive
My future is at stake this one goes out to...
It's all about his future now
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: J Baan, Marcel Van Os
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind