Doug White formed Tearwave with two long time friends Joe Villella and John Stephanski. Villella had been in several previous bands with White over the prior 15 years. His bass playing was always solid, melodic and as White stated: "Joe always has that knack for playing just the right notes and the right amount of notes - not overdoing anything, but getting the right feel and right lines for each song in there - and that's not always the case with bass players. Joe was the perfect fit for the band."
Stephanski and White met in junior high school and had always held a mutual respect for each other as musicians. Stephanski had recorded several times in White's Watchmen Recording Studio over the years and White had always told Stephanski that his drumming was unique, interesting and like no other drummer that had come through the doors of his studio. White had always said to Stephanski "...someday, we're going to do some recording together and it's going to be something special." White said of Stephanski: "He would stop by the studio and ask about my latest band and he'd always ask if my latest band was the band that was going to make it." I always replied: "No." White continues: "John is the most open-minded person I've ever met when it comes to music and spotting sounds in music. He is a unique talent, unlike any drummer, musician or person I've ever met."
White had known Jennifer Manganiello's vocal talents from her gracing Watchmen Studios as well. Her red wine melody vocals filled the singing position, like no other singer could have done. White states: "Her voice was perfect for what my plans were for this band. She has a strong voice, but she has a true angelic side to her voice that she had not used much in the past. I was all too happy to bring that pretty, sweet and hypnotic voice out of her in the studio - and I think we accomplished that !"
Upon the death of Stephanski's long-time best friend and guitar player, Robert "Bob" Collopy - White called Stephanski and said: "I'm forming a group John, this is the one that is going get signed and I'm going to really push to do something big with this project." Stephanski immediately said, yes and was the final piece to the puzzle.
While they have been influenced by such classic shoegaze bands as Slowdive, Lush and Ride.; American band Tearwave have attempted to meld their various influences into a unique sound fitting somewhere within the ethereal, shoegaze and dream pop spectrum.
Tearwave signed to Projekt Records in November of 2009 after Shoegaze, Darkwave, Gothic, Ethereal and Dreampop message boards began to create a buzz all over the US, Europe, Mexico and Austrailia.
Their 2007 self titled debut was released in March of 2007 to critical acclaim. They began to get radio play in Chicago, Los Angeles, Tampa and the tri-state area, particularly, Philadelphia and on the college radio circuit.
Their video for their song "Dream Bliss" off of their first album was featured on a Hot Topic exclusive CD/DVD which featured other artists; Robert Smith of The Cure, Skinny Puppy, Type-O Negative and Lucuna Coil. This video was a Youtube smash hit and had over 96,000 when it was "pulled" from Youtube in April of 2009.
The first release was followed up by "Different Shade of Beauty," which contained a massive 17 song offering at 77 minutes. It was an epic release and an instant classic according to some critics.
TEARWAVES music consists of a great blend of Jenn Manganiello’s shimmering and dreamy vocals, supported by Doug White's ethereal and haunting guitars and keyboards, John Stephanski's insistent, muscular and inventive drumming and percussive instruments and Joe Villella driving, thumping and melodic bass lines.
Lotus Flower
Tearwave Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's no joy
Her reflection is foreign
The curtain drops
Time to be what they want her to be
The colorful mask
Shields her from this vanity
My beautiful flower
Is what they say to me
Lotus Flower
Behind her porceline smile
There's no joy
Her reflection is foriegn
They watch this girl
So close her eyes her smile
But they don't see
Her life crumbling around her feet
Living off the will of others
Through their eyes dreams
She is a Lotus Flower
Behind her porceline smile
There's no joy
Her reflection is foreign
Who will need her?
Who will hold her?
Who will love her?
Who will hold her?
Who will need her?
Who will love her?
The lyrics of Tearwave’s Lotus Flower depict the sad reality of a woman who is living a life that is not her own, fully controlled by others, and wearing a “colorful mask” to shield herself from the vanity and judgment of her surroundings. The porcelain smile that she wears is a façade, hiding the fact that behind it lies no joy, and she feels like a foreigner to her own reflection. The first stanza alone shows how this woman is distant from everything and is forced to put up a false front with others. Her beauty, which is often praised by those around her, is just what they want from her, and the lyrics suggest that it may have been false validation all along.
As she closes her eyes and smiles, people don’t see that her life continues to crumble around her, and she is living off the will of others. Her dreams come through the eyes of others, becoming a beautiful lotus flower that is being admired without regard for who she is inside. The Lotus Flower is a metaphor for beauty, purity, and transcendence. The song implies that when the woman is being called a lotus flower, it is indicative of her being used for her beauty rather than her worth as a human being with complex emotions and feelings. The repeating lines of “who will need her, who will hold her, who will love her” has several sad implications; one being that she is not getting the love she deserves and that she is lonely and isolated, as her beauty has become her only defining characteristic.
Line by Line Meaning
Behind her porceline smile
There is something hiding behind her perfect smile
There's no joy
She is not happy despite her appearance
Her reflection is foreign
She does not recognize who she sees in the mirror
The curtain drops
It is time for her to perform or put on a show
Time to be what they want her to be
Her true self is not enough for others
The colorful mask
She wears a facade to protect herself
Shields her from this vanity
She uses the mask to avoid becoming egotistical
My beautiful flower
They compliment her appearance
Is what they say to me
Their words are empty and do not reflect her true worth
Lotus Flower
A symbol of purity and enlightenment, she is praised for her beauty but not seen for who she truly is
They watch this girl
Others keep an eye on her every move
So close her eyes her smile
She pretends everything is okay to avoid scrutiny
But they don't see
Others do not understand her pain or struggles
Her life crumbling around her feet
Her life is falling apart but no one notices
Living off the will of others
She relies on the opinions and expectations of those around her
Through their eyes dreams
Her aspirations are defined by others
She is a Lotus Flower
She is valued for her physical beauty but not for who she truly is
Who will need her?
She wonders if anyone will ever truly understand her
Who will hold her?
She longs for someone to comfort her and support her emotionally
Who will love her?
She desires genuine love and acceptance from others
Contributed by Eliana W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.