In 2005, the band recorded their debut album, Good and Reckless and True, with producer Jay Joyce in Nashville, TN. The next few years were spent touring and honing their live sound. In 2006, the band won an Independent Music Award for the song "Ordinary." Later that year, the band signed with Vanguard Records.
In 2007, the band re-released Good and Reckless and True on Vanguard, and released a limited-edition acoustic album. This latter album, available only at shows, was affectionately titled The Brooklawn Sessions, referring to the house where Tim and then bass player Chip Johnson lived and recorded the album. On April 10, 2007, the Alternate Routes performed their single "Time is a Runaway" on Late Night with Conan O'Brien.
In 2008, the band recorded their follow-up LP, Sucker's Dream, again with Jay Joyce in Nashville. While waiting for its release in February 2009, the band recorded a five song EP, The Watershed EP, at Tarquin Studios with producer Peter Katis in their hometown of Bridgeport.
In 2010, longtime band member Chip Johnson left the band to pursue his home studio, Alpine Red.
The Alternate Routes parted ways with Vanguard Records in 2010 and shortly headed back to Nashville to begin work on their third studio album, Lately. Produced by Teddy Morgan at Barrio East in Nashville over the course of 6 weeks, the album featured drummer Richard Medek and multi-instrumentalist Carl Broemel of My Morning Jacket.
“The way that I make is my own, but I know what I’m in for,” sings Tim Warren, front man and co-founder of The Alternate Routes.
Whatever fate has in store for this promising young band, it’s sure to make for a good story…and an even better song. Since 2002, The Alternate Routes have never been afraid to roll the dice during their brief and turbulent journey, always relying upon their heartfelt brand of music to pull them through the ups and downs that come with the territory. It’s a trait evident in their powerful Vanguard Records debut, Good and Reckless and True, a memorable, incredibly confident opening statement from a band that takes nothing for granted.
Warren recalls the initial meeting with his future songwriting partner/lead-guitarist, Eric Donnelly, between classes at Connecticut’s Fairfield University. “Eric and I appreciated the same things about music,” Warren says. "When we started out, we didn't really fit in anywhere. We played everywhere we could, at bars, clubs, coffee shops …but we always believed in what we were doing. We believed our music was important and we’ve never lost that feeling.”
The duo’s path crossed with that of bassist Chip Johnson during a brief residency in the Boston area. He was a skinny, mild-mannered presence—a kid who could pick up any instrument and make it his own. “I always say that Tim and I had the songs, but we didn’t have a band until we met Chip,” says Donnelly.
The months following Johnson’s arrival were important ones, the trio hung onto their music, their ideals, refining their sound and never lost focus. They turned each humbling moment into a lesson, each gig into a learning experience and established the all-or-nothing attitude that has come to define them.
Just a Dream
The Alternate Routes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Summer had to end
When one foot's going forward
One knee's about to bend
So take what you can carry
And let's be on our way
It's all a dream
You try to get it back
But it's never quite enough
You know it's all
All a dream
It's all a dream is all
And you know I'll be there waiting
When the sun starts coming up
It's all a dream
I make peace with my anger
When fire wants to fight
And there's no greater danger
Then turning out the light
So I surrender baby
I'd rather go back home
It's all a dream
It's all a dream is all
You try to get it back
But it's never quite enough
You know it's all
All a dream
It's all a dream is all
But you know I'll be there waiting
When the sun starts coming up
It's all a dream
The one's that love you
See you all at once
The one's that love you
See you all at once
The one's that love you
See you all at once
It's all a dream
It's all a dream is all
You try to get it back
But it's never quite enough
You know it's all
All a dream
It's all a dream is all
But you know I'll be there waiting
When the sun starts coming up
It's all a dream
It's all a dream
It's all a dream
It's all a dream
It's all a dream is all
The Alternate Routes’ “Just a Dream” is a reflective and nostalgic song about coming to terms with the transience of life. The first verse begins with an acknowledgement that weekends and summers inevitably come to an end, and with them, the moments we hold so dear. The subsequent lines, “When one foot is going forward, one knee is about to bend,” can be interpreted as a metaphor for moving forward in life while recognizing our own human limitations.
The chorus reinforces the idea that life is fleeting and transitory, that sometimes the things we desire and cherish the most are just fleeting dreams that we can never quite recapture or hold onto. However, the chorus concludes with a positive and hopeful note: that the singer will be there waiting when the sun comes up, and that life is still in many ways a beautiful dream that is worth cherishing.
The second verse of the song adds to this theme of coming to terms with life’s complexities and accepting our own limitations. The “fire” that the singer refers to could be anger, passion, or even life itself. The line “there’s no greater danger than turning out the light” suggests that giving up on life or giving in to our own limitations is the most dangerous thing we can do.
Overall, “Just a Dream” is a poignant and heartfelt song about the beauty and heartbreak of life, and the importance of cherishing the moments we have.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't blame it on the weekend
Don't find an excuse for what's happening
Summer had to end
Good things are not meant to last forever
When one foot's going forward
One knee's about to bend
Life is a balancing act and every decision comes with its own set of consequences.
So take what you can carry
And let's be on our way
Accept what you have and move on.
It's all a dream
It's all a dream is all
You try to get it back
But it's never quite enough
You know it's all
All a dream
Nothing in life is set in stone, we strive for the things we love and sometimes it's just a dream
I make peace with my anger
When fire wants to fight
I learn to accept my emotions when they get overwhelming.
And there's no greater danger
Then turning out the light
The worst thing to do is give up, even if things seem dark.
So I surrender baby
I'd rather go back home
It's better to surrender to your intuition and find your way back.
The one's that love you
See you all at once
It's always amazing to be surrounded by loved ones
It's all a dream
It's all a dream is all
But you know I'll be there waiting
When the sun starts coming up
While life is just a dream, I will still be here taking strides and living each day.
It's all a dream
It's all a dream
It's all a dream
It's all a dream is all
Reinforcing that life is nothing but a mere dream.
Contributed by Callie G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.