Over its decade-long history, the band has undergone a large number of personnel changes. Multi-instrumentalist and main songwriter Anton Newcombe is the only member who has stayed with the Brian Jonestown Massacre since its beginning, when it was founded by Newcombe, tambourine player Joel Gion (who stayed with him the longest), and guitarist/bassist/vocalist Matt Hollywood. There are at least two dozen musicians who have been in the BJM at one point or another.
Ex-members include: guitarist Jeff Davies; Matt Hollywood, a founding member of Portland band The Out Crowd; Peter Hayes, founding member of San Francisco rock trio Black Rebel Motorcycle Club; Joel Gion, a founding member of San Francisco band, The Dilettantes; Rob Campanella, a Los Angeles producer and engineer who has worked with The Tyde, Beachwood Sparks, Dead Meadow, Mia Doi Todd, Frausdots, Scarling., and his band The Quarter After; Bobby Hecksher, founding member of Los Angeles band The Warlocks; solo recording artist Miranda Lee Richards; Matt Tow, founding member of the Australian band The Lovetones.
Current long-term members include Collin Hegna (bass), Frankie Teardrop (guitar,noise,etc), and Dan Allaire (percussion). Long-time guitarist Ricky Rene Maymi was recently replaced by Irina Yaikowsky for a short tour, who was in turn, replaced by Ricky Rene Maymi.
Much has been made of the fact that Newcombe is head strong and has just one vision in mind: his own. However, many of the musicians who quit his band have stayed in his orbit and continue working with him in some capacity. Newcombe was, at one point, a drummer in Hecksher's Warlocks. Campanella produces or engineers many of the records on Newcombe's record label, the Committee to Keep Music Evil and has also been on the last 2 highly successful European tours, playing keyboards and on occasion, guitar. Gion is forever showing back up shaking the tambourine at BJM shows. Even the Dandy Warhols appear to have buried the hatchet with Newcombe, as he joined them onstage at Lollapalooza in July of 2005.
In 2005 the band released the EP We Are the Radio, on Newcombe's record label The Committee to Keep Music Evil.
The band announced the release of a new studio album, tentatively titled My Bloody Underground, which was released in 2008. On September 3, 2007, the band released rough recordings from the album for download from their website. Music videos of the songs on the album have also been released, including a music video compilation DVD entitled 'Book of Days'. Songs from Brian Jonestown Massacre were specially adapted for use in the score to the critically acclaimed independent film, "Four Eyed Monsters."
dawn
The Brian Jonestown Massacre Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Til the morning's first light
What did I see?
I know it wasn't me there
I waited for you
For my dreams to come true
What will they be?
The lyrics in The Brian Jonestown Massacre's song "Dawn" appear to speak to the experience of staying up all night and waiting for someone or something to arrive. The singer seems to be experiencing some sense of disassociation, as he questions what he saw during the late hours of the night and wonders if the dreams he has been waiting for will ever come true. The line "I know it wasn't me there" suggests a sense of detachment, as if the singer is questioning whether he was fully present during his nighttime vigil.
As the song progresses, the singer continues to wait for the arrival of his dreams and hopes to see the person he has been waiting for. There is a sense of anticipation and expectancy in the lyrics, as if the singer is on the brink of some great realization or encounter. However, the final line of the song, "I hope I can see you hardly," adds a layer of uncertainty and ambiguity, as it is unclear whether the singer will indeed be able to see the person he has been waiting for, or if the encounter will be fleeting and difficult to grasp.
Overall, "Dawn" is a song that speaks to the experience of waiting and hoping, with a sense of detachment and uncertainty woven throughout the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
I stayed up all night
I spent an entire night sleepless
'Til the morning's first light
Until the sunrise
What did I see?
I witnessed something that intrigued me
I know it wasn't me there
Who I saw wasn't me or anyone I recognized
I waited for you
I was long patient for you
For my dreams to come true
For the realization of my deepest desires
What will they be?
What would my success look like?
I hope I can see you hardly
I hope I hardly get to see you as you would come to further tease my deepest desires
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: MATT HOLLYWOOD, ANTON NEWCOMBE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind