Members of the Lawrence Arms have also played in The Broadways, Slapstick, Tricky Dick and Baxter.
The three musicians came together to form the Lawrence Arms in 1999. Although punk rock bands in their infancy generally start out by releasing EPs and 7" vinyl singles, the band members used their existing relationship with Asian Man Records to immediately begin recording a full-length album, a guided tour of chicago, which was released later that year. A second album, ghost stories, followed in 2000. Both albums focused heavily on the members' own stories of growing up and living in Chicago.
The band's next two releases were split EPs with other bands. The first, a split with Shady View Terrace, was released in 2000 and was their first release to be recorded by Matt Allison, who would continue to record and produce all of their subsequent releases. A second EP, Present Day Memories, was released in 2001 and was a split with The Chinkees.
The band's records and touring schedule had brought them to the attention of Fat Mike of NOFX, who signed them to his label Fat Wreck Chords in late 2001. Their first release on the label was a 7" vinyl single, part of the label's "Fat Club" series of 7" records. This was followed by the full-length album apathy and exhaustion, released in 2002. The album spawned the band's first music video, for the song porno and snuff films and they toured extensively with NOFX and other bands from the label.
Their next album was 2003's the greatest story ever told. Arguably their most ambitious album to date, it demonstrated the band members' continued growth as musicians and songwriters and included extensive footnotes to the lyrics detailing their many references to history, literature and pop culture. It also showed an evolution in the band's vocal style. Kelly had sung most of the vocals on their first album, while on subsequent releases he and McCaughan had split vocal duties almost equally from one song to the next, with Kelly's voice tending to sound more harsh and urgent while McCaughan's sounds more relaxed and melodic. With this release, however, the two began to move towards more of a duet style of singing which would feature prominently on their next album. Extensive touring following the album's release saw the band on the road for much of 2003 and 2004. They also contributed a song to the Fat Wreck Chords Rock Against Bush, Volume 2 compilation, leading up to the 2004 presidential election and became involved with the Punk Voter campaign.
In December of 2004 Kelly and Hennessy joined with fellow Chicago natives Dan Andriano of Alkaline Trio (who had played with Kelly in Slapstick) and Todd Mohney, formerly of Rise Against, to form The Falcon, and released an EP on Red Scare. Meanwhile, with interest in the Lawrence Arms increasing and their EPs out of print, Asian Man Records planned a CD release of the band's EP tracks. The resulting compilation album, Cocktails & Dreams, was released on Asian Man in June of 2005 and included their songs from both EPs along with nearly all of their compilation tracks, rare songs and b-sides.
The Lawrence Arms re-entered the studio in October and November of 2005 and recorded the album oh! calcutta!, which was released on Fat Wreck Chords in March of 2006. It had an overall faster and more urgent feel to it than their previous album, and demonstrated another step in the development of their singing as Kelly and McCaughan shared vocals in a duet style on nearly every song. They filmed a music video for the song the devil's takin' names.
The Lawrence Arms spent most of 2006 touring extensively alongside bands such as NOFX, Alkaline Trio, The Draft, Lagwagon, and A Wilhelm Scream. The full-length debut by the Falcon was released that fall on Red Scare. In December, the Lawrence Arms embarked on their first headlining tour of Australia, also playing supporting shows with Frenzal Rhomb.
In March of 2007, guitarist Chris McCaughan released the debut album from his acoustic side project Sundowner, entitled four one five two.
The band toured again in 2007, with their side projects The Falcon and Sundowner as openers along with the recently reunited American Steel.
The 2010s saw minimal studio activity by the band, but for one album. 2014's Metropole was received well, and marked the band's first full-length in eight years. The band took another extended break in between albums again, taking six years before releasing their seventh album Skeleton Coast in 2020.
A Wishful Puppeteer
The Lawrence Arms Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I guess it's been about a year by now
Cold and rainy, in a poet's words
Dark and crimson in a drunken sway
I was frozen in a windowpane
Kind of like I was on a movie screen
Your hair was darker than I remembered it
So much has changed, it seems nothing ever changes
I found a way to wear a thousand different faces
Time creeps into my dreams
Breathe deep, fill your lungs with me
Headaches, stalemates
Chest pains, I'm trembling
Ink stains, text to burn
Am I leaving, am I leaving?
I found your face in my dreams the last two nights
What are you doing there? What am I singing for?
A window sitter, grown into the crutch
The crutch has always been right there for him
I'm sorry, I'm pushing her away
I'm dark and crimson in a drunken sway
So much has changed, it seems nothing ever changes
The Lawrence Arms's song A Wishful Puppeteer speaks of the nostalgia and regret that comes with an old love, memories that linger even after so much has changed. The lyrics start with the singer reminiscing about a particular night in Brooklyn they shared with their partner. It has been a year since that night, and the memories are still vivid, described in a "poet's words" and "drunken sway." The singer recounts the awkwardness they felt when they saw their partner again, frozen "like a movie screen." The scene is set with melancholic undertones, as the singer realizes just how much has changed since that time, how time itself is slowing creeping into their dreams.
The chorus is a repeating phrase that carries a resounding sense of loss and confusion. The singer is experiencing headaches, chest pains, and ink stains - metaphorical reminders that they are grappling with feelings that they can neither verbalize nor alleviate. They feel like they are on the verge of leaving. The second verse carries on with the dream-like imagery, as memories morph into images that the singer cannot comprehend. They see their partner's face in their dreams for the past two nights, questioning why they are there and what the singer's singing is for.
The song paints a picture of how memories can both comfort and torment at the same time. The singer is a puppeteer, controlling the strings to try to make sense of what has happened, even as they realize that it might be all for naught. They are unable to shake off those memories, haunted by their thoughts, and unable to move forward.
Line by Line Meaning
I haven't seen you since that Brooklyn night
It's been a year since the persona saw the addressee in Brooklyn
I guess it's been about a year by now
The persona estimates that it has been a year since they last saw the addressee
Cold and rainy, in a poet's words
The previous encounter with the addressee was in unpleasant weather that reminded the persona of poetry
Dark and crimson in a drunken sway
The persona was drunk during the last encounter with the addressee and remembers it as dark and red
I was frozen in a windowpane
The persona felt stuck or trapped like a figure behind a windowpane
Kind of like I was on a movie screen
The persona felt like they were part of a movie scene
Your hair was darker than I remembered it
The addressee's hair appeared darker than the persona's memory of it
I was as awkward as I could have been
The persona felt very uncomfortable during the encounter
So much has changed, it seems nothing ever changes
Despite changes that have occurred, the persona feels like things always stay the same
I found a way to wear a thousand different faces
The persona has developed a habit of putting on different personas or masks
Time creeps into my dreams
The passing of time affects the persona's dreams
Breathe deep, fill your lungs with me
The persona might be talking to their partner and asking them to take a deep breath while close to them
Headaches, stalemates
The persona is experiencing headaches and is stuck in a stalemate
Chest pains, I'm trembling
The persona is experiencing chest pains and/or is trembling
Ink stains, text to burn
The persona has something written down that they might want to erase or destroy
Am I leaving, am I leaving?
The persona is questioning whether they want to leave or not
I found your face in my dreams the last two nights
The persona saw the addressee's face in their dreams for the past two nights
What are you doing there? What am I singing for?
The persona questions why the addressee is in their dreams and why they are singing about it
A window sitter, grown into the crutch
The persona has grown comfortable with depending on their vices
The crutch has always been right there for him
The persona always has access to their vice, like a crutch
I'm sorry, I'm pushing her away
The persona is apologizing for pushing their partner away
I'm dark and crimson in a drunken sway
The persona is drunk and feels dark and red
So much has changed, it seems nothing ever changes
The persona reiterates the idea that many things have changed, but it feels like nothing ever does
Contributed by Natalie G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.