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.
Detention
The Lawrence Arms Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The Lawrence Arms’s song Detention is a powerful and emotional reflection on the experience of violence in high school. The lyrics vividly describe a chaotic scene in a square room, with baseball bats and fists flying, bodies surging and snapping, and blood running down necks and chins. The singer is isolated and alone in the crowd, experiencing anxiety and fear as the violence erupts around him. The microcosm of humanity in the room represents the cold and brutal reality of the world we live in, where instinctual violence can erupt at any moment, and people are often left feeling alone and vulnerable.
The lyrics capture the intense physical and emotional toll of violence, with the singer losing two chunks from his neck and being left dizzy and terrified. The song also speaks to the experience of feeling trapped in a violent situation, with the singer saying, “there is no way out of detention.” The closing lyric, “Mom, I’m never going back to school again,” represents the deep trauma that can result from experiencing violence at school, and the lasting impact it can have on a person’s life.
Line by Line Meaning
Baseball bats and salivating mouths in a square room, doors pocked.
A scene of violence and aggression, with people wielding weapons and eagerly anticipating a fight, enclosed in a confined space where escape may be difficult.
once again I'm alone inside a crowd, a misplaced throw, a misplaced swing and everything unfolds.
Despite being surrounded by people, the singer feels isolated and disconnected from the situation. An unexpected action sets off a chain reaction that leads to chaos and violence.
a microcosm of humanity, a microcosm of cold ... the waves wash over another.
The chaotic and violent scene represents a small-scale version of the struggles and conflicts of all humanity. Each act of violence adds to the growing chaos and destruction.
anxiety, proximity erupting from the chemistry of testosterone, isolated until the first fists fly.
Tension and nervousness build up as people get closer to each other, driven by the aggressive energy of male hormones. The artist feels alone and ostracized from the group until the first punch is thrown.
instincts pushed to breaking points, surging bodies, snapping joints.
People's natural fight or flight instincts are pushed to their limits, resulting in a frenzy of bodies and painful injuries.
two shoes lost inside a fray, two socks on laminated hardwood. 360 degrees into harms way.
Amid the chaos, the singer loses their shoes and is left standing on a slippery surface, surrounded by danger from all directions.
a length of lead grazed the side of my head. as others fall and others leave and others how their vampire teeth.
The singer is injured in the brawl, as other people continue to fight, flee, or bite each other like savage beasts.
two chunks from my neck, four lips that drip with skin, socks that slide as the blood runs down my neck or over two strange chins.
The artist's injuries are gruesome and severe, with flesh torn away from their neck and blood flowing down their body and onto others around them.
there is no way out of detention.
The violent and chaotic scene is a metaphorical prison, with no escape or resolution in sight.
rage pushed a doorway down. fear carried me past the last contusions hurled at bodies on the ground.
The artist's anger and adrenaline help them push through a physical barrier, and their fear helps them get past the last injuries and bodies in their path.
dizzy terrified awake in sweaty skin, "mom, I'm never going back to school again."
The singer is left shaken and traumatized by the experience, vowing to never return to the place where it happened.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
korvacs138
I love this band. Very tight lyrics and the playing is great. I wish they made twenty albums.