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.
Drunk Mouth Kitchen Smile
The Lawrence Arms Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This is a shy and quiet morning
The sleeping dogs awoke last night
The thunder scares them, stiff eyed
Exercise (your exorcisms)
Anger down (bleeds the same)
Autumn night,
Stay soft and cool
I'll be gone
step tears and tired of watching
They're filing out the big top doors
I'm buried in the smell of circus
Those dark clouds are rolling in
Drunken mouth (kitchen smile)
Please summon me softly to sleep
today I've seen a dragon
On the ripped and worn out armrest
Stay back the skin is laced with sticks of dynamite
I'll be burning out
Like a shooting star
A thousand pretty lights
Of silly singing feelings
I should be on trial
For everything I haven't done
I should be on trial
For everything I haven't done
The Lawrence Arms’s song “Drunk Mouth Kitchen Smile” is a deep and melancholic tune that carries different emotions from start to finish. The first few lines of the song talk about confrontations and how the morning it is unfolding is shy and quiet. The next line refers to the noise that happened in the previous night that scared dogs and the thunder that made them frightened, explaining how the singer is feeling. Later, the lyrics suggest that it is possible to release anger through exorcisms because anger and other emotions bleed the same way, and the singer needs to stay soft and cool to release them properly. The line “come morning light, I'll be gone” might be indicative of a transient lifestyle which is further supported when the singer mentions the circus and how they are buried in its smell.
The second verse is more complex, mentioning a dragon appearing on a ripped armrest and how the singer will soon burn out like a shooting star. The singer mentions being on a trial for everything they haven't done which means they feel guilty about their choices or they have failed to accomplish everything they wanted in life. The song has a sad tone to it, but the lyrics allude to the possibility of moving on and leaving the past behind.
Line by Line Meaning
Consider confrontations
Let's think about potential conflicts
This is a shy and quiet morning
It's early and things are peaceful
The sleeping dogs awoke last night
Something caused a disturbance and now there is unrest
The thunder scares them, stiff eyed
The loud noise is making the dogs uneasy and they are wide-eyed in fear
Exercise (your exorcisms)
Try to rid yourself of negative thoughts or emotions
Anger down (bleeds the same)
Suppressing your anger doesn't actually make it go away
Autumn night, Stay soft and cool
The night is cool and calm
Come morning light I'll be gone
By morning, I will have left
Step tears and tired of watching
Feeling overwhelmed and exhausted from observing the situation
They're filing out the big top doors
People are leaving in mass amounts
I'm buried in the smell of circus
I'm fully immersed in the situation, whether I like it or not
Those dark clouds are rolling in
Things are about to get worse
Drunken mouth (kitchen smile)
Being overly talkative and friendly when under the influence
Please summon me softly to sleep
Please help me calm down and rest
Today I've seen a dragon
Something fantastical or unbelievable happened
On the ripped and worn out armrest
Referring to a specific location or piece of furniture
Stay back the skin is laced with sticks of dynamite
I am dangerous and unpredictable, don't push me too far
I'll be burning out. Like a shooting star
I will flame out or burn out quickly, like a meteor
A thousand pretty lights, of silly singing feelings
Describing a beautiful or romantic scene/emotion
I should be on trial for everything I haven't done
Sometimes it feels like you'll be judged regardless of what actions you take
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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