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.
Here Comes the Neighborhood
The Lawrence Arms Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All my friends are bartenders in all the coolest bars
My girlfriend's in the coolest band that you've ever seen
They play the Empty Bottle every week
I've got everything I need
My loft, my motorcycle, my hip restaurant down the street
And my neighbors are all artists or hot girls over 18
From Jinx to Betty's Blue Star, everybody knows my name
From North Ave down to Augusta, everybody's all the same
It's a playground fueled by beer, no Chicagoans live here
It's a playground fueled by beer, no Chicagoans live here
It's geography bound tightly by big city dreams
It's geography bound tightly by big city dreams
And when the property value's raised
You'll be on your merry ways
Like the poor outclassed families before you
You've already paved Ashland to Western, Chicago to North Ave
Congratulations kids, your shallow model city
Is sinking, sinking down
Congratulations kids, your shallow model city
Is sinking, sinking down
You've become what you swore that you'd never be
The song "Here Comes the Neighborhood" by The Lawrence Arms critiques the gentrification and cultural homogenization of working-class neighborhoods in big cities. The singer presents themselves as a hipster who has everything they need in their neighborhood and does not need community because they have their own "scene." They describe their lifestyle, which includes working, living, and socializing in the same area, surrounded by other young and artistic individuals. However, the singer's lifestyle is also fueled by alcohol, and they acknowledge that they do not truly belong in the neighborhood as they are not native Chicagoans.
The lyrics suggest that the rapid gentrification of the neighborhood is transforming it into a superficial and inauthentic place, turning it into a "shallow model city." The singer seems to recognize that their presence in the area is contributing to the displacement of working-class families, and it's only a matter of time before they are priced out themselves. The final lyrics serve as a warning and a call to action to the hipster community living in the area, reminding them that they have become the very thing they swore they would never be - part of a process that destroys the authenticity of neighborhoods and the diversity of the people who live there.
Line by Line Meaning
I work on Belmont, but I live in Wicker Park
I have a job on Belmont, but I choose to live in Wicker Park because it's a trendy area.
All my friends are bartenders in all the coolest bars
My social circle consists of people who have jobs in the trendy bar scene.
My girlfriend's in the coolest band that you've ever seen
My girlfriend is in a band that is popular in our niche community.
They play the Empty Bottle every week
Her band has a regular gig at a popular venue.
I've got everything I need
I have all the material possessions that are deemed important in our scene.
My loft, my motorcycle, my hip restaurant down the street
I have a trendy living space, a cool mode of transportation, and a nearby restaurant that caters to the scene.
And my neighbors are all artists or hot girls over 18
My neighbors are all people who fit into our aesthetic preferences and are of legal age to be part of our scene.
Who needs community when you live right in your scene?
I don't see the need for a community beyond the one that already exists within the scene.
From Jinx to Betty's Blue Star, everybody knows my name
I am a regular at the popular establishments in our scene and am recognized by others who frequent them.
From North Ave down to Augusta, everybody's all the same
The people within our scene have a homogenous look and behavior, and are found within a specific geographical area.
It's a playground fueled by beer, no Chicagoans live here
The scene is centered around places that serve alcohol, and the people within it are not representative of the larger Chicago population.
It's geography bound tightly by big city dreams
Our scene revolves around a specific area within the city that encapsulates our aspirations for being part of a big city environment.
And when the property value's raised
As the land becomes more valuable, people who are part of our scene may be displaced.
You'll be on your merry ways
People who are displaced may leave without much of a fight, as they are not invested in the larger community.
Like the poor outclassed families before you
Displacement affects marginalized groups in the community who may not have the same resources as those within our scene.
You've already paved Ashland to Western, Chicago to North Ave
Our scene has already created a culture that has changed the landscape of the area that we are in.
Congratulations kids, your shallow model city
The scene we are part of has promoted a shallow and superficial culture in the city.
Is sinking, sinking down
The culture that we have created is not sustainable.
You've become what you swore that you'd never be
People who are part of our scene may have lost sight of the values and aspirations that brought them to the city in the first place.
Contributed by Scarlett H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.