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.
Jumping the Shark
The Lawrence Arms Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The years fly right by with the drinks
It's morning in this small apartment
And I just threw up in the sink.
The coke is not settling anything
And I'm as tired as I've ever been
I'd like to go back to Chicago
But I'm not looking back there again
I fought with all of my teachers
I fought with all of my friends
I fought with the vices and sweating and shakes
I'm not going back there again.
No, I'm not going back there again.
Tonight, tonight I'm walkin' away.
Tonight, tonight I'm walkin' away.
I don't want to hear about old days
What are we doing today?
Fake memories, they don't impress me.
The old times were never that great.
We got the whole city
Before us
Tonight, tonight we're walkin' away
And I wanna bury
The past
Tonight, tonight we're walking away
With bottles and dancing
With whiskey and love
Let's drink to the death of regret
Tonight, tonight I'm walkin' away
Tonight, tonight I'm walkin' away
Oh.
The Lawrence Arms's song Jumping the Shark is a tale of a person reminiscing about their past and feeling lost in the present. The first verse talks about how time flies by quickly and how the singer is struggling with alcohol and drug addiction. They want to go back to Chicago, but they know that it's not a good idea. The singer has fought with everyone around them, including teachers, friends, and their own vices. They have had enough of their past and want to walk away from it all.
In the second verse, the singer declares their intention to move on from their past. They are tired of hearing about the good old days and how the past was so much better. The singer believes that the old times were never that great, and they are ready to start afresh. They want to bury their past and leave it behind once and for all. The singer is ready to move on and enjoy their present.
Overall, Jumping the Shark is a song about letting go of the past and embracing the present. The singer is tired of being stuck in the past and wants to live in the moment. It's a powerful song about self-discovery and coming to terms with one's past.
Line by Line Meaning
Losing sight of a past time
Forgetting about a time in the past.
The years fly right by with the drinks
Drinking a lot and losing track of time.
It's morning in this small apartment
Waking up in a small apartment.
And I just threw up in the sink.
Vomiting due to excessive drinking.
The coke is not settling anything
Snorting cocaine is not helping the situation.
And I'm as tired as I've ever been
Feeling extremely exhausted.
I'd like to go back to Chicago
Wanting to return to Chicago.
But I'm not looking back there again
Not wanting to dwell on the past.
I fought with all of my teachers
Having problems with all of one's teachers.
I fought with all of my friends
Fighting with all of one's friends.
I fought with the vices and sweating and shakes
Fighting with one's addiction and its effects.
I'm not going back there again.
Not wanting to relive those experiences.
Tonight, tonight I'm walkin' away.
Leaving behind the past and moving on.
I don't want to hear about old days
Not wanting to hear about past experiences.
What are we doing today?
Focusing on the present and future.
Fake memories, they don't impress me.
Fake memories are not important or impressive.
The old times were never that great.
Reflecting on the past and realizing it was not that great.
We got the whole city before us
Having the whole city to explore and enjoy.
And I wanna bury the past
Putting the past behind and moving forward.
With bottles and dancing, with whiskey and love
Celebrating the present with alcohol and dancing.
Let's drink to the death of regret
Drinking to forget about past regrets.
Oh
Exclamation of emotion.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind