The original lineup consisting of Kody Templeman, Zack Rawhauser, Cory Laurence, and Tim (Timmy V) O'Hara as a four-piece only recorded the first 7",I Lost My Marbles, produced by Joe King of The Queers for his More Bounce to the Ounce compilation. The band continued as a three-piece after Zack quit.
Their first full-length album, titled Shit Out of Luck, was released on Clearview Records in 1996. Following the release of their first album the band changed their lyrical focus. In 1999 they went into the studio with producer-engineer Mass Giorgini to record a new LP. This was done with the band's own money, and without the benefit of a record label. The result was Death By Television, an album that took sci-fi movie-themed songs such as War Of The Worlds and Invasion Of The Saucermen and combined them with tracks that made references to other retro themes, such as X-Ray Specs. The recordings instantly created a buzz. Successful label Fat Wreck Chords offered to release the album, but the band had already accepted an offer of Panic Button Records, an imprint of influential punk label Lookout! Records that was overseen by Ben Weasel of Screeching Weasel fame.
The band spent the next two years touring heavily within the punk scene and disbanded after teaming with Giorgini for their final Panic Button/Lookout! release, the spy-themed LP The Backchannel Broadcast, which was released in February, 2001. The album included the song Wait It Out, written by Ben Weasel and later re-recorded by The Riverdales for their record Phase Three.
John Jughead (of Screeching Weasel and Even in Blackouts) filled in as second guitar on many tour stops on the Death by Television and Backchannel tours. Other notable appearances on these tours include Ben Weasel (at The Fireside in Chicago, his first stage appearance since 1995), and Lurch Nobody. Timmy V left the band after Death by Television and was replaced by Austin, Texas drummer Scott.
Red Scare Industries reissued Death By Television (remastered) and Backchannel Broadcast in 2005.
The band split for a few years before reuniting with all original members to release an album, [album artist=the lillingtonsThe Too Late Show in 2006, with no plans on reuniting for a tour to support due to the members' other commitments.
In 2017 they released an album [album artist=the lillingtons]Stella Sapiente.
Frontman Templeman is currently a member of Laramie, Wyoming pop punk band Teenage Bottlerocket.
Drummer Timmy V is currently playing as a hired hand with Albuquerque, New Mexico all girl three-piece The Eyeliners, and plays drums in his own project Stabbed in Back, with a hardcore/punk album entitled A Portrait of Noise.
Drawing Down the Stars
The Lillingtons Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Break the stars above
Break the cosmic chains
And of the mundane
It′s time to put an end to all we know
Once again the winds of chaos blow
Destroyer of all worlds to be released
The Lillingtons's "Drawing Down the Stars" is a song that captures the essence of the end of the world. The lyrics showcase a desire to break free from the mundane and regular life we lead, and to embrace the chaos and destruction that comes with drawing down the stars. The song speaks to a desire for change and the feeling of being trapped in a world that is no longer fulfilling. The use of "wind of chaos" is symbolic of the uncontrollable nature of the world, and how sometimes it is necessary to let go of control and embrace what is to come.
The lyrics "all hell unleashed" is a stark reminder that sometimes change can be violent and chaotic, but it is necessary for new beginnings. It is a call to move beyond the current state of life and embrace the unknown. The use of the word "destroyer" is not meant to be interpreted negatively, but as a force that is necessary to break down old paradigms and make room for the new.
Line by Line Meaning
Rise, destroyer of
Awaken and stand tall, powerful being who can cause destruction
Break the stars above
Shatter the celestial bodies present high in the sky
Break the cosmic chains
Break free from the chains holding back the power of the universe
And of the mundane
Destroy everything that is common and ordinary
It's time to put an end to all we know
The moment has come to bring an end to all that is familiar and expected
Once again the winds of chaos blow
The chaotic winds of change are once again present
Destroyer of all worlds to be released
The being has the power to destroy all the worlds that are still present
Drawing down the stars, all hell unleashed
By pulling the stars down from the sky, the might of destruction will be unleashed
Contributed by Caden C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.