The Organ was conceived in 2001 by front woman Katie Sketch, born Katie Richie, in Vancouver, Canada. Sketch's musical training started at the age of three, when she began classical training on the violin. Her childhood was spent largely in ignorance of the underground sounds of The Cure, Joy Division and The Smiths, whom The Organ would later often be compared to. She says: "Tiffany and Bon Jovi - that was my take on "80s music."
Katie attended an all-girls school, where she met Barb Choit, a childhood friend who would later help design the sound of the band in its embryonic stages. The oldest of three kids, Katie focused her attention on sports rather than music during her teens, racing competitively as a skier. "When Shelby and Jenny and Ashley were in high school, they knew all the obscure artists," Sketch admits. "I knew none of them and didn't learn about them until much later. I grew up listening to top 40. I liked U2 and Guns N' Roses. I also liked old Sarah McLachlan, but 90 percent of the people that I hung out with as a teenager didn't even know who she was. She was considered totally cutting-edge because she wasn't played on the radio." However, by the end of the 90s, her musical consciousness had begun to transform in ways that would later lead to the formation of her own unique sound.
"I was in a musical lull, I couldn't stand what I was listening to," says Sketch, naming Sleater-Kinney as one example. "The local scene was also pretty shitty, and of course the radio was brutal. Then, by total fluke, my mom's friend’s husband, Ron Obvious, hired me to help with the audio wiring for a studio he was building for Bryan Adams." Obvious introduced Katie to the world of independent music, and what she calls "that '80s sound." He created mix-tapes of bands he thought she'd appreciate as a violinist (Roxy Music, Ultravox) and singers with an "amazing natural vocal pitch" (Siouxsie and the Banshees, Nina Hagen, Kate Bush). This job also led Sketch to Tara Nelson, the engineer who would later record the Organ's EP.
It was at this time that Katie joined with her friends Sarah Efron (on bass and keyboards) and Barb "Sketch" Choit (Hammond organ, guitar, bass) to form the instrumental trio "Full Sketch."
The Organ extends "Full Sketch" with singing. After about a year, Full Sketch ended because Barb Sketch separated from the group. After several auditions that began in 2001, Katie preferred to just "hire" like-minded people and teach them how to play the instruments. The original group eventually rounded out with Katie, Jenny, Sarah, drummer Shelby Stocks, and guitarist Debora Cohen. In summer 2002, The Organ made their debut with the release of the Sinking Hearts EP. The Canadian press and indie publications across America praised The Organ's dream-pop inflected presentation. By January, The Organ was signed to Chad Kroeger's 604 imprint and Mint Records. However, before the year was out, Efron would leave to focus on her journalism career and be replaced by Ashley Webber.
In 2004 Ashley Webber was asked to leave the band because she involved in another music project. Katie preferred that the band (The Organ) should remain being the top priority. Ashley was asked to join the band again during The Organ's first international touring. And short after that Ashely left the band again.
On November 14, 2005, The Organ appeared live on BBC6 Radio with their new bass player Shmoo, the younger sister of front woman Katie Sketch. They gave a brief interview and performed live renditions of the songs There Is Nothing I Can Do and Love, Love, Love. On the 27th, a little over a week later, The Organ announced via their website that they had just been signed to Too Pure Records, through which Grab That Gun would be available throughout the world in February 2006.
Since then The Organ has been active touring the US, Canada and Europe promoting their album. Shelby once said that she did not expect people to turn up at their concert in Amsterdam. Their performance on stage is somewhat hypnotizing: no active over-the-top yelling as many indie rock bands do. They just stand there and play, interacting with the audience occasionally. They prefer to keep their performances short yet unforgettable. Selling their own merchandise is one added point to the cuteness of the band.
The band split on 7/12/2006.
"The Organ called it quits in 2006, with Katie, Jenny, Schmoo, Debra, and Shelby heading their separate ways. At the time of the breakup, the band had been working on several new songs, and some months later the members began discussing the possibility of bringing these remaining gems to life. In 2007, The Organ briefly regrouped and headed back into the studio to quietly record these six remaining unrecorded songs, originally meant to be part of a follow-up to their 2004 debut full-length Grab That Gun."
Shmoo's got a new side project, named Die Cowboy Die. It is still in the works.
Katie Sketch has a new project called the Mermaids, until now we've only heard one song - "Say you're alive" - available on youtube.
Brother
The Organ Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They're back again
Look alive , warn your friends
We are warm and we are safe
Enjoy it while you can before
Things change
We have got to take cover,
We have got to take cover,
Brother
Lie down in a field if you can
Look at the night sky
Oh, where does it end?
Sometimes it hurts when you
Care about me
But it's going to hurt more when
They take you away from me
We have go to take cover, brother
We have got to take cover, brother
Here we go again
Oh midnight knocks!
Oh explosions!
Maybe it's all made up in our heads
This happens to me when I'm bored
Or depressed
Here is the best part of the song
Where I admit that I might be wrong
Because if they are good and if
They are right
Then they'll have their rapture one
Of these nights
But if they are wrong
, if they are wrong
Then they will disappear
And we will carry on
We have got to take cover, brother
We have got to take cover, brother
The lyrics of The Organ's song Brother seemingly work as an ominous warning. The band starts off with the lines, "Here we go, they're back again. Look alive, warn your friends." Implying that something is coming or has arrived that requires caution. The following lines, "We are warm and we are safe. Enjoy it while you can before things change" further build the anxiety-inducing tone to expect that something may take away the safety of the singer and their peers.
The chorus of the song repeats "We have got to take cover, brother" which is seemingly a call to action. However, the second verse takes a small breather, "Lie down in a field if you can. Look at the night sky. Oh, where does it end?" which momentarily diverts from the warning theme. But then returns with "Sometimes it hurts when you care about me, But it's going to hurt more when they take you away from me" which seemingly states that the singer knows what could happen and wants to protect their loved ones.
Towards the end of the song, the singer admits that they might be wrong about their warning, "Here is the best part of the song where I admit that I might be wrong because if they are good and if they are right then they'll have their rapture one of these nights. But if they are wrong, if they are wrong, then they will disappear and we will carry on." This suggests that the singer may not be fully confident in their prediction, but still wants to be prepared for whatever may happen.
Line by Line Meaning
Here we go
The singer is signaling the start of something
They're back again
Someone or something has reappeared
Look alive , warn your friends
Be alert and let others know of the situation
We are warm and we are safe
Currently in a secure and comfortable situation
Enjoy it while you can before
Things change
Make the most of the good situation because it won't last forever
We have got to take cover,
Brother
We need to find protection or safety with our companions
Lie down in a field if you can
Look at the night sky
Oh, where does it end?
Take a moment to look up and ponder the vastness of the universe
Sometimes it hurts when you
Care about me
But it's going to hurt more when
They take you away from me
It's difficult when someone cares for another person, but it will be even more painful if they are separated
Here we go again
Oh midnight knocks!
Oh explosions!
Maybe it's all made up in our heads
This happens to me when I'm bored
Or depressed
The situation is unsettling and may be imagined or caused by boredom or depression
Here is the best part of the song
Where I admit that I might be wrong
Because if they are good and if
They are right
Then they'll have their rapture one
Of these nights
But if they are wrong
The artist acknowledges the possibility of being incorrect about their beliefs or worries and considers the alternative outcome
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: OLIVIER LAMBIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@marabecker7510
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Here we go
They're back again
Look alive, warn your friends
We are warm and we are safe
Enjoy it while you can
Before things change
We have got to take cover, brother
We have got to take cover, brother
Lie down in a field if you can
Look at the night sky
Oh, where does it end?
Sometimes it hurts
When you care about me
But it's going to hurt more
When they take you from me
We have got to take cover, brother
We have got to take cover, brother
Here, we go again
Oh, midnight knocks!
Oh, explosions!
Maybe it's all made up in our heads
This happens to me when I'm bored
Or depressed
Here is the best part of the song
Where I admit that I might be wrong
Because if they are good
And if they are right
Then they'll have their rapture
One of these nights
But if they are wrong...
We have got to take cover, brother
We have got to take cover, brother
Here is the best part of the song
Where I admit that I might be wrong
Because if they are good
And if they are right
Then they'll have their rapture
One of these nights
But if they are wrong...
@lilharuhi212
It's funny how every time I listen to this song I see Shane and Carmen making out behind a glass window
@pimpharold1
Who are they?
@lilharuhi212
@@pimpharold1 2 characters from a show, called The L Word
@marisajomcdowell458
Every.Single.Time
@fredrikazar-fx7ej
They really spoiled such an elegant piece of music by putting it in that scene. The L word was good but they didn't have to fuck up the song.
@charlottesiebel9292
Same
@AnnDriscoll
This song is actually perfect. Production, songwriting, performance. So many years later, i'm astonished by the confidence, clarity of vision, and execution.
@billismienalien4ever
thank you L Word
@jadabendrasingh1791
I'm old now but this song still rips my heart out every time I hear it. Words cant express how fortunate I feel to have seen this band play live during their brief existence. The Organ are my Goldfinch.
@muckslain
No you aren't ! We are still Young