Based out of Asbury Park, New Jersey, the Parlor Mob are a hard rock outfit… Read Full Bio ↴Based out of Asbury Park, New Jersey, the Parlor Mob are a hard rock outfit whose electrifying live shows and gritty '70s-influenced sound helped them win an audience in the late 2000s. Songs like the bluesy, Led Zeppelin-esque "Hard Times" from their 2008 debut and 2011's grungier "Into the Sun" from follow-up Dogs, set the tone for further experimentation within their heavy rock parameters as they continued to grow on future releases like 2015's Cry Wolf and subsequent singles.

The initial lineup of vocalist Mark Melicia, guitarists Dave Rosen and Paul Ritchie, bassist Nick Villapiano, and drummer Sam Bey arose out of the ashes of an earlier, short-lived band named What About Frank in 2004, and quickly attracted a small following in local clubs. Early on in their career, the Parlor Mob earned critical praise for their captivating translation of classic '70s rock devices (think Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, Captain Beyond, Granicus, etc.) into modern indie rock aesthetics. Inspired live performances and songwriting sessions continued apace and, before long, the band had scored a development deal with Capitol Records. But, just as the band's eponymous, four-track EP was headed for release in early 2007, the Parlor Mob became embroiled in the messy merger between Capitol and Virgin Records, watched most of their on-staff supporters laid off, and thus decided to part company with the label rather than cope with any additional fallout. Finding a new home with Roadrunner Records later that summer, the band immediately set about preparing their debut full-length, And You Were a Crow, for an early 2008 release. After touring for the album, the band settled in to work on new material, but tensions within the band resulted in the departure of Nick Villapiano, who was replaced by Anthony Chick. The Parlor Mob eventually followed up in 2011 with their second album, Dogs. The album's lead single, "Into the Sun," found some wider exposure thanks to its use in both a Pittsburgh Penguins commercial and on Monday Night Football. Following a hiatus that effectively began at the end of 2012, the Parlor Mob returned in 2015 with the self-released Cry Wolf EP, a surprisingly lengthy five-song affair that at time dipped into progressive rock territory.

Another three years passed before the band emerged with new material, this time for BMG-affiliated Brittania Row Recordings. The departure of guitarist Dave Rosen and second bassist Anthony Chick made for a reshuffled quartet lineup that included Melicia, Ritchie, Bey, and incoming bassist Gianni Scalise. Beginning with "4th of July," the Parlor Mob issued three tracks throughout 2018. In 2019, they released their fifth album, Dark Hour, which featured production by Malay and found them experimenting with synth and electronic sounds.

Biography by Eduardo Rivadavia

Carnival Of Crows
The Parlor Mob Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Come on people get together
Cause you know the time is coming
The wolves beneath you on the prowl
Are crowded round you shouting something
And it ain't easy to find a friend inside another fascination
But it's much harder to find a lover in another observation

And oh i got that feeling once again

That everything around me is gonna end

So who was watching when their soured souls
Came marching right down through here
And made believe they were a carnival of crows
Without any fear

Threw their glasses to the floor
Free of consequences for cowards
And kicked up their final daisy
Far before their final hour

Now everybody gather round me
For another story to tell
The angry clouds on the horizon
Seas around you starting to swell
Thunder's going to have to crash
And the rain is going to fall

And then the first will be the last
Can you hear the children call, I know you can

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Carnival of Crows" by The Parlor Mob depict a sense of impending doom and chaos. The first verse suggests a gathering of people and the presence of danger and hostility with the image of wolves on the prowl. The lyrics indicate that finding friendship or love in such a situation is difficult. The chorus then expresses the singer's feeling that everything around them is going to end, adding to the sense of urgency and dread.

The second verse paints a darker picture of soured souls who marched down and pretended to be a carnival of crows, a metaphor for a group of deceiving and malevolent figures. The image of throwing glasses to the floor and kicking up a final daisy suggests a lack of care for the consequences of their actions. The final stanza portrays an impending storm with thunder and rain, and the realization that the first will be the last. The children's call brings an element of innocence and vulnerability to the ominous scene, creating a sense of desperation.

Overall, the lyrics paint a picture of a world on the brink of destruction, surrounded by malevolent and deceptive figures. The sense of danger and chaos is palpable, and the singer's feeling of impending doom adds to the urgency of the situation.

Line by Line Meaning

Come on people get together
Let's unite and come together

Cause you know the time is coming
Because we all know something big is approaching

The wolves beneath you on the prowl
The danger lurking nearby

Are crowded round you shouting something
They're causing chaos and confusion

And it ain't easy to find a friend inside another fascination
It's hard to connect when people are distracted by their own interests

But it's much harder to find a lover in another observation
It's even more difficult to connect on a deeper level with someone who sees the world differently

And oh i got that feeling once again
That uneasy suspicion is creeping in again

That everything around me is gonna end
This feeling of doom and destruction is overwhelming

So who was watching when their soured souls
Who was keeping an eye on them when they started to lose their humanity

Came marching right down through here
When they invaded our space and began to spread their influence

And made believe they were a carnival of crows
They disguised themselves as something fun, but in reality they brought darkness and destruction

Without any fear
They were reckless and unafraid of the consequences

Threw their glasses to the floor
They were careless with their possessions

Free of consequences for cowards
They weren't held accountable for their actions, despite being weak and spineless

And kicked up their final daisy
They were having their last hurrah

Far before their final hour
Before their inevitable downfall

Now everybody gather round me
Pay attention, I have something important to say

For another story to tell
Listen up and learn from our past mistakes