After sending demo after demo to labels around the county, the music caught the attention One Eleven Records owner Brad Fischetti. The result of that record deal was the raw and emotive Sunsets and Car Crashes, released on April 20, 2004, which began to amass Thomas eager fans around the country. Thomas was then joined by members Joe Beck, Ross Wheeler, and Brandon Aegerter shortly after the release of Sunsets and Car Crashes. Wheeler and Aegerter left the group and were replaced by Scott McGuire and Dan Ludeman. The four members collectively wrote what would be The Spill Canvas' second album, One Fell Swoop. The album was released on August 9, 2005.
After officially transitioning from solo act to full-fledged rock band, The Spill Canvas recorded their dynamic debut full-length, One Fell Swoop, with producer Ed Rose (The Get-Up Kids), releasing it on One Eleven in May of 2005 to great acclaim, eventually selling over 50,000 copies.
While on tour in support of One Fell Swoop, The Spill Canvas caught the eye of Sire Records President Michael Goldstone at New Jersey's The Bamboozle Festival in 2006. Ready to take the next step forward, The Spill Canvas formed a partnership with Sire, which Thomas believes will provide the band with the promise of career longevity.
In early 2007, McGuire declared that he was no longer a part of the band, stating, "The Spill Canvas has decided in order to make music to its fullest potential, they must do so with out me." There is still much speculation as to whether he was kicked out of the band or if he decided to leave. The temporary replacement for McGuire was Landon Heil, the guitarist of another band known as The Glass Atlantic. He is now a permanent member of the band.
On May 1, 2007, the band released an EP entitled Denial Feels So Good, to hold their fans over until their new album arrived. The EP consisted of three original songs and two covers. Marc Sheaffer, a keyboardist from Sioux Falls, played keyboards on Gold Dust Woman. Following the release of the EP, the band played on the entire 2007 Warped Tour, promoting the release of their third album No Really, I'm Fine. The album was recorded in March and April 2007 and featured Anthony Green of Circa Survive and Andrew McMahon of Jack's Mannequin. Green sang backup vocals on the song Bleed, Everyone's Doing It, and McMahon played keyboards in the re-recorded version of Saved, a song originally recorded for the soundtrack of the motion picture, Superman Returns.
The third album for The Spill Canvas, (which was recorded by Neal Avron (Fall Out Boy, The Wallflowers, Yellowcard) in Hollywood, California) No Really, I'm Fine was released on October 2, 2007, although it was leaked on the internet a few days earlier. The band went on a Fall tour across North America in the Fall of 2007, named "All Your Favorite Spots". The tour was supported by Meg & Dia, Playradioplay!, and Treaty of Paris. On January 23, 2008, it was confirmed on Yellowcard's official MySpace that The Spill Canvas would be touring with them in a spring acoustic tour. In February 2008, they headed to Europe with Plain White T's and The Fold. In the summer of 2008, The Spill Canvas headlined a national tour, supported by Steel Train and Ludo. Up-and-coming pop-punkers [artist[Sing It Loud joined them for the first half of the tour, with Liam and Me joining for the end. They were joined by Motion City Soundtrack for the final leg of the tour. In late 2008, they toured with OneRepublic, The Hush Sound and Augustana. On this tour, most vocalists from all of the opening bands, including Nick, came up during Augustana's set to perform Traveling Wilbury's hit Handle With Care, trading off lead vocals.
On September 25, 2009, Joe Beck announced via the band's Twitter site that they had already finished recording 4 songs from the upcoming album. Their latest release to date is Honestly, I’m Doing Okay, a follow up EP to No Really, I’m Fine. Released in 2008 the EP was available only on the internet. Having five tracks in total it included one new song and two new acoustic versions of pre-released songs.
Blueprints
The Spill Canvas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But as it turns out, they were of no use to me
I've been so lost ever since your wings found peace
This is a poor attempt at moving on
This is me reluctantly giving your death a song
In doing so, I get lifted from the low
So if only for a moment-it won't feel like your gone
I let my regret get the better of the best memories with you Tried drugs and liquor for a quicker happy substitute
Now I spend my days in a haze, blaming it on my childhood
In the first verse of the song "Blueprints" by The Spill Canvas, the singer reflects on a past relationship where they thought they had a clear plan or understanding of how to navigate it. While the other person was struggling with an illness, the singer was busy creating blueprints in their mind for how to handle the situation. However, in hindsight, these plans turned out to be useless, and the singer has felt lost ever since their partner passed away ("ever since your wings found peace"). The singer acknowledges that trying to move on and come to terms with the loss has been difficult, as evidenced by their "poor attempt" in giving their loved one a song as a form of tribute.
As the singer grapples with their grief and the lingering pain of their partner's passing, they find some solace in expressing their emotions through music. They admit that writing this song is a way for them to reluctantly confront the reality of their loss, and in doing so, they find temporary relief from the heaviness of their sorrow. The act of creating and performing this song becomes a momentary escape from the harsh reality that their loved one is no longer present, providing a brief respite from the pain.
The singer shares their struggle with coping mechanisms in the aftermath of their partner's death, particularly turning to substances like drugs and alcohol as a way to numb the pain and find temporary happiness. However, these crutches end up causing more harm than good, leaving the singer in a fog of confusion and self-blame. The lyrics convey the destructive cycle of using unhealthy coping mechanisms to mask the pain of loss, only to spiral further into a state of numbness and regret.
In the final verse, the singer reflects on how their past experiences, possibly traumas from childhood, influence their current struggles with processing grief and moving forward. The haze of substance abuse and self-blame becomes a coping mechanism for avoiding the deeper emotional wounds that the loss has unearthed. The lyrics capture the complex emotions and struggles that come with navigating grief, regret, and the search for healing in the aftermath of losing a loved one, painting a poignant picture of the singer's journey towards acceptance and self-forgiveness.
Line by Line Meaning
I guess I assumed that I had a clue, or knew how to do this
I thought I understood how to cope with your illness
While you got sicker I was drafting up my blueprints
While you were getting worse, I was trying to make a plan
But as it turns out, they were of no use to me
But my plans didn't help at all
I've been so lost ever since your wings found peace
I've been struggling since you passed away
This is a poor attempt at moving on
I'm trying to move forward, but it's difficult
This is me reluctantly giving your death a song
I'm expressing my feelings about your death through music
In doing so, I get lifted from the low
Through music, I find some relief from sadness
So if only for a moment-it won't feel like your gone
Even if just for a moment, I can pretend you're still here
I let my regret get the better of the best memories with you
I often dwell on the mistakes I made instead of remembering the good times
Tried drugs and liquor for a quicker happy substitute
I turned to substances to try to numb the pain
But as it turns out, they did more harm than good
Unfortunately, the substances made things worse
Now I spend my days in a haze, blaming it on my childhood
I now struggle with a clouded mind, attributing it to my past experiences
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JAMES PATRICK KALETH, RICHARD KEITH MADOC THOMAS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@hereisjamz
This band touches my heart every time.
@justapekinduck3558
Those drums are insane!
@sycofya1677
Yes! First thing i noticed 🤘
@Shhee_x
I would love to hear more about Nick's process when writing this song. I feel like it has to be about his mother and their relationship, but it can easily be adopted to help all of us express emotion for a loss that we might struggle to fully accept.
Thank you so much for being so open with your emotions in your music, it helps a lot of people.
@CrazybassistGaming
I just read an interview with Nick stating that it's about his mother passing and their relationship, so you're 100% right. I think this is my favorite song off the new album and the newest song I'm adding to my list of their songs that I cover. It's so good.
@theovstheo
Wow! 🥺❤️ I love it
@theflawedkid
Awe. Just like TSC that I remember 🥺
@jonasjakobsson5252
Fuck yes!
@therock435
Holy shit. This one hurts
@woxdy
1sr