The group derived their name (as a joke) from celebrity Tony Danza, upon one of his professions being tap dancing. The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza released four studio albums before disbanding in 2012.
The group signed with Corrosive Recording in 2005 after self-releasing their debut album. Their second most recent release, Danza II: Electric Boogaloo, was issued in 2007 on Black Market Activities. The album's name is a parody of the Danzig album, Danzig II: Lucifuge, as well as the 1980s film Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo. The album features short, humorous skits interspersed with the songs making fun of their surroundings growing up. In March 2008, the band crashed their tour van after playing a show in Lewisville, Texas. Former member Brad Thomson founded Midgets with Machetes, a record label distributed by Uprising Records. The band released their third album, Danza III: The Series of Unfortunate Events, on July 6, 2010. On the record, Josh Travis performs lead and rhythm guitar on an 8-string guitar as well as the bass. It also marks the first album by the band to include drummer Mike Bradley. The songs "I Am Sammy Jankis" and "The Union" have been released as singles.
On September 24, 2009, the band announced that Layne Meylain and Mike Butler had amicably left the group. At the same time, the band formally announced their next album, Danza III: A Series of Unfortunante Events. The album focuses on lyrical themes such as, personal, social, political and global "unfortunate events" tied around three musical themes, technical, groove-based and ambient. It will be recorded in November with Jeremiah Scott and Steve Blackmon.
The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza fits right in with today's emerging mathcore heroes, including Ion Dissonance, Ed Gein, The Red Chord, Premonitions Of War, Into The Moat, and Burnt By The Sun. The schizophrenic high-end guitars provide a blanket of psychotic aural assault amidst massive, dense tech breakdowns that will have you slipping, sliding, and dancing every which way. Much like Into The Moat, these guys barrel through one breakdown after the next, successively building on and expanding some of the tightest grooves tech metal has to offer. The bombarding grind-like speeds make a good part of their material sound like Ion Dissonance and Dillinger Escape Plan, while the massive guitar/bass/drum aesthetic using during stop-n-go breakdowns is very similar to Burnt By The Sun.
The latest album Danza III shows the bands proficiency at infusing elements of post metal into technical hardcore metal with amazing use of polymetric/polyrythmic technicalities!
A Trail Of Tears
The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They were taken from their homes to live in captivity
And I know it won't be long before
Their revenge speaks through me
This is my past that speaks through me
Execution of the most brutal order
In the history of America's corrupt border
This was a trail of exile A trail of death
Now this is their song and I can hear them dance
The air is still frozen
I can see them breathe,
As their blood runs through my veins
Execution of the most brutal order
In the history of America's corrupt border
Execution
of the most brutal order in the history of America's corrupt border refers to the forced relocation of Native Americans from their homes by the US government to reservations far away from their ancestral lands. This brutal displacement and relocation of Native Americans resulted in many deaths, and the forced march from the southeast to Oklahoma was referred to as the Trail of Tears. The band, The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza, depicts the story of the Trail of Tears, where the beaten trail speaks through the singer as he sees, hears, and feels the tragic experiences of the Native Americans at that time.
The singer refers to the Trail of Tears as a trail of exile and a trail of death. The singer sees himself as the vehicle through which the spirits of the Native Americans communicate their pain and anguish. He is convinced that their spirits are still present in the air, in the frozen stillness of the atmosphere, and indeed in his own blood. Through this intense connection, the singer asserts that he will be the instrument of their revenge against a system that perpetuated their pain.
Overall, the lyrics of "A Trail of Tears" are a reminder of the terrible history the Native Americans endured at the hands of the US government. The lyrics are a tribute to their perseverance and an appeal to the living to remember and respect the sacrifices of those that came before them.
Line by Line Meaning
The beaten trail speaks through me
I can feel the pain and struggle of those who were forced to travel the trail of tears and it affects me deeply.
They were taken from their homes to live in captivity
Native Americans were violently removed from their homes and forced to live in terrible conditions by the US government.
And I know it won't be long before / Their revenge speaks through me
I know that these injustices will eventually inspire a reaction or revolution from those who were wronged.
This is my past that speaks through me
I understand that my own history and upbringing have given me unique empathy for those who have suffered.
Execution of the most brutal order / In the history of America's corrupt border
The US government's actions towards Native Americans during the trail of tears were some of the most violent and unethical in the history of the country.
This was a trail of exile / A trail of death
The trail of tears caused immense hardships and death for Native Americans as they were forced to leave their homes and walk long distances to unfamiliar places.
Now this is their song and I can hear them dance
Despite the tragedy, the Native Americans who suffered the trail of tears had their own stories, culture, and resilience.
The air is still frozen / I can see them breathe / As their blood runs through my veins
The memory and influence of Native Americans affected by the trail of tears still impacts me to this day and will continue to do so.
Contributed by Leah D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.