VersaEmerge had a few member changes and were later busy crafting an EP of original material called Perceptions that attracted the attention of Fueled By Ramen Records. In addition to listening to everything from Björk to Thrice during their free time, the band have toured with artists in nearly every genre and taken a little bit from each of these varied experiences in order to come up with something completely unique and unprecedented when it comes to their own music.
“We’ve gone on tour with everyone from dance-pop to metal bands,” Harnage explains with a laugh. “I guess people seem to think that we can play with pretty much anyone.”
The band has toured with everyone from Chiodos to We The Kings; and the band spent time refining their new material and releasing their debut EP for Fueled By Ramen with James Paul Wisner (New Found Glory, Underoath). After successfully releasing the EP, the band was invited to play the 2009 Vans Warped Tour.
On September 19th, 2009 it was announced on his Twitter page that drummer Anthony Martone, a founding member of VersaEmerge, would be parting ways with the band. Spencer Peterson, of the disbanded Hidden In Plain View, revealed via Twitter that he would be filling in as drummer for Versa's upcoming fall tour. About two months later, Jerry Pierce announced his parting with the band with a message on Twitter stating that the day's show was his "Last show with VE." because of "Family stuff. It has nothing to do with my band-mates- they're my best friends in the world I just cant keep touring as much as VE does."
The band followed up on the release of their FBR debut album "Fixed At Zero" in June 2010, with an appearance on the entirety of the Vans Warped Tour 2010. VersaEmerge have just wrapped up their first headlining tour with Anarbor and Conditions, and will be heading out on the AP Tour this spring with Black Veil Brides, Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows (D.R.U.G.S.), I See Stars, and Conditions. In 2014 the album Neon was released, and the sound was closer to synthpop than anything else. The band disbanded in 2015.
Members:
Original lineup includes:
Spencer Pearson - Clean vocals (2005–2007)
Anthony James - Keyboards, programming, unclean vocals (2005–2007)
Blake Harnage - Lead guitar, vocals, programming (2006–2015), rhythm guitar (2006, 2006–2007, 2009–2015), bass (2006, 2011–2015), drums, percussion (2009–2015)
Josh Center - Rhythm guitar (2005–2007) , bass (2006)
Nick Osborne - Bass (2005–2006), re-joined the band as touring bassist in 2011
Anthony Martone - Drums (2005–2009)
Sierra Kay Kusterbeck – Lead vocals (2007–2015)
James Lano – Rhythm guitar (2007–2008)
Jerry Pierce – Rhythm guitar (2008–2009)
Devin Ingelido – Bass (2006–2011)
* Blake Harnage is the only founder member of VersaEmerge who was in the band since the beginning. Nick Osborne (founder member) re-joined the band as touring bassist in 2011.
Discography:
2014 - Neon
2012 - Another Atmosphere Preview
2011 - Live Acoustic
2010 - Fixed At Zero
2009 - VersaEmerge
2008 - Perceptions
2007 - Cities Built On Sand
Paint it Black
VersaEmerge Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No colors anymore I want them to turn black
I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes
I see a line of cars and they're all painted black
With flowers and my love both never to come back
I see people turn their heads and quickly look away
I look inside myself and see my heart is black
I see my red door and must have it painted black
Maybe then I'll fade away and not have to face the facts
It's not easy facin' up when your whole world is black
No more will my green sea go turn a deeper blue
I could not foresee this thing happening to you
If I look hard enough into the settin' sun
My love will laugh with me before the mornin' comes
I see a red door and I want it painted black
No colors anymore I want them to turn black
I see the girls go by dressed in their summer clothes
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes
Hm, hm, hm
I wanna see it tainted, tainted black
Black as night, black as coal
I wanna see the sun blotted out from the sky
I wanna see it tainted, tainted, tainted, tainted black
Yeah!
Hm, hm, hm
The lyrics of VersaEmerge's "Paint It Black" speak of the singer's inner turmoil, represented by their desire to paint everything black. The opening lines acknowledge a red door, which the singer is fixated on and wants to paint black. They want no other colors to exist, a desire that goes beyond the physical world and likely symbolizes their emotional state. The girls walking by in their summer clothes only make the struggle worse, causing the singer to turn away in order to escape their own darkness.
As the song progresses, the singer reflects on their personal losses. They mention a line of black cars, with flowers and love never to return. The final lines reveal the singer's introspection, discovering that their own heart is black as well. They believe that painting their red door black may allow them to fade away and avoid confronting this reality. The final lines of the song hint at a possibility of hope, as the singer believes that looking into the sunset may bring their love back, and they can laugh together before morning comes.
Overall, "Paint It Black" deals with heavy themes like grief, depression, and mental illness. The lyrics show a person struggling with emotions that they may not fully understand or have a handle on. The repeated desire to "paint it black" represents a desire to erase everything that causes pain, which can also mean overlooking the good things and people in life.
Line by Line Meaning
I see a red door and I want it painted black
I am filled with anger and sadness, and want to see everything around me turned to blackness.
No colors anymore I want them to turn black
I do not wish to see any brightness or vibrancy in the world, everything should be turned to darkness.
I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes
I am aware of the beauty and happiness around me, but I am too consumed by my own darkness to fully appreciate it.
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes
I am so consumed by my dark thoughts and feelings that I am unable to even look at the happiness around me without feeling pain.
I see a line of cars and they're all painted black
I notice the darkness that permeates everything around me, even in things that are not normally associated with darkness.
With flowers and my love both never to come back
Even in things that are typically associated with happiness and love, such as flowers, I see only darkness and sadness. My own heartbreak makes it difficult to see anything differently.
I see people turn their heads and quickly look away
Even others around me are unwilling to acknowledge the depth of my pain and darkness, so they turn away from me.
Like a new born baby it just happens every day
My pain and sadness is like a new experience each day, although it is not something that others can understand or empathize with.
I look inside myself and see my heart is black
My own emotions and feelings are so filled with sadness and anger that I see only darkness and emptiness within myself.
I see my red door and must have it painted black
Even my own possessions reflect my sense of darkness and pain, and I feel a strong desire to change and control everything around me to reflect this.
Maybe then I'll fade away and not have to face the facts
The thought of disappearing into darkness is tempting, as it would provide a release from the pain and heartbreak that haunts me.
It's not easy facin' up when your whole world is black
Trying to face my own emotions and understand the darkness within me is difficult, especially when it seems to touch every aspect of my life.
No more will my green sea go turn a deeper blue
The colors and joy that used to fill my life are fading away, and are being replaced by a deeper sense of sadness and darkness.
I could not foresee this thing happening to you
The heartbreak and pain I am feeling is incomprehensible, and I could never have imagined that it would be something that I would face.
If I look hard enough into the settin' sun
Despite everything, I am still hopeful that things will change and some brightness will return to my life.
My love will laugh with me before the mornin' comes
I cling to the hope that there will be a new day and a return to happiness and love, even though it seems so incredibly far away.
I wanna see it tainted, tainted black
I am consumed by a desire to see everything changed and suffused with darkness, to reflect the pain and sadness that fills my life.
Black as night, black as coal
I want the darkness to be all-encompassing and absolute, with no hope of escape or return to happiness.
I wanna see the sun blotted out from the sky
At the height of my pain and sadness, even the sun - which is usually associated with warmth, light, and happiness - seems oppressive and unbearable.
Hm, hm, hm
These sounds show the lingering pain and sadness that fills the artist, even as they attempt to express their feelings through this song.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Abkco Music Inc.
Written by: Keith Richards, Michael Jagger
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sabrinab1212
They did a FANTASTIC job on this song.
@aopma5ter
All the cover's that i've found hat are worth listening to of this song, have been really awesome! The Dirty Heads, Versaemerge, and The Black Dahlia Murder all do wicked covers of this song; its awesome to see the respect given to the Stones and the sick creative twists put on legend tunes.
@TemporaryButterfly
I had doubts about this too but Versamerge kicked ass on this cover. Love it.
@jasoncummiskey4662
1:46 is just...yes.
@laurenkaylie
i love the classic and this version and the fact that blake is singing along with sierra... well that just makes this whole song amazing <3
@mag147
Dang! I love how she hits it in 1:30
@amaddillio
WOW when sierra belts those high notes! i love her voice. and blake's voice is so chill. they go together well. this is a good cover
@lordhelmit1499
1:27-1:51 just gives me life every time i hear it
@awsooswa615
2018 and I'm still here, I love it
@orange1head
This cover is an epic WIN. They did an amazing job and the fact that both of them sing together makes it awesome! I l-o-v-e this! <3333333 :D Best cover on the album,next to The Maine's