The band's core members - Andy Poliakoff, lead vocals, guitar; Paul Ottinger, keyboards, percussion, guitar, vocals and Jarrett Nicolay, bass, guitar, banjo, vocals – have always delighted fans with their ability to confound expectations. On previous albums, their songs often featured arrangements that veered off in unanticipated directions moving from funk to rock, from go go to soul. “It'‟s good being eclectic,” says Poliakoff, the band's main lyricist and frequent spokesperson. “It keeps you on your toes musically, and it's fun, but we wanted to get back to some serious songwriting. In the past few years, we were writing for the live shows, endless groove things that are far from what we wrote when we were starting out. We wanted to get back to that original creative impulse and focus on our songwriting.”
The band ventured cross country to California and got to work, challenging themselves to find a more emotionally intense means of expression. “There's a value to the time you put into a project,” Poliakoff explains. “We didn‟t allow ourselves to be satisfied with the first, or even third version of a song. We're getting older, and we wanted more than bombast. We wanted to look outside ourselves and find something more reflective, more truthful, more universal, to open a new chapter in the band‟s songwriting history.” For the first time, they collaborated with other songwriters, including Brooklyn folk-rocker Ari Hest, New Orleans-based bluesman Anders Osborne, Maia Sharp who wrote “A Home” for the Dixie Chicks, and the album‟s Producer, Marshall Altman (Marc Broussard, Matt Nathanson).
“Marshall is a phenomenal musician,” Poliakoff says. “His ability to tweak the arrangements and get us deeper into the music and our emotions was outstanding. He was there the whole time, pushing us to do better.” Ottinger adds his praise: “He‟s a strong songwriter and arranger. Every time you'd pick up a guitar and sing, he'd get down to every hook, every chord, every lyric. "Is that a strong emotion?" "Is that what you really want to say?" He helped us blend all our influences into a voice that‟s new, but still reflects our past.”
The songs on Home This Year showcase the band‟s remarkable growth as both musicians and songwriters. The title track is a tale of the loneliness and yearning that haunts the road. “Being on the road away from your family and friends for a long period can be tangibly painful," sites Poliakoff, "'Home This Year' embodies that sentiment and how singing about it can help make you feel closer to home." “Sing Along,” written with Altman, is an uplifting, anthemic song, on which Poliakoff delivers one of his most soulful vocals, both tender and passionate. It is also the first tune they've ever cut with a string section. “It was written with a conscious desire to connect with the audience,” Poliakoff explains. “We play music, but we're not different from our audience. We don‟t want people to idolize us, we want to get people to have a sense of togetherness.”
Long-time Virginia Coalition fans may be surprised by the group's evolution from "spontaneous anything goes" band to introspective, soul-searching songwriters, but it's a change the band welcomes. “We've known each other for 15 years now, and while the music is still getting better, we don't want to keep writing the same song over and over,” Poliakoff states firmly. “I'm proud to be part of a group of three friends who have gone from the basement and garage to maturity and making music that speaks from the heart. It's a struggle to make a great album, but we welcomed the opportunity to reinvent ourselves while staying true to the core of what we do.”
Virginia Coalition started building a buzz in their hometown of Alexandria, Virginia in the late '90s, releasing their first album, The Colors of the Sound, in 1998. But the three principals are life long friends who have known each other since high school, and in the case of Ottinger and Nicolay, since junior high. Ottinger wanted to be in a band since he was five years old, when his mother let him paint his face like Paul Stanley of Kiss and play air guitar with a tennis racket. Poliakoff had a guitar-playing cousin, who inspired him in the 4th grade. When he was 14, his mother was struck with cancer and eventually died; music and singing provided him with an emotional release. Nicolay's father played classical guitar. Although he was intimidated, he‟d sneak away from the family and pick out melodies on his own.
Their 2008 album "Home This Year" was critically well received, including a four-and-a-half star rating from AllMusic. They have not released new music since 2008, but as of 2018 are still actively touring, especially in the Washington DC area.
Jerry Jermaine
Virginia Coalition Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let me holler at you
Please, you ain't got no game
We're gonna give you all something to work with...
And all suckers sit down, I'm the real Jermaine
I said wow...
You got me rollin' with the freakness, freakness, baby
I was
I was, I was, I was, I was
Rollin' in my Volvo to the putt putt course
Jerry Jermaine, Jerry Jermaine (who?)
I hit the first tee with Tiger Woods' force
Jerry Jermaine, Jerry Jermaine (yeah)
A little bit skinny, crazy, white
Don't sweat it baby, I could do it all night (all night)
You call the doctor when you're feelin' pain
When you wanna feel good call Jerry Jermaine
Yeah, my soul is leaving home, child
Rollin' in my Volvo to the putt putt course
Jerry Jermaine, Jerry Jermaine (who?)
I hit the second tee with Ernie Els' force
Jerry Jermaine, Jerry Jermaine (yeah)
A little bit skinny, crazy, white
Don't sweat it baby, I could do it all night (all night)
You call the doctor when you're feelin' pain
When you wanna feel good call Jerry Jermaine
Now I'm one of the freaks of rock and roll
They know my birthday
They play it on the TV, ohhh...
Here we go, said
All the suckers sit down, I'm the real Jermaine
We came to get it on
Y'all feel the same way, tell me...
I said, do y'all feel like gettin' it on?
You say, yes, we feel like gettin' it on
Do y'all feel like gettin' it on?
You say, yes we feel like gettin' it on
Do y'all feel like gettin' it on?
Yes, we feel like gettin' it on
Do y'all feel like gettin' it on?
Yes, we feel like
And oh my soul
Just the same, the same
You got me rollin' with the freakness, baby, baby
Now Paul, you gonna show them what you can do
Show it off
Let me tell you what they say
They say a party ain't a party without a drum beat
A party ain't a party without a drum beat
A party ain't a party ain't a party ain't a party
And all the suckers sit down, I'm the real Jermaine
The Virginia Coalition's song "Jerry Jermaine" is a mix of rock and funk with a humorous and upbeat attitude. The song starts with an introduction by the lead singer to a woman who appears to be attending their show for the first time. He greets the lady and tries to flirt with her but notes that she doesn't have any game, which then sets the stage for the rest of the song.
The song is about a character named Jerry Jermaine, who is seen as a white guy that is skinny, crazy, and knows how to get things done. He has a unique skill set, and when people need to feel good, they call on him like a doctor. The lead singer describes Jerry Jermaine's adventures while playing putt-putt golf with a Volvo and hitting the green with the force of Tiger Woods and Ernie Els. The chorus repeats several times with the singer inviting the crowd to join in to feel good and get down to the music.
The song has a fun and upbeat tempo with an infectious groove that keeps the listener engaged throughout. It's a song about having a good time and letting loose, and the lead singer's use of Jerry Jermaine as a character adds a fun and lighthearted element to the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey baby, is this your first time at VACO show?
The singer is trying to initiate a conversation with the listener and is curious if they are new to the VACO show
Let me holler at you
The singer wants to talk to the listener about something
Please, you ain't got no game
The singer thinks that the listener is not good at socializing and flirting with others
We're gonna give you all something to work with...
The artist is promising to provide the audience with something to enjoy, like music or entertainment
And all suckers sit down, I'm the real Jermaine
The artist is asserting their dominance and claiming that they are the best among the rest
You got me rollin' with the freakness, freakness, baby
The singer is excited and entertained by the people or events around them
Let me tell you how it goes...
The singer is about to explain or describe something
I was
The artist is pausing or reflecting on something
Rollin' in my Volvo to the putt putt course
The artist is describing their actions or transportation to a miniature golf course
Jerry Jermaine, Jerry Jermaine (who?)
The artist is repeating their name, which is Jerry Jermaine, and asking if the listener knows it
I hit the first tee with Tiger Woods' force
The singer is describing their strength or skill in playing golf, implying they are as good as Tiger Woods
A little bit skinny, crazy, white
The artist is describing themselves as being thin, crazy, and white
Don't sweat it baby, I could do it all night (all night)
The singer is telling the listener not to worry because they can continue performing or entertaining all night long
You call the doctor when you're feelin' pain
The singer is comparing themselves to a doctor who can provide relief or pleasure to the listener
Now I'm one of the freaks of rock and roll
The singer is identifying themselves as a musician and comparing themselves to other popular musicians
They know my birthday
The artist is famous enough that people know personal details about them, such as their birthday
They play it on the TV, ohhh...
The artist's birthday is even played on television or broadcasted publicly
Here we go, said
The singer is indicating that they are about to start a performance or activity
Y'all feel the same way, tell me...
The singer is asking the audience if they share the same feelings or desires as them
And oh my soul
The artist is expressing excitement or enthusiasm
Just the same, the same
The artist is experiencing the same feelings or emotions as before
Now Paul, you gonna show them what you can do
The artist is calling out Paul to showcase his skills or abilities
They say a party ain't a party without a drum beat
The singer is repeating a common phrase about the importance of music in a party
A party ain't a party ain't a party ain't a party
The artist is emphasizing the importance of having music in a party
Yes, we feel like gettin' it on
The audience is agreeing with the singer about feeling excited or entertained
Do y'all feel like gettin' it on?
The singer is trying to gauge the audience's desire to participate in the activity or entertainment
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