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.
Lately
Virginia Coalition Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know lately it's been no big deal
I'm on top just thinking about it, keeping it rollin in
Never noticed I spend every single minute on it
I'm not leaving, I'm not going
I got everything, it's a simple thing
You may be hurt but it ain't showing
Keeps getting better every time I stay
Fills me up just to hear you say
It's been so good lately
I've been thinking about you lately
Have you been thinking about me lately?
I can see you everywhere lately
That's the way it should be
Somehow I know inside, this is going to take me there
Living in the middle of it, makes it crystal clear
It's no more wondering what I should do
Maybe you noticed I spend every single minute on it
I'm not leaving, I'm not going
I got everything, it's a simple thing
You may be hurt but it aint showin
Well I guess everybody gotta go someday
Keeps getting better every time I stay
Fills me up just to hear you say
It's been so good lately
I've been thinking about you lately
Have you been thinking about me lately?
I can see you everywhere lately
That's the way it should be
Over and over, how much me work
Started to watch as the tables turn
It's all between us and starting to come together, together, together
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
Lately
I've been thinking about you lately
Have you been thinking about me lately?
I can see you everywhere lately
That's the way it should be
Have you been thinking about me?
Thinking about me baby?
The lyrics to Virginia Coalition's song "Lately" are about the overwhelming feeling of being consumed by someone or something. The singer seems to be feeling satisfied and content with their situation, but also doesn't want to leave or lose what they have. The song talks about spending every single minute thinking about someone or something, and finding joy in even the smallest things. The lines "I'm on top just thinking about it, keeping it rollin in" and "It's no more wondering what I should do" both indicate a sense of control and confidence in the singer's situation.
The repeat of the line "I've been thinking about you lately" adds to the overall sense of obsession and longing. The singer wants to know if the other person has been thinking about them as much as they have been thinking about the other person. Additionally, the repeated lines "That's the way it should be" suggest that the singer believes that their current situation is ideal.
Overall, "Lately" is a song that captures the feeling of being consumed by something or someone and finding contentment in that feeling. It's a song about obsession and longing but also about finding joy in even the smallest things.
Line by Line Meaning
Someday maybe, when you can rest your eyes
In the future, when you are able to relax
You know lately it's been no big deal
Recently, it has not been a significant issue
I'm on top just thinking about it, keeping it rollin in
I am in control when I am focused and determined
Never noticed I spend every single minute on it
I have not realized that I dedicate my time to it entirely
I'm not leaving, I'm not going
I am committed and not departing
I got everything, it's a simple thing
I have everything I need, and it is straightforward
You may be hurt but it ain't showing
Although you could be in pain, you are not displaying it
Well I guess everybody gotta go someday
Eventually, everyone must pass away
Keeps getting better every time I stay
Each time I remain, it improves
Fills me up just to hear you say
It brings me great joy to hear you speak
It's been so good lately
Recently, it has been excellent
I've been thinking about you lately
You have been on my mind recently
Have you been thinking about me lately?
Are you thinking about me as well?
I can see you everywhere lately
I am reminded of you everywhere I go
That's the way it should be
This is how it should be
Somehow I know inside, this is going to take me there
I have a feeling that this will lead me to where I need to be
Living in the middle of it, makes it crystal clear
Being in the midst of it enables me to see it clearly
It's no more wondering what I should do
I no longer need to ponder what my next move should be
Maybe you noticed I spend every single minute on it
Perhaps you have realized that I devote all my time to it
Over and over, how much me work
Repeatedly, I work hard
Started to watch as the tables turn
I have begun to see things change
It's all between us and starting to come together, together, together
It is only us, and it is beginning to make sense
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
Repeating agreement with the previous statement
Have you been thinking about me?
Have you been giving me any thought?
Thinking about me baby?
Are you thinking of me affectionately?
Contributed by Dylan N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.