I Know Why

Music and Lyrics by Echo Movement

Arranged and performed by Echo Movement

Behind the Song
Colin met up with me in the early morning. I was wandering around Jay Alders' carport in the depths of an amphetamine binge, and had just lost a cruel battle with the sunrise. Actually...let me back up.

We had this great soca drum track recorded and a cool chorus written. Colin and his friends, including drummer Chris Thatcher from Streetlight Manifesto, are award-winning percussionists in Drum Corps and marching band. We decided early on that this track would be a great opportunity to work in some ensemble percussion. Colin composed and arranged much of the drum work. He and his friends borrowed the instruments for the day and laid down the drumline tracks.

It's no accident that this song comes after Nobody Dies In Vain. I Know Why is meant to pick you back up and "restore hope," in a way. And since the Drum Corps were a part of United States military tradition, it served the perfect tone and instrumentation to drive a message of perseverance.

Back to the carport. The chorus was already written, but I couldn't get any lyrics to work for the verse sections. Days, weeks, months went by with no verses, and it became plaguing. I was house-sitting for Jay, which served the perfect environment to get creative. I stayed up through the night mulling over an idea: lash together a bunch of famous quotes for Steve to sing. The problem, as you can imagine, was arranging stiff political banter into melody. I called Colin around 9am, and he swung by Jays for a good-ol' brainstorming session. He suggested running audio samples of inspiring quotes, even whole parts of speeches. In the few days following, I listened to dozens of speeches over countless hours of audio.

I was stopped in my tracks when I came to a recording of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's First Inaugural Address. It was like reaching nirvana. FDR spoke with incredible passion- and in a rhythm. This speech was a song already, almost a gospel song, just without music. And the content was perfect for drawing our parallels between the state of affairs in 1933 with the US depression in 2009, as well as addressing crooked politicians, financial institutions and the public's trust in its own government.

The rest is current history.

Cool Facts
The lineup of drumline musicians on I Know Why: Chris Thatcher, Rob Thatcher, Jeff Silva, Geoff Summers.

FDR's speech set the tone and action for saving the US from the Great Depression. Read the whole speech at the government archives here, and listen to the audio here.

Clips from this speech have been used in music before. Maybe most notably, the famous quote "the only things we have to fear is fear itself" was used at the end of Living Colour's late 80's hit Cult of Personality.

The Significance of this Speech Today
The First Inaugural Address was FDR's first address to the nation. It took place on March 4, 1933. He took office in a time of economic despair, the Great Depression. It set the tone for his administration and the New Deal, his plan to save America (it worked, by the way). He brutally called out the banks, who he blamed for the huge financial collapse, and even shut the banks down until he worked new regulations into place. Bank CEO's today still get a cold shiver down their spine every time this speech is played.

This speech restored hope to the public, and began a chapter of restoring the government's image as a fair, transparent organization. It gave a sturdy farewell to the previous republican administration (Hoover) and ushered in a fresh, progressive, democratic office with an aggressive approach to reform the way we handle business.

Sound familiar?

Key Phrase
"They have no vision, and when there is no vision, the people perish" -FDR

Music and Lyrics (chords over lyrics)

[song in A]

Franklin Delano Roosevelt:
"This is preeminently the time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly
Nor need we shrink from honestly facing conditions in our country today
This great nation will endure as it has endured
We'll revive and we'll prosper
So first of all, let me assert my firm belief
That the only thing we have to fear is, fear itself."

I and I no cry
I and I know why

[Am]
"They have no vision, and when there is no vision, the people perish
Yes, the money changers have fled from their high seats in our temple of civilization
We may now restore that temple to the ancient truths."

[A]
I and I no cry
I and I know why

Nobody Dies In Vain

Music and Lyrics by David Fowler

Arranged and performed by Echo Movement

Behind the Song
Well...Paul was my next-door neighbor for a two-year run at Ball State University. He was killed by a sniper in Iraq while breaking up a riot at a gas station.

Seth was Ed's childhood friend from Northern NJ. He was killed in Iraq while disarming a road mine.

I don't have much else to say about these guys, but I will say they did not die in vain. They contributed to The States' armed forces, as part of a movement to stop people from infringing on our way of life. Beyond that, we love them for who they are...personable, bright, selfless people.

Cool Facts
Paul was a Staff Sgt. Seth was a Second Lieutenant. Both were in the US Army.

Paul wasn't a war-junkie or advocate of violence. From what we gathered, he spent much of his time overseas helping the children, getting them toys and gaining their trust as a good human.

Seth's mother was arrested for actively protesting during a Laura Bush speech. She became somewhat iconic in campaigns against W's second term.

Ed wrote the chord progression and lead guitar line. Dan performed the classical guitar. Dave wrote the lyrics and wrote/sung the middle section's background vocals.

The middle vocal section is written to Paul and Seth. The last verse is written to their families, particularly their moms.

To be clear about the last line of the song, the family is presented with a flag at a military burial ceremony.

Key Phrase
"You gave them your love and they returned a flag."

Music and Lyrics (chords over lyrics)
[Am G Dm]
Paul was my neighbor in college
Indiana sun who was born to run
He always was the one to acknowledge
The jobs at hand that got to get done
The Army shipped him out to exploit this
Indiana man in the desert sun
One day he was just minding his business
He fell to the ground from a sniper round

Sacrificed everything

Seth was the responsible friend
The type of guy who studied on Friday night
He always was the buddy who would lend
An extra helping hand to see you're alright
The Army shipped him out to exploit this
He dutifully agreed to help defend
He gave one more kiss to his new wife
...

Sacrificed everything
But nobody dies in vain

C Bdim
Your mom stood there
Am
Exhausted all her tears
Dm Am Fm G
She's looking in silent panic
C Bdim
Her face, worn thin
Am
Can't hide the fear within
Dm Am Fm G
Her trust in her god's fading

Shock will eventually yield to
Broken, bitter thoughts and a soul to drag
Nothing could completely heal you
You gave them your love and they returned a flag

Maybe Somethings Wrong With Me

Music and Lyrics by David Fowler

Arranged and performed by Echo Movement

Behind the Song
This song is the direct result of journalism school. More fairly, it was the result of closely studying media, public perception, the power of words, credibility, mass hysteria, media ownership and the obligation to occupy a 24/7 newscast.

This is not the right place to extensively explain Echo's thoughts on politics, corporations, international relations, religion and media. But I can't explain the song without giving some loosely-gathered band views.

There is an inextricable web of all these elements that boils down to one lousy thing: power. It's weird because we can't see power, but we know when someone has it. They exhibit irrational behavior characteristic of primates in mating season, and despite all human logic, somehow they're able to execute fully selfish decisions. The over-powered most often become self-consuming primates- not human at all, which is too bad, because humility and guilt are programs that only humans can run.

Here's the kicker: all the business that happens among politics, religion, and the corporate world (particularly its influence on politicians) is caught on film, honored with closed-circuit discussion and presented as the truth. It calls itself the news and we mistakenly call it by the same horrid name.

News today is a perversion of The Fourth Estate (ref. Thomas Carlyle). In our opinion, Rupert Murdoch, Roger Ailes and all the swine at NewsCorp (Fox News) have forged the template for corruption and should be tried for misleading the public. If The Daily Show (a comedy show) did not constantly call the media out on their blatant lies and irrational commentary, we would most likely be flying a confederate flag over the White House and would be engaged in World War III (or dead as a result). This is not an exaggeration; this is a surface-level opinion bordering on fact.

So I wrote this song. Most people dismiss this kind of talk as paranoia or the liberal agenda. It's not...but, hey...maybe somethings wrong with me. As a man of logic and reason, I have to consider that I may have this all wrong and the hard-right politicians and religious nutballs have it right. NASCAR, Mountain Dew, Drill-Baby-Drill, Jesus Loves You (vote for me).

Do your own research. If you do it online, please CHECK YOUR RESOURCE. Make sure whoever wrote what you're reading is a credible journalist with actual citations. Check for objective perspectives (that they're not just taking a one-sided perspective). And remember, there's always more than two sides to a story.

Good luck. Back to the music...

Cool Facts
"Talking heads" is a common expression for people on television, particularly newscasters. It is also a random shout-out to an amazing band that truly understood and expressed the feelings in this song (just in a different way).

The guitar solo was performed by Mike Mourounas, a long-time friend of ours and guitarist for the NJ cover band Moondoggies.

This song is a bit more musically complex, produced slightly deeper, and tonally more aggressively than other tracks on In The Ocean. It's all musical expression of the lyrical content. Even though the music came before all the words, we knew it was going to be a heavy topic.

Key Phrase
"If I follow who's ahead, I won't feel lost, but purposely misled."

Music and Lyrics (chords over lyrics)
[intro: G F#m B A G F#m Em]

Bm F#m G A
Thoughts pour from my head
Bm F#m G A
I hear the people laugh at what I said
Bm F#m G A
And if I follow who's ahead
Bm F#m G A
I won't feel lost, but purposely misled

G F#m7 Bm
Maybe somethings wrong with me
G F#m7 Bm
Maybe somethings wrong with me
G D
When the world looks upside-down
Em Bmaj
But my feet are on the ground
Bm F#m Em
Maybe somethings wrong with me

Hear the evening news
Another scandal proves we've been abused
Talking heads confuse
So casually push me on their views

Maybe somethings wrong with me
Maybe somethings wrong with me
You're staring like I'm crazy
I look back like I might be
Maybe somethings wrong with me

Look around my world
Oh what a mess into we've all been hurled
And every time I find my logic fail
I'll blame it on my mind

Maybe somethings wrong with me
Maybe somethings wrong with me
G F#m
When the world looks upside-down
G A
But my feet are on the ground
Bm F#m Em
Maybe somethings wrong with me

All I Can

Music and Lyrics by David Fowler
Arranged and performed by Echo Movement

Behind the Song
As the Good Dr. Thompson is often misquoted, "the music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs."

All I Can would just as well be named Blood, Sweat and Tears or maybe Fear and Loathing in a Reggae Band. The song documents a long-run of establishing myself (and my brother) in music. It may not seem like a huge challenge to play music- after all, we're playing, right? Well, yes, but the stage is the fun and playful part. Behind most closed doors, musicians are viciously beaten with hard sticks, often while the venue's live-in unmotivational speaker puts the band's pay up his nose and spits random discouragements. But this isn't a forum for complaining, and we are eternally grateful for our spot in the music world. Okeeeee...moving on.

All I Can took so long to write (see Cool Facts below) because it needed to experience the trials, errors, angst, frustrations, idles, uncertainties, the many highs and innumerable low-blows in the life of music. It needed time and space to mature rhythmically, melodically and lyrically. It has been written in bitter times and re-written in better times. The end result is about hindsight, "what-if's" and quiet prospects.

The most consistent and prominent musical figure through all this was, and still is, Bob Marley. All I Can is just as much an homage to him, his positive nature and his music.

Cool Facts
All I Can took over ten years to write. Early recordings date back to 1998.

There are two references to Bob Marley's song Three Little Birds. The lyrical reference is in the chorus line "every little thing will be ok" (taken from "every little thing is gonna be alright"). The melodic reference is in the organ lick after the third verse, taken verbatim from the Three Little Birds repeating organ riff.

The original chorus lyric was "Music is all I got...", inspired by an early girlfriend that left because of my maniacal focus on music and wild mood swings.

"You never win if you never play" is a classic aphorism that my and Steve's father uses all the time. As with most everything he said through our youth, this phrase had a lasting, somewhat-anthemic impact and encouraged me and my brother to take necessary chances in our pursuit of music.

Key Phrase
"My soul is tolerating of my mind debating if my heart still gives a damn."

Music and Lyrics (chords over lyrics)
C D
I'm holding onto all I can
G B
Can't try to take that away
C D
One little thing I know
G F#m Em D
Is I'll never win if I never play
C D6
I'm holding onto all I can
G B
And I listen to Bob Marley
C D G
Every little thing will be ok

[C D Em]

Am Em
So I'm told I'm nobody till I'm somebody
B Em
Turn it around again
Am Em
Some they say I might be crazy
B
But tenacity ain't a sin
C B
So I'm trying and I'm trying and I'm trying again
Em
Know exactly where I am
C B
My mind is forgiving to my soul's decision
C D
And my body don't give a damn


[chorus]

G
So I'm feeling for a switch

I've been flipping around my current condition
C D
A way to get up, stand up from a sitting position
G
I try to be cool and understand the collision
C D
When the mission was already planned
G
So I stand on the edge of the land
C7maj D
Bury my feet in the sand
G
Try to establish a plan
C D
A way to trust my life with my band

[chorus]

I know where I'm supposed to be, but don't know where to go
Drifting around again
I'll answer your stares like they're questionnaires
And I'll grin a perfect ten
So I'm trying and I'm trying and I'm trying again
Know exactly who I am
My soul is tolerating of my mind debating
If my heart still gives a damn

Some Girls Are Crazy

Music and Lyrics by David Fowler
Arranged and performed by Echo Movement

Behind the Song
It's science. Actually, I believe it's hormone-fueled psychology. That, and it's trendy for a girl to be a bit nuts. Need proof that it's trendy? Get two soundsystems in one room. At the same time, play Before He Cheats by Carrie Underwood through one system and Crazy Bitch by Buckcherry through the other. Keep volumes low to prevent death.

Of course, the term of endearment wouldn't be "crazy" unless women, themselves, willingly admitted they occasionally leave their element. Most will proudly admit they're crazy when asked from a safe distance. So it's confirmed from both sexes that some girls are, in fact, crazy. Let's not get into why, let's just calmly move on.

The original inspiration for this song came in early 2008, when my long-term girlfriend suddenly and ruthlessly left me for her best friend's fiance (can't make that stuff up). Pretty nuts, right? Needless to say, the original lyrics were quite offensive and definitely not right for Echo Movement. So she left me and it was pretty rough, but I did get a great song out of it. And if by some freak chance she ever reads this......hi! Thanks for the song and I hope all is well in the 9th Circle of Hell.

I clearly wrote this song for myself, but the chorus is written from another dude's perspective. Perhaps, and most likely, I wrote it from my own brother's perspective, especially since he would ultimately be singing it. It's what I wanted to hear, but nobody was saying these exact words...so I said it to myself. Steve added "brother" and "bro" to the chorus line (it was originally "boy").

The verses came together on 4/20/2009. I wrote them on the back of a cereal box while my girlfriend (my new young, beautiful girlfriend) was driving us to a friend's show. The new verses were broader and more directed towards several girls I've had the honor to know...including the second verse for the one driving.

Cool Facts
The song was originally called "All Girls Are Crazy." When I read the lyrics to my new girlfriend, she was pretty offended. The band unanimously agreed it'd be best to soften the blow to "some."

Just after the second chorus, you can hear the main piano riff lifted from Biz Markie's hit "Just A Friend."

Key Phrase
"Crazy eyes and lies arise, they hypnotize...so it seems my girl's a wreck, just in disguise."

Music and Lyrics (chords over lyrics)
Bb
Don't be no fool brother
Eb F
Some girls are crazy
Bb
You work three jobs
Eb F
And she still calls you lazy
Bb
Don't be no fool bro
Eb F
Some girls are crazy
Bb
They have a way
Eb F
To make that fine line so hazy

Bb Eb F
A little back I met a girl, she's like a jewel
Bb Eb F
But in time I've come to realize she's not that cool
Eb Cm
She got makeup she caked on her soul
A dim D7
When it rains she just loses control
Gm Cm
In her mono-maniacal role
Eb F
She digs her own hole

[chorus]

My new girl keeps a lot of guys she calls "just friends"
But I see through a shady eye what each intends
Her phone rings in the mid of the night
She picks up to a drunken invite
And gets pissed when it causes a fight
My veins ignite

[chorus]

Crazy eyes and lies arise, they hypnotize
So it seems my girl's a wreck, just in disguise
She got caught in the web of her lies
I'll find time to undo all my ties
And as sure as the sun will rise
I plan my goodbyes

I Think God Smokes Weed

Music and Lyrics by David Fowler
Arranged and performed by Echo Movement

Behind the Song
Ok...before anything, it's important to note that Echo Movement is a secular band. Many of us are actually free thinkers. And beyond an ethical foundation, religions simply don't make sense to us. As for the church...well, that's a very creepy corporation, in our opinions.

Just behind this song's fun tone lies a tight message poking fun at humans and religions. It's also a big f-u to the uptight conservatives (better than mashing a stress ball). We personally recognize our governing superior as nature (credit Frank Lloyd Wright), and cannabis is a botanical constituent of that nature...thus, it is not unreasonable to recognize cannabis as an element of our actual biology, especially since its found its way into so many of our ancestors' lives.

The chorus was written in Fall '08, presented to the band and arranged for recording. It almost never saw the light of day, at least in the form we all know it. We knew it was risky, edgy and defining (for better or worse). We talked with family and friends before releasing the song, and ultimately released it in hopes it would entertain our fans and provoke cool discussions. It has.

Cool Facts
The last part of the song is a dubbed-out instrumental bed reserved as a time of reflection, especially for those hearing the song for their first time. If you listen closely to this part, you can hear a massive hit from a bubbler followed by construction elements in the percussion rhythm- we recorded a socket wrench, a drill, sanding blocks and a few other tools from our garage.

Key Phrase
"Every time we rock the ganja, so does he."

Music and Lyrics
I think god smokes weed
Ab Db
And he was high when he made me
C Fm
I can feel it in my DNA
Db Cm Fm Eb
I think god smokes weed
Ab Db
And he was high when he made me
C Fm
And I think he gave up halfway
Db Cm Fm


Before I was complete, as I understand
Fm
God was making a mess of the man he planned
In the face of defeat, he smoked a helping hand
And said, "I'll just put him in a reggae band"
I feel it in the beat when I'm on the stand
I feel it in my feet when I'm in the sand
I see it in the sunsets that might expand
Into your mind, so you'll understand...
Eb

[chorus]

Back in Catholic school, to my memory
They made me feel [like] a fool through humility
They said that god's infallible consistently
Except for the one time he dropped that seed
I hear that god's in you and me and all we see
Assuming all the actions of my own body
If that's the way it is, than you must agree
Every time we rock the ganja, so does he

Keep My Head High

Music and Lyrics by David Fowler
Arranged and performed by Echo Movement

Behind the Song
All members of Echo work several jobs just to get by and enable time away for touring, etc...and it takes its toll on us. This song represents the utter frustrations (horn sections) and the human ability to collect (ukulele parts) in any overwhelming situation...and we thought it'd help our listeners, too.

Cool Fact
In the third verse, we reference two of our favorite classic rock bands: The Beatles (Fool On The Hill) and The Doors (Light My Fire).

Key Phrase
"My mind will always duel with my soul's desire, so I guess I got to keep my head higher."

Music and Lyrics
When the world's got me stressed, agony of defeat
Dm Gm
And I'm working so damn hard just to make ends meet
Dm
My soul is strolling down a one-way dead-end street
Dm Gm
But I just gotta keep my head high
C Bb F

I say "ohh, I know that I'm gonna get by"
F Bb C Bb F
Ohh, I just gotta keep my head high
F Bb C Bb F


I gotta live today or I'll die trying
In the game of being a man there ain't no crying
I'll keep it to myself when my mind's sighing
But I still gotta show my head's high

[chorus]

It's hard to keep my cool when my world's on fire
On the hill I am the fool, light my funeral pyre
My mind will always duel with my soul's desire
So I guess I gotta keep my head higher