Black Kites // Ghostlimb European Tour 2011

31.07.2011 - GER - BERLIN / TBC
01.08.2011
02.08.2011
03.08.2011
04.08.2011
05.08.2011
06.08.2011
07.08.2011
08.08.2011
09.08.2011
10.08.2011
11.08.2011
12.08.2011 Bel confirm
13.08.2011
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17.08.2011
18.08.2011
19.08.2011
20.08.2011 GER - Hohenstein Ernsthal - Voice of Art Festival

Convulsions // Black Kites

That's what we're working on. That's what we're doing.

Black kites, DAAC, grand rapids michigan, 8/31/10

Oh, and by the way:

Our Tour 2010

Well friends and fellows, we are home from tour. Or, at least, two of us are. I'm still on the road with Zann. But since tour is finished I thought it a good idea to do a wrap up of sorts. For me, personally, tour was perfect start to finish. People came to all the shows, we played with good bands, people supported us and Zann by throwing us some bills, I got to eat great food, I got to spend time with some good friends and make some new ones... All in all, a total success. 

I was in a very bad way, emotionally the day I left, and by the time I went to sleep that night in Bethlehem I felt on top of the world. Touring can be tiring, boring, and stressful, but I can't imagine doing anything else with my time. And these days, I only seem to be happy when I'm on the road. 

So let's move on to the shoutouts and whatnot: 

-Chris and Monica Z for being such great, supportive people. For letting 9 people stay at their house for three nights. For feeding us copious amounts of great food. 

-Michigan for being such a solid state. I got to see Rorick, Jeremy, Oily Menace dudes, Ryan, Alex, and other good people. GR was a great show, the show of tour for me. Please please checkout this band: Cloud Rat

-Niko and the New Yorker and Chicago.

-Dave and Protestant.

-Alex and Grin and Bear it.

-James Downing.

-Derek Black.

And of course to anyone who bought something from either of the bands or came and watched or said they enjoyed our set, it really does mean the world.

Lyrics

Here are the lyrics from our first two releases. Lyrics from the new LP will be up soon. Thanks for caring.

"Advancement To Ruins" LP

Taking My Time

Please don't worry about me
I'll be fine going at this pace
I know that you want the best
but I'm not ready for that yet.
I'm not trying to worry you
Just taking my time. 
Let me make mistakes and I'll learn from them
And I'm sure I'll fall but I'll learn from them
I haven't given up
Just taking my time

Advancement To Ruins

Selfish reasons don't excuse the scars we leave on everything
From creatures to earth
And we're the advanced ones? 
Advancement to destroy
advancement to ruins
in the name of convenience
for selfish people with easy ways out
No work, no more, no interaction
I'm getting lazy
Social life, so yesterday
Health is just a swallow away
Some more fuel just off these shores
Look at how far we've come
Society will be its own suicide
But we just sit back with eyes glued to the screen
Revel in this idea of "how far we've come"
How long can this last?

Sick Tradition

A hunger for greed fed by corporations
You don't consider lives or what you're supporting
There is no reason
compassion or political.
Just follow tradition of selfishness
Is taste really worth a living beings life?
Its just selfish
Its just disgusting
Through this cage I see the life I should have had
No blood at my feet
Its filled with freedom
A hunger for greed will bring the end

Laundry Room

I wish I knew what she wanted from the start
I've got a tongue and friends who'd love a good story
So now that you made headlines what am I left with?
A head full of questions and years of regret
So now that you made headlines I've got to ask it
Are you happy now?
Is it what you wanted?
Is it what you hoped for?
Now you're a story for his bar room friends
and I feel like I've wasted years
Take this string from your finger
and tie it around my neck
because I don't want to see.
Now you're a story for all of his friends
and I'm the joke thats been out told
"If I could treat you like shit then you'd love me forever"
Good hearts aren't dead
They're fucking worthless

Sly Fox in a Town of Idiots

I can't be reading this right
You're giving him a second chance?
Unleashing him on kids he's already harmed
What makes you think it won't happen again?
Those kids will never have a second chance
And we just don't learn
How many times until enough is enough?
How many lives will you allow him to ruin?
And how do you sleep at night if you can even look at the man whos ruined lives 
and think "lets give him back the job." 
The job he used to gain the trust of a student. 
To turn around and abuse the kid who thought he found a sanctuary
What about him? 
what about my friend? Where is his second chance?

February 2nd

Repetition beating down
Taking its toll on me
One season ends
nothing will change
stress is still stress 
no matter the name
Wake up each morning
with a choice pre-made
Go through the motions
afraid of change
Can someone please tell me
what day is it?
They have all blended together
they are all the same
And they train us so you can train us
and what do we get?
Nothing
They set this trap and we've fallen

Twelve Infants

These words you say
these thoughts conveyed
Disgusting
Pose the question
nature/nurture?
Pass the blame
Am I the one whos in the wrong?
Could I be the rarity?
Do I act unnatural?
Now beauty is ripped apart
objectified by heartless
Act like this is right
act like this is natural
Use words of reduction to turn people to objects
My words are not progressive
they are not even learned
so tell me who is natural
and who's desensitized
Are we just slaves to lust?

Pipe Dream Revolution

Get your hand off your back, you haven't done a thing
Is this what you call progression?
Step outside these basement walls, you haven't done a thing
We've got a long way to go
Don't get me wrong
I'd love to see this world
show a little bit
of compassion
But I refuse to think of this as progress
Revolution/just pipe dreams/when preaching/to choirs

I Keep Getting Uglier

Tell her what she needs, what to buy, whats the price
because she doesn't fit your standards
and when she does
raise them again
because you can't afford a customer
So what if you're breaking her down?
As long as you get your paycheck
We'll keep giving you money
just keep telling me I'm ugly
You've got all the answers to questions we've never asked
Some day we'll have enough
Some day we'll all scream
Fuck your impossible standards
We are all beautiful

Reminder

Waking up in disappointment
calloused thoughts, desperate solutions
Another day with no solutions
another day I'm feeling hopeless
Searching for something more
as this world keeps pushing down
No breaks and nothings simple
just reminders of what I've failed
They say that this is just a phase
something that we all outgrow
Well, years gone by and I'm still screaming
it always comes down to this
Breathe in/out
Close my eyes
try to relax
Stuck, I'm stuck

You Me Us

I've watched it all fall down
and you want to tell me that I am wrong
about everything that I've witnessed?
How do you manage to stay so blind to
the way you effect everyone around?
Just a sinking ship with a mind of her own
and no compassion to those that she drowns
Another burning bridge I should not cross
Another mistake I'm sure to make
You're killing you, you're killing me, you're killing us
I've watched it all fall down
All the while falling with it
Just a sinking ship taking me down with it
Sink.

"I Won't Accept What We've Become" cassette/split 12" with Swallowed Up

25

Married by age twenty five and/dead/by
the time that you've learned to live your/life/is
this what you wanted/Is this what you need?
I won't be content with a life of regrets
Life has become a race of who can die first
But I can't keep up. I wouldn't if I could
And I may hate this place but I'm not rushing to die
And this way of life will have you fall in line
With a standard that has left so many broken and worn out, taken before their time

All The Wrong Places

We are slaves to feelings 
Animals/for false hope
A cure for loneliness?
While we should fix ourselves we search forsomeone else
Temporary results flawed while taking what you get
Settling for complacency will leave us stagnant
While we lose all respect from those important
I deserve so much more 
you deserve so much more

Costume

Similarities have hit too close
to home for me to feel comfortable
Why are we even screaming when we
have traits way too similar to what we claim
to hate 
What sets us apart from their outside world
Why are we even screaming when we
have nothing/nothing left to say
Are we just what we claim
to be different from?
You could have fooled me with
same thoughts, different costume
I won't accept what we've become

Body Parts

TOM: Am I condemned to repeat the mistakes
of my father before me?
And die alone
Are we body parts?
That accept this programming?
That accept this history?
I don't want this
i don't need this
Your history won't define me
Your history won't confine me

JEFF: Bloodline infect
Hatred, reject
I don't want this
I don't need this
Your history won't define me
Your history won't confine me

Childhood Friends Grown Up

Rotting, lifeless human being
One step from an early grave
Steal from those you claim to love
Nothing matters anymore
So refresh my memory,
what am I missing out on?
"You've got to try this"
I'm fine with ignorance

How Are You

Possessions take possession
When we measure happiness in inches
Do you feel accomplishment?
How will you feel tomorrow?
Empty? Forgotten? Misused? Confused?
Useless? Depressed? Lied to? Mediocre at best 

Room to Grow

Try hard and maybe you'll have a decent future
Bullshit, you couldn't care less
You're in the wrong job
What, do you think they care
about you or your future? 
This is a lesson in lowering self worth
No heart and no feelings, you have no purpose here
Why do you even bother just wasting time
when there are those with so much less
who deserve what you've got. 
We all need room to grow
You've set this bar so low
No, thank you
for what you've done for my future
No, thank you
Nothing, just paid, while we're behind

New Music

Hello friends,

Our new LP is now available through Protagonist Records, HERE.

We played a very cool show last weekend in honor of Pat Gerity's birthday and the last Seasick/Zhenia Golov performances for a long time. It was truly something special. We shared the "stage" with some of our best friends in the world and nothing, not even the police or the rain, could put a damper on the collective good mood that night. Here is some video of our set:

Soon I will collect all of our lyrics on this blog, as many people have asked about them over the past few months. I appreciate your interest in what we have to say. 

Tour with Zann upcoming, details soon. 

With love,

Jay

Hey, check this out...

We have finished our new LP. It will be out soon on Protagonist Records. That's the front cover above. Interesting, right?

I recommend that you pick up a copy of our split with Swallowed Up when you get the chance. It looks very nice and sounds quite good as well. The Stolen Sleeves folks (Matt, Fritz, and Kristen) did a wonderful job. Thanks are due to Andrew especially for funding this release!

After the release of our new LP, we will be playing shows through the summer and then touring with Zann from Germany through the great heartland of America. More about that soon, I'm sure.

10 months later...

So it has been about 10 months since we last updated this blog...not that the updates were piling on before anyway. However, after realizing I read our friends in Gods and Queens blog fairly regularly I thought I might give this thing a shot again. Plus, there actually is some news to post!

First, we just had a cassette come out on RTF Records who has decided to do a tape or two a month. The cassette is called "I Won't Accept What We've Become" and is limited to 100. Its also sold out, sorry. Check out other RTF releases anyway. Here is the cover of the tape anyway...

If you missed your chance to get the tape, fortunately the songs will be released on a split 12" with an amazing band out of Brooklyn, Swallowed Up. This is coming out on Hydrogen Man Records. Unfortunately, Swallowed Up just broke up but we're trying to talk them into playing a last show for the release of this record. The records just came in and pre orders will be shipped shortly. You can gets this at Hyrdrogen Man's webstore

And finally for releases, our second LP, entitled "Songs Written While Things Were Changing" should be coming out very soon on Protagonist Music in the next month or so. The cover art is being finished up right now and then it will all be sent out to be pressed. Personally, I think these are our best songs to date (but what band doesn't say this when a new album is coming out?). No pictures to show yet, but check out Protagonist Music

As far as releases, thats it for now. We have a bunch of shows coming up. Since this entry is probably already too long and boring I'll just direct you to our myspace for now. Thanks to anyone who read this...I will try to update it regularly.