AR Music – The Alternate Routes

The Story Behind One Dance Left

September 6, 2018 by Tim Warren

Its hard to know what a song is about, even if its yours. When I sat down to write One Dance Left I didn’t know what it would be. Its like trying to determine an persons personality when they are just born. But I can tell you how it felt and I can tell you how it feels now. As I go through life, I’m learning that I don’t know anything, but the way I feel can become known, is more tangible, and more important to me if I’m being honest.

The first time I heard “All My Friends” by LCD Soundsystem I was at a party, feeling no pain. I had lost a bunch of weight and I was rediscovering what it feels like to celebrate my own shape, in my own body. I took most of my clothes off and put on the plastic circular orb suit that happened to be laying in the corner of the field where the party was.

(it was a good party….)

I started dancing, and my friend, Taryn, joined me in the yard.

We were running,

in circles.

It was a moment I will never forget. The next day I wrote most of what would become “One Dance Left.”

When you sit down to write a song, you can know how you’re feeling, you can think you know what you want to say, but its harder to know why.

I don’t know why that song came on at that party, I don’’t why I finally found a way to lose the weight, and shed some of the grief I had been carrying in that moment. I don’t know why Kurt Leon is becoming a master of the recording studio before my eyes, or why…no matter how finished I think I am with an idea, its never really done until Eric Donnelly invents an electric guitar part and 30 other ideas you can barely hear, but would completely miss if they were absent in the track. I don’t why Ian seems to know every style of bass playing there is, and always choses the right one to assign to each one of these new songs so well… I don’t know why Taryn understands that moment at that party for me, in a way that very few people in my life ever could, and why.. when we howl the high notes in the middle of the song together, it feels like a continuation of a announcement we’ve both made in other lifetimes. I don’t know why my wife knew the exact time to let me know that this song, needed to get released as close to the way we discovered it as possible because of the feeling of it.

Maybe we don’t get to know why. But I know how it feels thanks to all of the above. and it feels like One Dance Left.

Enjoy,

Tim ‘AR 2018

MONDAY

October 16, 2017 by Tim Warren

AR Behind The Scenes, AR Music, AR Shows

Monday

Something in the recent days, in the way the weather has put us all in our place, the way some people laugh in the face of this, and refuse to admit that we are all in this together, and that science is real and unwavering in the face of ego…. sends me falling, needfully and quietly, into music. Proud and lucky to share it with people who will listen, once again for a few good nights on the road. Proud to take some small part in the shift of consciousness, that will render certain bigoted, hateful, elitist, and isolationist ideas,

powerless.

However simple, however small, however significant a role we can play…in the next 11 days, we have 9 shows. I know this is social media and I’m supposed to just take a picture of the air freshener selection at the truck stop, and tell you to come to the next show,

but now

as a father of 2, driving past the Honda Civic with the seats empty, airbags exploded and the, windshields cracked, I know there’s more at stake in this for me now. So why mix words…

All of my dreams are wrapped up in these songs, all of my nightmares, and we play them every night to exercise the possibility that something about them, something about us, in some moment of our own making, or by our mere dedicated and stubborn participation in the idea of it, could become meaningful, inspiring, and capable of softening the human heart towards something more available and healing, that is already there in all of us, but rarely called on to celebrate itself, in these bizarre times.

The people I’m charging down the road to Nashville with, are reaching for that possibility too. That’s all we can do, and that’s all we should ever hope to be doing.

Gonna be the best damn singer I can be, gonna bring it every night, and me and the band are gonna try to find new heights with each other, and within ourselves, every night for anybody there to see it. We are going to raise each other up. Gonna tell it like it is, gonna tell it like it can be, gonna tell it like it will be one day soon,

If we just keep reaching.

Nashville, Tuesday night October 17th. 3rd and Lindsley. See you there if the fates allow.

Love ya,

Tim

The Oddsmakers Tour

July 14, 2017 by Eric Donnelly

AR Music, AR Shows

We are excited to be hitting the road this summer/fall to support our latest batch of songs with “The Oddsmakers Tour.” We are also excited to be pairing up with our friend Nick Fradiani for several co-bills on this run. Tickets go on sale 7/17! Check out our tour page for more info.

See you out there.

AR’17

We’re On The Rock Boat XVIII

July 6, 2017 by Eric Donnelly

AR Behind The Scenes, AR Music, AR Shows

The Alternate Routes, The Rock Boat

We are very excited to announce that we will once again be setting sail with so many of our good friends as part of The Rock Boat XVIII! This years lineup features Barenaked Ladies, Needtobreathe, Will Hoge, Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors, Welshly Arms and so many more! The boat is currently sold out, but you can join the waiting list at therockboat.com!

Paste Magazine The Alternate Routes Safe Haven

Safe Haven Official Lyric Video Premieres on Paste Magazine

June 8, 2017 by altroutes2017

AR Behind The Scenes, AR Music

The Alternate Routes are excited to be partnering with Paste Magazine to premiere the official lyric video for “Safe Haven.”

Head to pastemagazine.com on Friday June 9th to see the video before you can see it anywhere else!

The video was produced & directed by Jenna Pace of YOBRO Creative Catalysts.

“As a longtime fan of The Alternate Routes, I envisioned creating a natural and vibrant lyric video for their stunning new effort “Safe Haven” that showcases both the lyrics and the people behind the music. We shot on a chilly day right as Spring was breaking and nature was coming into bloom. My hope is that these visuals capture the powerful message that these five musicians crafted with so much heart,” says Pace.

Yobropro.com

It’s That Time

November 10, 2016 by altroutes2017

AR Music

THE ALTERNATE ROUTES HOLIDAY HIT: “IT’S THAT TIME”

Listen on Sound Cloud.

Buy the EP on iTunes

LYRICS:

Hurry up and wait, and hurry up again

Hey there how you been?

Yeah the same with me.

Do you believe another year, has come and passed?

I really thought we’d make this one last, but “c’est, la vie.”

Its that time of year again, let’s sit back and pretend

That we have nothing to be afraid of

Cause we knew, we were made to love

Strung up some lights, and some tinsel too

Singing some songs we knew, from a long long time ago

Gonna make this feeling last all year long

I know where i belong, that’s in your arms

The holidays are here again, lets sits back and pretend

That we have nowhere else to be

Just you, just me

We’ll turn off our cell phones like we were kids and home alone

Like we have nothing to be afraid of, cause we knew that we were made to love

Let the season remind us dear, what it is we are doing here,

That is to love and to be loved

Its that time of year again, let’s sit back and pretend

That we have nothing to be afraid of

Cause we knew, we were made to love

The holidays are here again, lets sits back and pretend

That we have nowhere else to be

Just you, just me

We’ll turn off our cell phones like we were kids and home alone

Like we have nothing to be afraid of, cause we knew that we were made to love

Somewhere In America

June 18, 2016 by altroutes2017

AR Behind The Scenes, AR Music

We want to share with you a new song called Somewhere In America. We have been working on this song in various forms for many years, but I made a commitment to myself to finally finish it in recent months. It is a very personal story, but unfortunately it feels as relevant as ever.

To clarify any confusion, Somewhere in America is written from my point of view, and the story is mine. It is not written for sympathy or remembrance. It is about empathy. It is inspired by the feelings of anger, sadness, hopelessness, and guilt I feel every time I hear of another life lost and family shattered by gun violence. My story is over a decade old, but new stories are occurring every single day.

If you are reading this, then you most likely have helped support AR over the years and we can’t thank you enough. Regardless of where you stand.

I hope you listen to Somewhere In America with an open mind. I hope you it leaves you inspired. I hope it is outdated in the very near future. It is possible. If we want it to be.

-Eric

“Somewhere In America” LYRICS:

The last thing that my father saw
When he was still alive.
Was the gun in the hands of a sick young man
with bright blue eyes.
A man who looked just like me,
As far as anyone else could see
A stranger, not an enemy
And my mother watched it all.
That was the last thing that she saw.

Somewhere in America
A phone’s about to ring.
Nothing can prepare you for
the news it’s going to bring.
Nothing ever changes
Just the names and faces.
Somewhere in America
A phone’s about to ring.

An unlucky break
wrong time, wrong place
I’ve heard them all so many times.
If your dad had had a gun of his own,
maybe they’d still be alive.
But I still can’t believe the resistance.
The denial, the insistence
When somethings broken
that clearly needs fixing
You can fight to change
Or you can fight to stay the same.

Somewhere in America
the news is about to break
Nothing can prepare you for
The toll it’s gonna take
Nothing ever changes
Just the dates and the locations.
Somewhere in America
The news is about to break.

How long is too long
Before the words you can’t say
Just speak for you.

The years have been kind ma
I’ve got a son now of my own.
When I think of what I’ll tell him happened to you
I still don’t know.
That the worlds a much safer place
That kind of danger,
you won’t ever have to face.
I pray he lives to see that day
No idea what I’m going to say.

Somewhere in America
A phone’s about to ring
Nothing can prepare you for
the news its going to bring.
All this while we’ve been waiting
taking time and debating
Somewhere in America
A phone’s about to ring
Somewhere in America

If you’re interested, check out the article on Upworthy or buy a SIA tee!

Nothing More – The Album

October 13, 2015 by altroutes2017

AR Music

We are proud to announce that our album Nothing More is available on ITunes. This album was made over the course of a year. We wrote the songs, deconstructed them, rehearsed them in basements and performed many of them for months before we got to the studio. Then we recorded them with acclaimed producer Peter Katis, who happens to be our neighbor in Bridgeport CT. We tried to pick songs that were subtle, and beautiful. We did this because there was something new in that territory for us, and because we thought Peter could bring these aspects of our songs and our lyrics, the furthest. I hope this album finds you in a peaceful moment, and if not, I hope it creates a peaceful place for your mind to rest, and for things to be new again. I hope the sounds fill you with gratitude and quiet hope. We are lucky to make music, thanks for taking some time check it out. Cheers

Itunes Link

-Tim

Nobody Else

April 9, 2015 by altroutes2017

AR Music

We are excited to share with you our new single, Nobody Else. Some of you will recognize Nobody Else from our live show and album we released through Pledge Music as Narrow Your Eyes. That is because it’s the same song with a new mix and a new name. Why did we change the name of the song after printing a few thousand cds and albums? If you are interested, I’ll tell you tomorrow. But today is about the song.

Ever since I was a kid, I have always been obsessed with my age. Often thinking I was behind some kind of pre-determined schedule, looking around to see what other people were doing, and how far along they were. But now that I’m a bit older, (See there i go again…) I am starting to realize that is not a terribly productive nor enjoyable way to go through life.

Nobody Else is an ode to letting go of all that. You are who you are, and only you can figure that out. It is both liberating and terrifying. But mostly liberating.

I hope you dig it.

-Eric

Our New Album Nothing More is available NOW exclusively on Pledge Music!

July 1, 2014 by altroutes2017

AR Music

Pledge Music is the only place to get our new album this summer. It will not be available on Itunes, at shows, or on our webstore. When you Pledge, you will receive three songs instantly! The entire download will be available once we reach our goal.

Check out how to get Nothing More HERE for more info!

We are offering many packages that we have never, and probably will never offer again. Exclusive performances, merch, and a few other goodies that we will be announcing soon! We hope there will be something for everyone.

It has been an amazing year for us so far, and being able to share this new music with you is definitely the most exciting part. We have spent over four years writing this album, and the music is done. What we need help with now is releasing it. If you Pledge, you will receive updates from us on the road, latest release info, and we will even solicit your opinion on artwork.

We feel that this is the fastest and easiest way we could bring the album directly to you! We hope that you love it.