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Stalemate

Stalemate

Poor Me

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It’s intriguing how our minds change, and the reasons for that change. Sometimes there are notable moments. Sometimes we only realize we’ve become different people when we look back over the span of years. In college, I started this band alongside several other responsibilities. Being in a punk rock band and working management shifts often led to
It’s intriguing how our minds change, and the reasons for that change. Sometimes there are notable moments. Sometimes we only realize we’ve become different people when we look back over the span of years. In college, I started this band alongside several other responsibilities. Being in a punk rock band and working management shifts often led to a sort of identity crisis. The two aspirations didn’t feel like a logical fit.

For years, I compartmentalized both avenues since I enjoyed them both, and the separate lifestyles received investment at separate times. But the further I get from my college days, the more this perspective strikes me as odd. New experiences tend to compete with both narratives of who I claim to be. Strangely enough, I wrote my thesis about punk culture, and how White suburbanites tended to move away from the culture as they began to work. As I get older, I wonder how many of us think we have make that choice. I think about the trajectory of such things quite often, and I question my confidence that a good life can be lived within those old containers.

I love this music. I love what I do outside of this band. Picking one to give my all seems unnecessarily sacrificial, yet pressure to submit to a singular identity is a regular encounter. Identity narratives are powerful, and probably unavoidable, used to build and validate boxes to challenge ourselves, to guide improvement, and to assess commitment. But when we don’t measure up, when we spill out of our commitments, I wonder if we’re too hard on ourselves. I often see our struggles demonized in those instances, and when self-loathing and denial follows close behind, some walls may be best torn down.
I project into the world differently with every record. Creative empowerment in early lyricism came from sorting through my own experiences.

Though you’ll still catch much of that on this record, I’ve stretched to welcome the uneasiness of writing external narratives. Several songs on the record stem from the experiences of friends or fictional protagonists. In some cases, I chose perspectives that I’ve not much in common. It may seem strange to write this way, but I believe how you permit others to feel can be as revealing as speaking from the heart.
I hope you enjoy Stalemate. The tracks are about the willingness to change our minds about ourselves and others, forgiving ourselves for not being ‘ourselves,’ and forgiving others for not being who we want them to be for our sake. Contradictions are a part of life. Not all of them limit our ability to expand forward.
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  1. 1
    Heartsick 3:18
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  2. 2
    Lovestruck 3:13
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  3. 3
    So, Brother (Stalemate Mix) 2:18
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  4. 4
    Sugarcane (Stalemate Mix) 2:54
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  5. 5
    Classwar 3:02
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  6. 6
    Papa Tells Me (Stalemate Mix) 3:20
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  7. 7
    Mistakes Can Be Made (Stalemate Mix) 3:05
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  8. 8
    Strawman 3:17
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  9. 9
    Fauxhawk 3:05
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  10. 10
    Perpetrators (Stalemate Mix) 4:15
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Lovestruck

Lovestruck

Poor Me

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Johnny Bender will never hear this song, and that distresses me every time I think about Lovestruck. He passed in July 2018, and the conflict that surrounded him in his final months punctuated an inversely colored lifetime of celebrating a music culture he had a stake in building. The band met Johnny in 2011 during a local billing in Denver, and
Johnny Bender will never hear this song, and that distresses me every time I think about Lovestruck. He passed in July 2018, and the conflict that surrounded him in his final months punctuated an inversely colored lifetime of celebrating a music culture he had a stake in building. The band met Johnny in 2011 during a local billing in Denver, and though the details are fuzzy now, Johnny left with a copy of our demo that would become Readymade. We didn’t make much of the interaction at the time, but Johnny reached out a short time later, saying something to the effect of ‘get this professionally tracked – there’s something unpolished here,’ and he asked we keep in touch.

Even the slightest encouragement can swell into something palpable, resulting in formative moments that were never intended. I think that is an amazing possibility for our relationships, something Johnny enacted as much as he preached it. We stayed in touch, and I was regularly inspired by Johnny’s ambition, effort, and vision to uplift artists through the For the Love of Punk brand. But Johnny was also conflicted toward the end of his life, creating a striking contrast in how his friends sometimes remember him. There was momentum in everything he did.

Lovestruck is about that momentum. It is about where our choices weigh heaviest, and how others come to remember the journey that leaves a lasting imprint. Johnny knew this, and whenever he considered this truth, he weighed in with a ton of heart. Thanks for listening.
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  1. Lovestruck
Heartsick

Heartsick

Poor Me

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I never quite arrived at a clear message when writing Heartsick. The result came after countless revisions, and often felt there were conflicting themes being corralled into the span of a few minutes. I was in a different writing mood every time I revisited the song, and the process culminated in a patchwork of phrasings with inconsistent tone for
I never quite arrived at a clear message when writing Heartsick. The result came after countless revisions, and often felt there were conflicting themes being corralled into the span of a few minutes. I was in a different writing mood every time I revisited the song, and the process culminated in a patchwork of phrasings with inconsistent tone for my protagonist. I ended up putting the song down for more than a year.

But there is something to be said about revisiting things way down the road that is refreshingly unfamiliar. Reading through the lyric sheet with new perspective, the conflict was more attractive. Angry, compassionate, and full of optimism, she also edged toward giving up. I immediately knew the song was about forgiveness.

Forgiveness probably isn’t something most come to overnight. It often isn’t even fully realized when we are ready to make amends with those in our lives who have wronged us. It takes time because different feelings are valid simultaneously, and even with apologies made and accepted, we may not have arrived at whatever cure we were seeking. At some point, though, we have to put things in the past.
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  1. Heartsick
Classwar

Classwar

Poor Me

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The premise of Classwar came about some time ago, before 2020 intensified the dumpster fire we have come to know under 45’s administration. With two Americas sprinting in opposite directions, we seem to converge only to blister one another with identity politics. These are angry times, and I have been just as heated as the next person, sharing
The premise of Classwar came about some time ago, before 2020 intensified the dumpster fire we have come to know under 45’s administration. With two Americas sprinting in opposite directions, we seem to converge only to blister one another with identity politics. These are angry times, and I have been just as heated as the next person, sharing barbs with friends and family across the spectrum over the last several months. I am not aching for a return to social sedation, though. I’ve always felt the music community I’ve grown with over the last 20 years plays a significant role in modeling the humanity and inclusion we want for ourselves and others. The pandemic has shuttered several venues in my area, and we’ve been largely unable to gather, discuss, and exchange our experiences. These venues haven’t received the financial assistance other industries have, and our government refuses to lifeline the individuals who form the backbone of our scene.
We’ve got work to do. There are national efforts such as Save Our Stages and local Kickstarter and Go Fund Me campaigns that have popped up to crowdsource some assistance. And when ‘normal’ returns, there will still be something selfish, unapologetic, and ugly to combat outside our gatherings. Worldviews are so drastically varied between us that facts are negotiated violently, and history reminds us there is always misinformation and manipulation engineering the intersection. I attribute much of the polarity, as many do, to the current administration, because I do not believe dog whistles and doublespeak are reckless. I call them intentional – a classic political play, and an empirically dangerous one. Enjoy the song. This is Classwar.
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  1. Classwar
Sugarcane

Sugarcane

Poor Me

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The record is inspired by a proliferating feeling that the world is getting harder to navigate morally. Falsities are acceptable as warrants for our beliefs, social issues are diluted and polarized until they are palatable for the ill-informed, and confidence in ourselves is replacing the competence of collaboration. As we negotiate circumstances
The record is inspired by a proliferating feeling that the world is getting harder to navigate morally. Falsities are acceptable as warrants for our beliefs, social issues are diluted and polarized until they are palatable for the ill-informed, and confidence in ourselves is replacing the competence of collaboration. As we negotiate circumstances in our lives, we have a plethora of sources to turn to for direction. We can gut-check the moment, or we can turn to science, philosophy, religion, government, our families, etc. -- each has its limits, its agendas, but increasingly, a satisfaction with conversion rather than persuasion. It's personally frustrating, but not confounding or anything...the carrot and stick has always been this effective.

Production:
All tracks written and performed by Poor Me. Sugarcane was engineered by Chris Fogal at Black In Bluhm of Denver, CO. Album artwork by Kodi Hays of Denver, CO.


Special Thanks:

Thanks to our girlfriends, as they have been tremendously helpful with videos, photos, feedback, and the donation of their time. Also a big thanks to Lauren Mills of Mills on Wheels, who helped us roll out a more intelligent game plan to share the record with the world. Chris Fogal, as always, doubled as an engineer and producer to help tighten up and polish the ideas in studio. We obviously recommend the hell out of both Black in Bluhm and Mills on Wheels to any band looking for patient, passionate, and talented music professionals to help share their creativities.

Also, thanks to everyone else we shared the songs with before release. Your support and input is the reason we keep doing this.
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  1. 1
    So, Brother 2:19
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  2. 2
    Mistakes Can Be Made 3:05
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  3. 3
    Sugarcane 2:54
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  4. 4
    Papa Tells Me 3:19
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  5. 5
    Perpetrators 4:16
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Cosplay

Cosplay

Poor Me

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Cosplay is a concept album about heroism. A fierce, daily prescription of courage and mettle, or conversely, of fear and dread, can spawn an unshakeable set of behaviors that may forever define us. As we become intimately interconnected with one another, the right time and location to be impactful becomes an incessant here and now. Collectively,
Cosplay is a concept album about heroism. A fierce, daily prescription of courage and mettle, or conversely, of fear and dread, can spawn an unshakeable set of behaviors that may forever define us. As we become intimately interconnected with one another, the right time and location to be impactful becomes an incessant here and now. Collectively, we will continue to be framed by our willingness to challenge or impose things such as violence, but what of our willingness to neutrality, of being present but unwilling to take part - what extrapolations should be made from our indifference? Our mythologies share a consistent interpretation of what makes a hero/ine. These characters shoulder the responsibility of entire communities as the whole world watches, smash fear before it poisons their head, and offer examples of humanist vigilantism while being treated as less than human themselves.

This record introduces some alternative narratives to the well-known comic book characters that we cherish for their larger-than-life occupancies in our own moral systems. The hope is to humanize their heroism, their dissonances, as processes that bear difficult fortitudes. Though their fictional means may be out of reach, their evolving struggle is of an attainable, cognitive capacity. Stimulating idle hands can be terrifying, but so is becoming the villain.

Production:
All tracks written and performed by Poor Me, except where noted below. Cosplay was engineered by Chris Fogal at Black In Bluhm of Denver, CO. Album artwork photographed by Brandt LaScala of Fort Collins, CO. Photo edits by Kyndra Connor of Missoula, MT.

Cello on "Paper Thin Faith" performed by Lief Sjostrom.
'Devil' Keyboard on "A Man to End Worlds" and "Smash it Out" performed by Chris Fogal.
Gang-style vocals on "Vigilante Life," "Taste Takers," and "Why Should I?" performed by Lawsuit Models.

Audio clips:
The Whole World is Watching: Crowd sample from "Occupy Wall Street: Police Brutality as 8000 people take Time Square, 10.15.11," Matt Kazee (YouTube), 2011.
The Whole World is Watching: Spoken clip from "The Century of the Self," produced by Adam Curtis, 2002.

Special thanks:
There are a ton of people to thank at this point, having made innumerable close friends, ones we would have never intersected were it not for this silly band. Specifically, we'd like to thank PRMLL, the Delaneys, Shannon and Mandi. Your contributions were frequent and needed, giving your time, your handiwork, your homes and the best hugs. Thanks to Johnny and Dawn Wilson for letting us use their home to demo a handful of these songs in preparation for studio. Also, our thanks to Johnny for all the PR tips gained from his social media rants and direct advice whenever we asked -- Denver is very lucky to have the Wilsons. We also need to thank Chris Fogal, who has with every encounter, helped us to grow as musicians. His ear for the dark arts has been instrumental in getting this record sounding really, really rad. You're a talented, inspiring human with a golden liver. We also want to thank Lauren Mills, a person we've never met, actually, yet a person that is so warm and supportive, it feels like you've known her your whole life. Lastly, we want to thank a few bands (and the great people that comprise them) that have become family through their willingness to befriend absolutely everyone. Thanks to the boys in Rayner, Lawsuit Models, Sic Waiting, The Windermeres, Allout Helter, False Colours and Party Like Thieves. Lastly, thanks to everyone we surely missed, but will remember after this is printed. Our bad.
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  1. 1
    Why Should I? 2:55
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  2. 2
    I'm No Superman 2:27
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  3. 3
    Clean My Head 3:04
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  4. 4
    Shoulder the Mantle 4:02
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  5. 5
    Taste Takers 3:09
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  6. 6
    The Whole World is Watching 3:03
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  7. 7
    Vigilante Life 3:20
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  8. 8
    The Night Gwen Stacy Died 4:00
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  9. 9
    Paper Thin Faith 3:17
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  10. 10
    Mad Love 4:45
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  11. 11
    Smash It Out 2:53
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  12. 12
    A Man to End Worlds 4:19
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Readymade

Readymade

Poor Me

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The "Readymades" of Marcel Duchamp stand as a message that 'art' cannot be defined, and perhaps the things methodized as artistry blur the line between art and human experience. While focusing on the importance of skepticism, optimism, and integrity, Readymade stresses the importance of introspection as a tool of passive progress.

Production:

The "Readymades" of Marcel Duchamp stand as a message that 'art' cannot be defined, and perhaps the things methodized as artistry blur the line between art and human experience. While focusing on the importance of skepticism, optimism, and integrity, Readymade stresses the importance of introspection as a tool of passive progress.

Production:

All tracks written and performed by Poor Me. Readymade was engineered by Chris Fogal at Black in Bluhm of Denver, CO. Album artwork photographed by Scott Badham of Laramie, WY.

Audio Clips:

Strike A Poseur: Song "Poor Me," written by Johnny Worth / John Barry, performed by Adam Faith. Released by Parlophone, 1960.

Sell Out of Shell Out: A lecture by poet James Baldwin at the Community Church in New York, 1963.

They're Starting Fires: Clips from Workaholics, Season 1, Episode 6, "The Strike." Produced by 5th Year Productions et al., 2011.

Bad Scene: An interview with Ian MacKaye for e-zine, Music4Autobahns, 2009.

Special Thanks:

We can't stand behind this record without first thanking Johnny and Dawn Wilson, co-founders of the For the Love of Punk brand and the most supportive friends any of the members of Poor Me could wish for. Chris Fogal contributed a heap of expert opinion and insight on being better musicians and songwriters. If only he would have contributed his voice, we could be famous. JD Korpitz will always be the guy who keeps our heads level when we start to feel too proud of anything we've done. We all need that influence. Lastly, thanks for everyone we surely missed, but will remember after this is printed. Our bad..
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  1. 1
    Strike a Poseur 1:04
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  2. 2
    Sidewalks End 3:42
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  3. 3
    Wits and Reason 4:59
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  4. 4
    Beacons 5:01
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  5. 5
    Sell Out or Shell Out 5:18
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  6. 6
    Monsters Do Exist 3:55
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  7. 7
    They're Starting Fires 3:46
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  8. 8
    Bad Scene 4:09
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notes
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  1. 1
    Classwar 3:02
    0:00/3:02
  2. 2
    Fauxhawk 3:05
    0:00/3:05
  3. 3
    Heartsick 3:18
    Info
    0:00/3:18
  4. 4
    Lovestruck 3:13
    Info
    0:00/3:13
  5. 5
    Mistakes Can Be Made (Stalemate Mix) 3:05
    0:00/3:05
  6. 6
    Papa Tells Me (Stalemate Mix) 3:20
    0:00/3:20
  7. 7
    Perpetrators (Stalemate Mix) 4:15
    0:00/4:15
  8. 8
    So, Brother (Stalemate Mix) 2:18
    0:00/2:18
  9. 9
    Strawman 3:17
    0:00/3:17
  10. 10
    Sugarcane (Stalemate Mix) 2:54
    0:00/2:54
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