Lucien
Walker (vocals/piano)
Fin (vocals/guitars)
Christ (bass/vocals)
Chris Wilson (drums)
Two years ago, feel-good
rockers The Summer Obsession
landed a slot on a side
stage of the Warped tour.
So, they packed up their
van and drove nearly 900
miles from their hometown
of Jacksonville, Florida
all the way to Indianapolis
only to find that the stage
had been canceled and they
wouldn't be playing after
all. Disappointed at first,
they quickly revived their
spirits and drove another
2,070 miles to Los Angeles
to try to get a record deal.
After a few months of eight-hour
practice sessions and many
showcases Virgin Records
enthusiastically signed
the band.
Such optimism in the face
of defeat is typical for
The Summer Obsession, an
energized, hard working
group that writes upbeat
songs for downcast times.
The members are way too
fun loving to have a motto,
but if they had to carve
a mission statement in the
beach sand it would be "make
the most of every situation,
enjoy life to the fullest
and don't let the bad times
ruin the good." The
group's debut This Is Where
You Belong is packed with
endorphin-pumped riffs,
sun drenched harmonies and
enough emotional resonance
to stay with the listener
"The theme of the
album is beginning new things
and starting over fresh,"
says singer Lucien Walker.
"That's what summer
represents to me and that's
where I was in my life at
the time I wrote these songs."
From the elated chorus
of the piano-inflected "8
AM" to the stealthy
guitar picking and sweeping
chorus of "Never Coming
Back" The Summer Obsession
unapologetically revel in
youthful vigor and breezy,
head-bobbing rock, providing
the perfect antidote to
the hordes of depressed,
inward-looking bands flooding
the airwaves.
"It seems like every
time you turn on the radio
you hear the same song about
the exact same thing,"
says guitarist Fin. "We
call it 'butt-rock' and
it's something that doesn't
get us going. It's really
depressing. It's not what
we need right now and it's
not what society needs right
now."
"I think I really
wanted to write a positive
record because I wanted
people to be able to listen
to it and feel hopeful and
also escape their problems,"
adds Walker. "I want
them to walk away feeling
good."
That doesn't mean The Summer
Obsession don't accept unhappiness.
They've all been through
upsetting relationship trauma,
distressing band break-ups
and other life disappointments,
but each setback has made
them more determined to
persevere and emerge in
a better place. In fact,
before the band formed,
Walker and Fin were playing
together in a punk band
and found that they were
unhappy with the direction
and sound of their music
and fed up with their experiences
in the music business. Walker
considered quitting the
game altogether, but instead
both decided to splinter
off and form their own group,
one that would more closely
reflect their attitude and
record collections, which
contain such diverse acts
as Third Eye Blind, The
Police, Blink-182, Foo Fighters,
Rage Against the Machine,
NWA and The Doors. Fin,
who had played with bassist
Christ for years in a different
group recruited his old
bandmate a couple months
later.
The Summer Obsession started
writing songs in June 2004.
In no time, they had a pile
of material, which MySpace.com
founder Tom Anderson took
a liking to and willingly
posted, making The Summer
Obsession one of the first
MySpace bands. "We
got a good 5,000 people
that discovered us that
way," says Fin. "They
started talking about us
and commenting on us and
it built from there."
Walker wrote some of the
songs on This Is Where You
Belong years ago, but most
were conceived during lengthy
writing sessions in Jacksonville
after the band was signed.
"One of my first loves
is songwriting so I've been
known to be reclusive and
lock myself away and just
write," Walker says.
"It's really healthy
for me. If there's any sort
of turmoil going on, I sit
down and it spills out in
my music."
In July 2005, The Summer
Obsession entered the studio
with producer Josh Abraham
(Velvet Revolver, Pink),
engineer Ryan Williams (Rage
Against the Machine, Outkast)
and drummer Josh Freese
(Sting, Nine Inch Nails,
A Perfect Circle) to record
the album. "It was
the smoothest thing ever
and we had a great time,"
Fin says. "Everything
just gelled."
After recording, Freese
was unable to remain in
The Summer Obsession due
to his touring commitments
with Sting. The band went
through a series of other
drummers before finding
Chris Wilson, who used to
play in Good Charlotte.
"After I left Good
Charlotte, I had to get
out of the music industry
for a while because I was
so disgusted the way everything
operated," Wilson explains.
"Then, when I was ready
to start playing again,
a mutual friend told me
about these guys. So they
emailed me the songs and
I really connected with
them. And it was something
brand new for me to start
over with."
The title This Is Where
You Belong comes from the
song "Where You Belong,"
a slow, reflective track
reminiscent of U2 or the
Police. An affirmation of
intent and circumstance,
the phrase is equally relevant
for fans seeking liberation
through music as it is for
the bandmembers looking
to build a new foundation.
"I came up with that
title because I was reading
a lot of books that urge
you to pay attention to
your present moment and
about life situations,"
Walker says. "You can't
let your life situation
determine the state of your
life. I mean, wherever you
are, you are. Might as well
make the best of it."
The first single from This
Is Where You Belong, "Do
You Remember," is an
escapist ballad about swooping
in to save a girl from the
wrath of her abusive father
("I know those bruises
ain't from falling down/
They seem to show when your
drunk dad's around").
"That song was inspired
by emails I get from fans
that spill their hearts
out to me," Walker
says. "One person was
getting abused by her dad
and she would write me these
crazy, long emails. So,
I imagined I could make
things better by writing
a song where someone takes
her out of the situation."
One of the most propulsive
tracks on the record, "Death
Said," is somewhat
morbid, depicting the Grim
Reaper as he appears to
talk to the main character
about death. But even that
song is ultimately positive
and life affirming. "I
wrote it when I was 18 and
it's about enjoying the
present moment because you
never know what's around
the corner," Walker
says. "I used to think
about death all the time,
and everyone knows we're
all gonna die. But that's
all the more reason to make
the most out of life."
As the flowers bloom and
the mercury in the thermometer
climbs into the suntan lotion
zone, there's no better
time for The Summer Obsession
to be spreading their sturdy
and strongly melodic style
of rock across the land.
"Summer has always
represented everything cool
to me since I was little,"
Walker concludes. "Having
no school, going to the
beach, listening to the
music on the way to the
beach and at the beach.
And hopefully our music
will bring out the same
kind of feelings in people
who hear it."
