Zodiac

Driven to Tears (The Police) - Baby, You're a Rich Man (The Beatles) - Wait Until Tomorrow (Jimi Hendrix) - Movement in the Light (Fishbone) - Watching the Detectives (Elvis Costello) - Don't Give Up (Peter Gabriel) - The Guns of Brixton (The Clash) - One Love/People Get Ready (Bob Marley) - I and I Survive (Bad Brains) - One In Ten (UB40) - Blues Dance Raid (Steel Pulse)

Common Side Effects

Common Side Effects - Bloody Hands - Two Piece Tuesday - Sweetest Enemy - The Majority - This Place Hotel - Growing Into You - Airwaves - All Time High

Review from The Riverfront Times

"Steve Ewing may very well be the model of how to remain a working musician after fame and major-label backing has vanished. After reaching a respectable level of success with the Urge (a band that is still talked about in hushed tones by certain folks), Ewing has continued to ply his trade at small clubs around town and consistently released solo records every few years. Common Side Effects is his fifth release, and it will sound familiar to those who haven't heard Ewing since "Jump Right In" was all over MTV and modern-rock radio. Where the Urge tossed rock, ska, punk and funk in the blender, Ewing's solo work splits an attractive difference between rock and harder-edged R&B. He is backed by an able band on these nine tracks, and the mood shifts 311-esque jams ("Two Piece Tuesday") to piano-led ballads ("Airwaves"). A few songs on Common Side Effects that deal with identity crises a pertinent topic as Ewing gets older and continues to refine his musical identity. But while parts of Ewing's psyche may be in flux, his new album is solid from start to finish and varied enough to keep his sound from settling into one groove."
Christian Schaeffer

Lyrics

Common Side Effects

Sleeplessness
I havent slept in days
I can close my eyes
And see the Polaroids
Of someone closest to me

My senses are real
And I can taste a bitter drug
And thats love and she cares
Until my eyelids break open
Revealing the motion of sweat

Im committed to the cure
But its killing me for sure
Devoted to this drug
Love is killing me

In her world theres levity
Love is a pill you can take
And its side effect free
In my world theres gravity
A place where oppression
Comes in the form of

Weakness
Not just of the flesh
But when you test me I tremble
Like cards stacked on the table
Dizziness, anxiousness
A loss of appetite and just pain

Im committed to the cure
But its killing me Im sure
Devoted to this drug
Love is killing me

In her world theres levity
Love is a pill you can take
And its side effect free
In my world theres gravity
A place where oppression
Comes in the form of

Addiction
Ultimately I couldnt put you down
If I wanted to and if I did
I just might forget you
Put on my clothes
Act like Im real
Step out that door and heal

Im committed to this cure
Love is killing me

In her world theres levity
Love is a pill you can take
And its side effect free
In my world theres gravity
A place where oppression
Comes in the form of You

Bloody Hands

Must you always be the good saint in the public eye?
Must you always be so picture perfect in this disguise?
Must you always be the architect in my eyes?
The designer of my perfect demise

This is my life, my dream that I am
It flows through my veins
A feeling you never have
I am what I am and I will always stand
If you kill my spirit than the bloods on your hands

I would die before I let you rape me of my pride
I would rather live in shame with death by my side
Before you drill me you should kill me, I would do the same
Drive a knife in my heart 'cause I wont live in shame

I would die before I let you down and make me now
Ill succeed on my own so you can hate me now
There s nothing you can do to stop me, cant break me down
I would never lose for you and bring me down

This is my life, my dream that I am
It flows through my veins
A feeling you never have
I am what I am and I will always stand
If you kill my spirit than the bloods on your hands

This is my life, my dream that I have (dream that I have)
It feels like no other feeling youve never have (youve never have)
I am what I am and Ill always stand (Ill always stand)
If you kill my spirit than the bloods on your hands

This is my life, my dream that I am
It flows through my veins
A feeling you never have
I am what I am and I will always stand
If you kill my spirit than the bloods on your hands

Sweetest Enemy

There have been times when I look down the road
And I feel like were going nowhere
There have been times when I feel like
Its got to be easier not to get (la la la...)

There have been times
When I look in my heart
And I feel like its snowing in there
But here we are this time
Trying to remember when this war was declared

You and I will always be
Even though we never agree
Love will be our foe
I will always be close
Sweetest Enemy

I almost forgot what I was mad about
Now Im down in the trenches fighting for my dignity
Waving a flag I get shot down
Invisible adversary
Drinking from the poison stream
Changing from the inside out

You and I will always be
Even though we never agree
Love will be our foe
I will always be close
Sweetest Enemy

The Majority

Ive got a few things on my mind
But I dont know how to say them
Im not a politician but I still care
Its eye against eye this time

So here I go
Trying to make some sense of my world
Sometimes I have to think out loud
Some folks they tell me
If I am to find a place in this world
These castle walls must come down

I hear the voices from the past
The ones that left those great big footprints in our grass
They stood on pulpits, they wrote the books
They sang the songs that glued my body to my soul

So here I go
Trying to make some sense of my world
Sometimes I have to think out loud
Some folks they tell me
If I am to find a place in this world
These castle walls must come down

Growing Into You

Growing into you
Let me talk about the swelling of my arm
And blood that is flowing
Flowing in from you
A torrent my blood is so nice
Im washed away with you

If you see me glowing
Its all because of you
If you see me growing
Its all because of you

Gradually Im filling out these clothes
Heaven knows
The world is larger now
Im growing into you

Growing into you
Let me talk about the swelling of my arm
A heavy weight dumped felt from the start

All Time High

Loneliness is like a drug
A thousand hands and arms
A welcoming hug

Loneliness is like a thug
A single blind intruder
A future persecutor

And tell me what would I be, if not for crazy?
Life with you is gone and I am less than strong
Looking, Im finding pieces of my pride
Hear myself crying only when I decide

I think Im learning to love this life
Everything is pain, but from pain I get high
Lately these days I think of you and I
You bring me down to my all time high

Something has to go horribly wrong
Someone has to come accidentally running to me
Fast enough to knock me loose
Hard enough to make me lose

The hold of this pain that Ive been feeding on
The hold of this lie that Ive been living on

I think Im learning to love this life
Everything is pain, but from pain I get high
Lately these days I think of you and I
You bring me down to my all time high

Substance and Sound

Bloody Hands - Boys Nite Out - Here It Comes Again - It's About Time - So Sweet - Sweetest Enemy - Zion

Lyrics

Bloody Hands

Must you always be the good saint in the public eye?
Must you always be so picture perfect in this disguise?
Must you always be the architect in my eyes?
The designer of my perfect demise

This is my life, my dream that I am
It flows through my veins
A feeling you never have
I am what I am and I will always stand
If you kill my spirit than the bloods on your hands

I would die before I let you rape me of my pride
I would rather live in shame with death by my side
Before you drill me you should kill me, I would do the same
Drive a knife in my heart 'cause I wont live in shame

I would die before I let you down and make me now
Ill succeed on my own so you can hate me now
There s nothing you can do to stop me, cant break me down
I would never lose for you and bring me down

This is my life, my dream that I am
It flows through my veins
A feeling you never have
I am what I am and I will always stand
If you kill my spirit than the bloods on your hands

This is my life, my dream that I have (dream that I have)
It feels like no other feeling youve never have (youve never have)
I am what I am and Ill always stand (Ill always stand)
If you kill my spirit than the bloods on your hands

This is my life, my dream that I am
It flows through my veins
A feeling you never have
I am what I am and I will always stand
If you kill my spirit than the bloods on your hands

Boys Nite Out

Shake loose the chains
Wrapped around my brain
Right here, right now
I'm back in the game
Gonna be myself
And be one of the boys
Tonight we belong
Without a doubt
Together on boys night out

Seven buttons to the collar
Up to here is where I've had it
Five days for the the dollar
Falling down on a wallet that's padded

I wanna scream
I wanna shout
I wanna make a little noise to doubt
Tonight it's going to me and the boys
Tonight were gonna make a little noise

Shake loose the chains
Wrapped around my brain
Right here, right now
I'm back in the game
Gonna be myself
And be one of the boys
Be myself, one of the boys
Tonight we belong
Without a doubt
Together on boys night out

Shake loose the chains
Wrapped around my brain
Right here, right now
I'm back in the game
Gonna be myself
And be one of the boys
Tonight we belong
Without a doubt
Together on boys night out

Stand up from a cubicle
A nine to five funeral
Paint the smile on the frown
The frown of a corporate clown

Being out with my friends
Being out with my friends
Is the best, the best
The best way to deal with stress

Shake loose the chains
Wrapped around my brain
Right here, right now
I'm back in the game
Gonna be myself
And be one of the boys
Be myself, one of the boys
Tonight we belong
Without a doubt
Together on boys night out

Boys, boys, boys, oh yeah
Boys, boys, wrapped around my brain

Shake loose the chains
Wrapped around my brain
Right here, right now
I'm back in the game
Gonna be myself
And be one of the boys
Tonight we belong
Without a doubt
Together on boys night out

Shake loose the chains
Wrapped around my brain
Right here, right now
I'm back in the game
Gonna be myself
And be one of the boys
Tonight we belong
Without a doubt
Together on boys night out

Here It Comes Again

My eyes on the road
Can not see a soul
Gotta let this come to me
It's something I remember

It's killing me for sure
Never see you anymore
And then something will take over me

Oh my God, here it comes again
Oh my God, here it comes again
Oh my God, here it comes again
I can't breathe, I can't see
Something reminds me of you
Oh my God, here it comes again
Where will I be
The next time I fall to pieces?

Question is how in the hell do I
Say goodbye when you're already gone?
When you're already gone?
There lies the hole in the story
Irretrievable, no hope for me
No you and no end to this story
Oh no my lines are getting blurry

Right here in the middle of the room

Oh my God, here it comes again
I can't breathe, I can't see
Something reminds me of you
Oh my God, here it comes again
Where will I be
The next time I fall to pieces?

Oh my God, here it comes again
Something reminds me
Something reminds me of you
Oh my God, here it comes again
Where will I be
The next time I fall to pieces?

Oh my God, here it comes again
I can't breathe, I can't see
Something reminds me of you
Oh my God, here it comes again
Where will I be
The next time I fall to pieces?

Next time I fall to pieces

Sweetest Enemy

There have been times when I look down the road
And I feel like were going nowhere
There have been times when I feel like
Its got to be easier not to get (la la la...)

There have been times
When I look in my heart
And I feel like its snowing in there
But here we are this time
Trying to remember when this war was declared

You and I will always be
Even though we never agree
Love will be our foe
I will always be close
Sweetest Enemy

I almost forgot what I was mad about
Now Im down in the trenches fighting for my dignity
Waving a flag I get shot down
Invisible adversary
Drinking from the poison stream
Changing from the inside out

You and I will always be
Even though we never agree
Love will be our foe
I will always be close
Sweetest Enemy

It's About Time

I think I need to start
By telling you I like what we live in
While everyone's a part
Of something beautiful
So let the hard times in
We're on the brink of greatness
A heart that's free and full
But we must think of greatness
A mind of original

It's not really a discussion
It's more like my declaration

I think it's about time
We start using our minds
Take responsibility
Bet on positivity

I think it's about time
So I'm speaking my mind
But I'm making it for me
Is what I do for my country

I think I need to start
By telling you I like what we live in
While everyone's a part
Of something beautiful
So let the hard times in
We're on the brink of greatness
My country free and full
I'm free to think of greatness
My mind original

It's not really a discussion
It's more like my declaration

I think it's about time
We start using our minds
Take responsibility
Bet on positivity

I think it's about time
So I'm speaking my mind
But I'm making it for me
Is what I do for my country

So Sweet

And it's so sweet
The way you wash your hair
Never knowing I was there, yeah

And it's so sweet
The Way you change your mind
And then you change it back again, yeah

And it's so sweet
The way that you touch me
Makes me feel like I'm the only one here

Zion

Brother brother brother I will never forget
I haven't had another night quite like yet
It was rockers on the stereo
Just me and you in that little back room

We felt the rapture of substance and sound
Are we all wrapped up, are we all wrapped up?
If I died right then I would understand
The conception of orignal man

I took a ride and left the earth behind
We got high the day we went to Zion
I took a ride and left the earth behind
We got high the day we went to Zion

Words in these songs, they do inspire
The one Peter Tosh, he set our minds on fire
We passed the pipe of peace that summer night
Right then and there, everything was alright

There is something inside of us all
Just for a moment, standing ten feet tall
If we died right then, we'd stay in Zion my friend
Above our bones, with the souls of all men

I took a ride and left the earth behind
We got high the day we went to Zion
I took a ride and left the earth behind
We got high the day we went to Zion

We built a big brown castle out of big brick words
Together, with the glue of human soul
The meaning of life as we understand