PropertyOfZack is a huge fan of Aficionado’s new self-titled record which just came out via No Sleep Records a few weeks ago. The band has now written-up a new Track-By-Track guide for the site and for fans to delve into the deeper meanings behind each of the songs. Read up and enjoy!

The Things You Like –
A few years back, I rented a movie called Beyond the Sea, a true story about the life of, singer, Bobby Darin.  In his later years, Darin attempts to move on from big band standards, and begins taking his music in a more folky direction. People react negatively and refuse to accept this artistic transformation.  At which point, he realizes that “people hear what they see.”  He hosts a concert performing his new folk material, except this time, he dresses it up in the aesthetic of a big band.  The audience reaction is much different, and all of a sudden people are receptive to his new musical direction.
This idea that “people hear what they see” was something that I found very interesting, and it was something that I thought a lot about when analyzing crowds of people, thinking about why they jump on certain bandwagons, and why they stay off of others.  As I thought more about it, I realized that this theory gives some people too much credit.  Most of the time, I fear that people don’t even open their minds enough to judge something based on how it looks.  I think people have a preconceived idea of whether they’re going to like something prior to even walking in the door.  Regardless of whether it’s sonically or aesthetically good, people will like what their peers have deemed “cool to like,” and will shut off to everything else.   At so many shows, I notice kids looking over their shoulders to see how their friends are reacting to a new band before choosing whether or not to nod their heads along in approval.
It’s great to want to be a part of something.  It’s great to want to sing-a-long and have fun at shows.  But I’d just like people to consider whether this participation is motivated by a connection with the music, or by a desire to be accepted into some sort of cool kids club.

Stir Like Hell –
This song is a commentary about the current and future state of the music industry.   But I guess it could apply to any situation where people are dumbing themselves down in order to create mass appeal.   
Wikipedia says:  ‘Lowest common denominator’ is often used as a figure of speech meaning the most basic, least sophisticated level of taste, sensibility, or opinion among a group of people. 
“Stir like Hell - We don’t mind the Noise!” was a slogan used in WWII to encourage rationing due to a low supply of sugar.
Currently, we’re all being forced to stir like Hell because of a low supply of musical substance.   I guess, overall, the song is meant to encourage people to stay the path and create something that’s real, despite the pressures to give in and jump on some bandwagon in order to achieve fast success in an industry that’s currently in pretty rough shape.
 
Everything Was Right –
There was a span of a few weeks last summer when a bunch of stuff was going really right for me.  It was weird.  Everything seemed to be working out in a way that was too good to be true.  Our band got signed, we had our first official release on vinyl (the first one of my life! It was a cool feeling!), I started dating a girl that I had liked for a long time, etc., etc. Rather than enjoying my time of good fortune, I spent this time being skeptical and stressed out, waiting for something to go wrong.  Logic says that eventually, something MUST go wrong, right?
I started thinking more about this, and I realized this is something I do far too often. I am an over-thinker.  I worry so much about things that I don’t actually take the time to stop and enjoy them when they are good.   There is value in simply being able to appreciate things for what they are.

Grandfather –
When I was young, my grandfather used to have a mesh-backed baseball cap with little felt letters ironed onto it.  It read “Wherever you go, there you are.”   I never thought too much about it until recently.
It may seem like a corny and obvious saying, however, I wish I had that hat today, because I think a lot of people have to be reminded of that simple fact.  No matter where you go, you can never escape yourself.  When you’re unhappy, it’s pretty easy to blame the place where you live, your friends, your job, whatever.  But sometimes it isn’t that simple, and when that’s the case, you may have to look introspectively.  
We bring many of our problems upon ourselves.  While the place where you live may not be the best place in the world, if you’re happy with yourself, you can probably figure out a way to be happy pretty much anywhere.
 
Confidence Is Intimidating –
There are many qualities and characteristics that are said to be valued in social interaction.  One of these positive qualities is confidence.   But the reality is, we’re all so used to walking on eggshells around each other, making sure we pass through life as inoffensively as possible, never saying what we REALLY think or feel, that when someone actually speaks with confidence, or displays assertiveness, many people find it intimidating. 
 
Honesty –
The original title for this song was “Stay Local.”  
It’s easy to set low goals, meet those goals, feel validated, and then settle into a comfort zone, never to venture back out into the real world again.  This is a trap that many of us fall into.  We settle down and become content with staying “local,” never expanding, never growing, and never knowing the extent of our potential. 
This is okay, I guess, if you have no desire to expand.  However, a wise man who goes by the name Ghostface Killa once said, “If you’re gonna do it, do it big,” and I’ve never known him to be incorrect when it comes to giving life advice.
 
Falsified Inspiration –
I was always taught that honesty is the best policy.  If you’re telling someone what you think they want to hear just to keep them happy, in the end, things are always way worse for everyone.  You’re not doing anyone any favors by giving the illusion of hope when there is no hope. 
If you’re asking someone to place an emotional investment in something that’s hollow, you’re really not doing anyone any favors.   Lifting someone up in such a way only sets that person up for a harder fall.
 
Permanent –
This song is pretty self-explanatory.  I’ve always had a hard time thinking about permanence.  I’ve always had a hard time coming to terms with change.  I’ve never been able to trust the idea that there is some sort of greater plan in place and that all things happen for a reason. 
As I dive deeper into my mid-20’s, I can’t help but think about the realities of aging.  I’d like to think that I’ve aged semi-gracefully thus far.  But it’s weird to think about the fact that someday, I’m going to wake up, and I’m going to look very different from how I currently look.  I’m going to look OLD… I’m going to feel old.   My body already doesn’t allow me to do the same things it used to when I was 18…. What happens when the sun has completely set on my “golden years”? What happens when the only things I have to look forward to, are morning talk shows and bingo nights at the local moose lodge?  I find this all very frightening.
 
Characters –
This is the oldest song on the record.  We wrote this back when August Rosa was still playing 3^rd guitar in the band.  We sped it up a little bit and messed around with the arrangement for the purposes of keeping it up to date with our current sound.   We weren’t so sure about it going into the studio, but it ended up being a really pleasant surprise when it turned out how it did.
So many of us travel though life, content with a boring existence.  A good friend of mine, Pat Kindlon, from the band End of a Year Self-Defense Family, once said, “the only difference between you a Shaquille O’Neal is a desire to win.”  While this sounds kind of crazy, on some very basic level, it’s partially true.  We spend so much time reading about all of these people with interesting lives, doing interesting things.  We watch movies about them.  We admire them.  What is so different about us and them?  Why can’t WE lead interesting lives and do interesting things?  We can.  There is no difference.   Many of us are held back by a fear of failure and a lack of confidence.  Rather than participating and milking it for all it’s worth, we become mere spectators in life.
 
Open Doors –
Once again -another song about the inability to accept change.  This one deals specifically with being stuck in the Bargaining stage of the grieving process…. when there is no way to talk or reason your way into getting what you want, but you keep hanging on, talking in circles, trying to find some sort of loop hole…even though one doesn’t exist.  It’s a weird, hopeless feeling that I assume most people can probably relate to.