by Alex Danger Stewart

The Moment – Elliot Porter + PJ Heckinger

So there’s this band called The Moment. Grr, never start a sentence with a preposition. As you may know, there’s a Rockford band called The Moment. They consist of two guys playing screamy dance music. Many people compare them to the Faint, who used to be more famous amongst people with tattoos than they are now. This is common knowledge. They’ve been featured on this very website. Less universally known, but still pretty widely understood, is that The Moment used to sound a whole lot different. During my early high school years, they were mainly a Gods Reflex spin-off group (which was awesome because GR totally rules). Current drummer, Elliott Porter, was joined by guitarist Nate Kirschmann and former Reflex front man/bassist Zach Newman. Not long after the release of their debut EP, “This is the Moment,” The Moment welcomed guitarist PJ (possibly short for Polly Jane) Heckinger into the fold. The Moment’s sound began to incorporate more electronics and a slightly harder edge. This is largely attributed to the fact that PJ is metal as shit. I’ve always considered this time period (circa 2004-2005) to be the golden era of The Moment. Newman is mostly a fantastic lyricist and they rocked balls (as was the style of the times). It is only represented on record by the three song James Dean single, a recording of an acoustic show that only a handful of people (including me) have, and a mostly completed album that has never seen the light of day. In May of 2005, on the eve of their first tour, Zach fucking quit the band. Left scrambling, the other three members hurriedly figured out how to include Newman’s bass parts into the existing programming and Heckinger moved over to vocals. This obviously led to a pretty drastic change in sound and direction. Then something interesting happened. One of the first post Zach songs was the Kirschmann penned, “Are You Out There.”

Sample lyrics include:

Well it might not make you a saint, sir, but it just might save you from Hell.
Well are you out there? Are you out there? Living your life as a liar.
Give it up, son. Give it up, son. I know that you’re celebrating (unintelligible)

Give in, give up, get out, right out
Cause I know that you won’t notice
Give in, give up, get out, right out
Cause I know that you won’t care.

This ending has a proceed
Take the pictures from the rents (possibly rest or parrots)
Well you’ve got me as your victim (or Well you can’t play as the victim)
At least you’ve got your crucifix.

We’re all just waiting for you
They always told you something
There’s no more asking for you
We’ll pick it up and carry on

The three and a half minute screed paints someone close to the protagonist (more on that in the next paragraph) as a lousy self obsessed hypocrite, who has left them when they were most in need. The lyrics went largely unnoticed on the post Newman album, Showdown At The Discoteque, because every song was mostly angry sounding. Until someone cracked the code. This kid named Evan Michel first figured out the big picture idea of the song when he announced to me, “Holy Shit Danger! That song is about Zach!” The theory was confirmed one time when I asked Kirschmann when he was drunk and he admitted that he had written it about Zach quitting the band. Even without that confirmation, the subtext is clear. With direct references to past Newman lyrics (“I’m gonna fake my way into sainthood,” on “Who’s Afraid of Hunter S Thompson,” and the attack on mainstream emo singers, “That Crucifix/goes really well with your cut wrists.”) and more oblique nods to his future near abandonment of music making in favor of teaching and being with his family. Kirschmann’s lyrics essentially accuse Newman of being a liar and a thief. In all fairness, Zach quit the fucking band.

For a while, that seemed like the end of it. The Moment soldiered on and Zach kept promising an acoustic EP that never happened. But then something interesting happened. Zach reemerged in late 2007/early 2008 with a new Gods Reflex album. The title track, “When It’s Down to This,” had a strong rebuke to an unnamed party

Sample Lyrics:

We must move on
But we always wind up the same
in each other’s songs

Assign the blame
but don’t speak in tongues
I know my name
and I’m not ashamed

I guess everybody lies
everybody has two sides
despite the words you sing
I’m doing fine

When it’s down to this
I’ll be stronger than you ever thought that I could be
I’m not waiting for your call
When you think you’re missed
Think as not the one that I thought was in front of me
They’ve been dead for oh so long.

I passed the baton, knowing it would be better off
In someone else’s hands
And hoped you’d understand
If this is my cross
Then I’ll carry on despite the cost
It’s not as grand as you thought

The gloves were fucking off! Newman shot back with a god damned laser. In the space of 4 minutes he lets the Moment know that he is aware that “Are You Out There,” is about him, and that he doesn’t give a fuck. All things being equal, Newman is a much stronger songwriter. To this day, he remains flaky as all get out, but his ability as a lyricist and singer continue to keep me (and others) listening. Despite the fact that the splintering of the original Moment is most definitely his fault, Zach deftly handles the accusations and tells his side of the story. Even in directly references the prior song, “If this is my cross, then I’ll carry on despite the cost. It’s not as grand as you thought,” his lyrics are clever and stinging. I first figured out the meaning of the song last spring while driving home from school. It was such a surprising realization that I shouted it out to my passengerless car, “Holy Shit! This song is about The Moment!” I’ve never talked about it with other people because it seems super lame to study the lyrics of a Rockford band so closely. But there you have it. Feud over.

Victory: Zach Newman
Spoils of War: The Moment

Alex Danger Stewart is an opinionated guy. At first I was worried about pissing someone off by posting this. Then I thought to myself, “Screw It!”. If this does piss anyone off you can email Danger at thedangerzone@sockmonkeysound.com and bitch at him.

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