The Exit “Lonely Man’s Wallet”

A Bad ThinkArtist:
THE EXIT
Label:
SOME
Video:
“LONELY MAN’S WALLET”
Director:
Major Lightner
Add Date:
December 1, 2002

 

The Exit is a three piece band from NYC that is equivalent to an in-your-face tsunami making waves in many circles. Their debut video is for the song “Lonely Man’s Wallet”, a standout track off their stellar debut CD produced by Daniel Rey (The Ramones, Misfits). New Beatis a personal, cathartic CD full of tortured souls and existences who are hoping to find a way to solve their problems. The Exit’s appeal totally leaps over the “emo” line with a sonically bruising aesthetic, a smart, dynamic songwriting prowess and a sound that has more in common with The Police, Agent Orange or The Clash than Blink 182 or Bowling for Soup. The band had a track featured on the American Pie 2 soundtrack earlier this year and will appear in the new CD offering from kindred musical spirits New Found Glory, who include a limited edition bonus CD with their Sticks and Stones release featuring all the bands they respect, admire and champion, including The Exit, Finch and The Starting Line.

Gamblers, a prostitute, alcohol, a racetrack – the environment of The Exit’s “Lonely Man Wallet” clip is one of emptiness where drinks are endlessly poured and money is waged. The storyline is that of a “lonely man” who is representative of the many people who find themselves without hope and are at such a low point in their lives that they are willing to “throw it all away” for a slim chance at a better existence. For these people this is their last chance or else, like lead singer Jeff DeRosa sings, they are “gonna take this car off the side” of the road. The intensity in DeRosa’s steely-eyed stare is riveting and the OTB parlor tension and barroom debauchery lend flavor and substance to this well produced video.

On tour 200 days a year, The Exit are in it to win it. So far, this hard-working trio have shown through actions, not words, that they embody the passion and tenacity to get to the next level, while always adhering to the basics of the true indie-rock mantra: “Keep growing as a band and keep writing new songs.” So many recent buzz bands cite The Exit as one of their fave bands (Glassjaw, New Found Glory, and Thursday to name a couple) and a lot of their adoration for The Exit has to do with the band’s affable demeanor.