They're not the best pop-punk band of the 2000s, but they might be the most underrated. No one I know has ever heard of them, and the forum where I connected with other fans unexpectedly shut down a few years ago, deleting hundreds of pages of discussions containing information and links that can't be found anywhere else. I'll write everything I can remember here and embed the mp3s I was able to download from various sources over the years.
Crunchy and unpolished, but Kilgore's strengths as a songwriter and performer already shine. Unusual topics, clever wordplay, catchy melodies, and surprisingly clean vocal harmonies define this self-titled debut.
The band was first formed in late 2001 under the name What You Deserve by Kennedy Bell (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Emma Hirsch (lead guitar, vocals), Ryan Cox (bass), and Liam Torres (drums). All members still attended high school in Mesa, Arizona. Later that year they placed 2nd in a local battle-of-the-bands which sparked interest and created more gig opportunities. The band changed their name to Mine All Mine and Bell took the stage name Kennedy Kilgore. By popular demand, they recorded their first album the summer after the group graduated from high school, pooling their money for a single studio session.
The Hard Way
Lyrics
So what, it didn’t feel right
Not even at the time
That someone like you
Could ever be mine
I knew your smile was too bright
Your soul too light
Why did I waste your time
For even one night?
There’s no need to do this the hard way
I’m not gonna try to change your mind
If you want me gone
You may be surprised to find
I’ve already left you behind
In the rearview
The skyline is more
Than just the silhouette
That I saw before
I know the streets and the alleys
The peaks and the valleys
But that’s not my home anymore
There’s no need to do this the hard way
I’m not gonna try to change your mind
If you want me gone
You may be surprised to find
I’ve already left you behind
Don’t make this hard
It’s supposed to be the easy part
Don’t speak
I know what’s in your heart
I know what’s in your heart
There’s no need to do this the hard way
I’m not gonna try to change your mind
If you want me gone
You may be surprised to find
I’ve already left you behind
Missus Narcissus
Lyrics
It ain’t an accusation
I know just how you’d spin it
I’ve seen what you call heaven
And I’m not in it
There’s some ghost of me
That I don’t plan to be
So find somebody else
To live your fantasy
Missus
Narcissus
Does your love for still waters
Reach beneath the surface?
Missus
Narcissus
Fall through your reflection
And forever you'll be with us
I know that I’m the bad guy
The way your friends will hear it
They’ll say “You don’t need that guy”
And baby, that’s the spirit
I like to think there’s good
In everybody’s heart
But it ain’t my job
To find that part
You crave your name on others’ tongues
More than air inside your lungs
Girl, you better watch yourself
You better watch yourself
When you’re on the outside lookin’ in
And you see the person that you been
Girl, you better watch yourself
You better watch yourself
Missus
Narcissus
Does your love for still waters
Reach beneath the surface?
Missus
Narcissus
Fall through your reflection
And forever you'll be with us
Glass in Sand
Lyrics
I want to take you to a movie
I want to hold your hand
There’s something dangerous about me
Like broken glass in sand
I make it look so hard to love you
Why can’t I just be fine
I see the rain-clouds above you
And realize they’re mine
If I could take it all away
If I could hush my doubts and stay
If I could spare you the ricochet
Baby, I would have done it by now
If I could be the one you want
If I could give my all to one
If I could miss you before you’re gone
Baby, I would have done it by now
Some days I wake up bleeding
I find I like the taste
You know you’re not the reason
Your loathing is misplaced
I seen the place we all descend to
I know you been that way
But I won’t be the one to send you
Not if I got a say
If I could take it all away
If I could hush my doubts and stay
If I could spare you the ricochet
Baby, I would have done it by now
If I could be the one you want
If I could give my all to one
If I could miss you before you’re gone
Baby, I would have done it by now
I tried to tell you (x3)
This is how it would be
I tried to tell you (x3)
But you wouldn't listen to me
I tried to tell you (x3)
This is how it would be
I tried to tell you (x3)
But you wouldn't listen to me
If I could take it all away
If I could hush my doubts and stay
If I could spare you the ricochet
Baby, I would have done it by now
If I could be the one you want
If I could give my all to one
If I could miss you before you’re gone
Baby, I would have done it by now
I Wish I Knew (2005)
Smoother edges than the band's debut album, landing squarely in the pop-punk category. Strong riffs and off-the-wall lyrics are as present as ever. This is my personal favorite Mine All Mine album, and influences my own songwriting to this day, so I'm bummed I haven't been able to locate more than a few songs.
The band added rhythm guitarist Dan Inglewood to the line-up, allowing Kilgore to explore more adventurous vocal styles. At a show in Tucson, AZ, Mine All Mine was discovered by Mark Hillyer, a scout for Tryhard Records. Despite Hillyer's enthusiasm, A&R executive Will Rossi was not interested in the band. Over the following months Hillyer would advocate for Mine All Mine while the band continued performing locally and refining their sound. Finally Hillyer quit at Tryhard to become an executive at rival record company Go-Getter. The first act he signed was, of course, Mine All Mine, who began recording their second album.
According to a former employee of Go-Getter, Hillyer sent CDs to radio stations around the country but most opted not to air them. One critic dubbed the singles "too cerebral" for general audiences (???), but fans agree that it was Kilgore's sapphic lyrics that barred her from mainstream success. None of Mine All Mine's songs are sexually explicit, but they often imply relationships with other women. Hillyer allegedly urged Kilgore on numerous occasions to rewrite the songs with heteronormative pronouns.
I Wish I Knew
Lyrics
I'm sure you've heard all about me
The demon of her mythology
Some of it might even be true
I know about you too
Just a friend just a colleague
Grabbing a drink after a long week
I really don't care that you knew
But I suggest a different avenue
Did you really think
You would be the one to get it right
Did you really think
I'm the only one she left behind
You should know before your bones are cast
I was not the first and you won't be the last
It isn't personal, it's not about you
These are all the things I wish I knew
All the bruises and blood she
(Quote) Never showed anybody
She tore them from the magazines
She's living on a silver screen
Chameleon gifted actor
Every line manufactured
Always stealing every scene
One day you'll find out what I mean
Did you really think
You would be the one to get it right?
Did you really think
I'm the only one she left behind?
You should know before your bones are cast
I was not the first and you won't be the last
This isn't personal, it's not about you
These are all the things I wish I knew
Go ahead, laugh in my face
I did the same when I was in your place
Hit me up when you feel the sting
Maybe we can grab a drink
Did you really think
You would be the one to get it right?
Did you really think
I'm the only one she left behind?
You should know before your bones are cast
I was not the first and you won't be the last
This isn't personal, it's not about you
These are all the things I wish I knew
A Day In The Lie
Lyrics
Can’t believe I’m keeping
Secrets while you’re sleeping
Next to me I’m feeling increasingly repulsive
Dreaming of the moment
You can finally know it too
And yet I’m pushing it off
What will you think of me?
I wish I could tell you how painful it’s been
Trying and failing again and again
I wish I could tell you how shameful it’s been
But it’s far too late so I’ll keep on holding it in
I know you’re not stupid
You probably knew it
Right from the beginning
Watching me deny it
I ache for a confession
I swear I’ll learn my lesson soon
It really would be best if
I laid down and died right now
I wish I could tell you how painful it’s been
Trying and failing again and again
I wish I could tell you how shameful it’s been
But it’s far too late so I’ll keep on holding it in
What happens in the dark
Will always come to light
I’m holding on to dust
By truth it is destroyed
What happens in the dark
Will always come to light
I’m holding on to dust
By truth it is destroyed
I wish I could tell you how painful it’s been
Trying and failing again and again
I wish I could tell you how shameful it’s been
But it’s far too late so I’ll keep on holding it in
Some Kind of Comfort
Lyrics
I gotta say there’s some kind of comfort
In knowing that we’re awful for each other
I laugh when she says I’m just the worst
She’s no longer surprised that I don’t put her first
And even though I hate the very air she breathes
I’m on the interstate, she’s in the car with me
There’s only one thing we could ever get right
Her hand is on my thigh (it’s gonna be fine)
I crossed my heart and I swore to die (it’s gonna be fine)
She’s just another vice of mine (it’s gonna be fine)
She’s no good for me, but neither was the wine
It’s gonna be fine
I let myself fall again for this trick
And every part of me knows it’s masochistic
She’s gonna get attached, I’m gonna let her
She’ll try to tell me I can’t do any better
And even though I hate the way she makes me feel
She’s on the interstate and I’m behind the wheel
There’s only one thing we could ever get right
Her hand is on my thigh (it’s gonna be fine)
I crossed my heart and I swore to die (it’s gonna be fine)
She’s just another vice of mine (it’s gonna be fine)
She’s no good for me, but neither was the wine
It’s gonna be fine
Even if we tried to burn that bridge
We’d just walk across the glowin coals
Nobody else can reach that itch
I hate to say it but she’s irreplaceable
Her hand is on my thigh (it’s gonna be fine)
I crossed my heart and I swore to die (it’s gonna be fine)
She’s just another vice of mine (it’s gonna be fine)
She’s no good for me, but neither was the wine
It’s gonna be fine
This Thing-Having Thing (2008)
Catchy, if cliche. Less punk, more pop, even a bit of J-pop. The title track is adorable and gets stuck in my head all the time, but not Kilgore's best work lyrically.
Despite the lukewarm critical reception of I Wish I Knew, Mine All Mine launched a modestly successful tour from 2006-2007. After that, the band returned to the studio to record the songs that Kilgore wrote on the road.
It appears that Kilgore finally succumbed to industry pressure - no gendered pronouns appear in the lyrics of any song, and the album cover shows what appears to be a man and a woman holding hands. That's heartbreaking on its own, but the worst part is that the sacrifice didn't pay off. New listeners were put off by the contradictory tone in songs like Bitter, and long-time fans felt betrayed by what they saw as corporate sanitizing. That said, if you ever heard a Mine All Mine song on the radio, it would have been from this album.
This Thing-Having Thing
Lyrics
You’re an eleven on a scale of ten
You got me fallin over and over again
My heart is paper and you signed it in pen
And when I’m with you I can feel no fear
Deep in your stare is where my worries disappear
I’ve near forgotten how to feel discontent
Ooooo
I got a thing for you
You got one for me too
I wanna dance and sing
Ooooo
I got a thing for you
A girl could get used to
This thing-having thing
I’m always thinkin ‘bout a thing you’ve said
Skip like a record while I’m laying here in bed
I should be sleeping but I’m dreaming instead
I'm so addicted to the way you think
My heart and mind are finally in sync
I can't wait to see what lies ahead
Ooooo
I got a thing for you
You got one for me too
I wanna dance and sing
Ooooo
I got a thing for you
A girl could get used to
This thing-having thing
I know that you’re a work in progress
You still got white space left to fill
But you’re still about as neat
As anyone I’ll ever meet
And I hope you plan to stay that way until
You die, I guess?
Ooooo
I got a thing for you
You got one for me too
I wanna dance and sing
Ooooo
I got a thing for you
A girl could get used to
This thing-having thing
Bitter
Lyrics
Whatever you wanted I guess that I lacked it
You had a mind like a whip and you cracked it
Just to watch me bleed
From splitting hairs to splitting atoms
You made a sport of being bad to me
And now you see
When you win a bitter war
You take home the bitter spoils
When you heed the voice of greed
A snake inside your heart uncoils
Cling to your hollow prize
As Hammurabi comes to take your eyes
I’ve seen the power of silence make you sweat
Makin’ idle noise to help you forget
What is it that you fear?
It brought you peace to steer me wrong
With blaring air-raid siren song
Now do you feel strong?
When you win a bitter war
You take home the bitter spoils
When you heed the voice of greed
A snake inside your heart uncoils
Cling to your hollow prize
As Hammurabi comes to take your eyes
Is it more than you bargained for
The bitter spoils from a bitter war
Are you proud of yourself?
Did you settle the score?
You don’t repair the things that wear
Pack a bag, cut and dye your hair
Starting over again
You can’t outrun your despair
When you win a bitter war
You take home the bitter spoils
When you heed the voice of greed
A snake inside your heart uncoils
Cling to your hollow prize
As Hammurabi comes to take your eyes
