Defiance Ohio - To Lanterns, Denver, And One Last Lament

Artist: Defiance Ohio

Song: To Lanterns, Denver, And One Last Lament

Album: Defiance Ohio - Ghost Mice (split ep 2004)

Defiance, Ohio is an acoustic punk (typically referred to as folk-punk) band from Columbus, Ohio. They are known for their extensive touring and intense, enthusiastic live shows.

this song is about friends going their seperate ways. it's about missing the friends that I left behind in columbus. sometimes I have drifted away from people and now want nothing to do with them, but they still possess all the amazing traits that made me want to spend all the time I did with them. I want to remember this, and I want them to know this as we move on.

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saying "i hate" and "i didn't think the time was right," are sometimes the same or at least alike in action. i think you should say "this is what i want." maybe columbus went to far and bloomington, well that's where we are, but i'd like to think we would be relevent to each other again one of these days. (i want) you to be what all the printed cloth and papers proclaim! what all your favorite bands seem to explain.

who would have thought that i'd end up here, that you'd end up here, but that this is where you and i should end? though i think it should and know it's for the best, i want you to know that you're still just as beautiful as the day we met.

and when we speak again, i can tell you how i still can't roll cigarettes, or how i showed up in denver, once almost by accident, or how i learned of diogynes' haunts of rome in search of honest men. and you'd tell me things i could never predict, of bikes or of the baltic sear or the woes of your last laments. things i'd never expect ...

we write the songs of revolution, and we write the songs of the love. it's not always easy to sing along, and it's near impossible to sing twice as loud, when your best friend quits singing along!!!

Defiance Ohio - Bikes and Bridges

Artist: Defiance Ohio

Song: Bikes and Bridges

Album: Share What Ya' Got (2003)

Defiance, Ohio is an acoustic punk (typically referred to as folk-punk) band from Columbus, Ohio. They are known for their extensive touring and intense, enthusiastic live shows.

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Even columbus looks better on the back seat of a bike and all my fears get washed away in a stream of blinking lights and the concrete strip below seems less like a noose and more like a tie that binds or at least a tourniquet. it's been such a hard season and the bridges we burned might be all we had to keep us from drowning. but at least we had this time; and i'd like to think we're better off for it. i'll remember this. sometimes broken things make the best building supplies. and we'll keep on building. hearts aren't made of glass, they're made of muscle and blood and something else. and they don't so much as break as bend and tear. we have what it takes to keep it together; and move on.

Any relationship that matters - a friendship, a family, a romance, a band - anything - is a perilous and fragile thing because along with all the amazing experiences and creations that can come from something so intimate and exhausting comes the possibility for things to crumble and shatter or whither and die. when that happens, it's easy to forget what was precious amidst all the disaster. we should always carry our history with us but never let it bury us.

Grandaddy - Broken

Artist: Grandaddy

Song: Broken

Album: The Windfall Varietal (2000)

The Windfall Varietal is an unofficial album by the band Grandaddy, released in 2000. It first became available on their tour with Elliott Smith, beginning October 2000.

The album started out as a way to make more songs available less expensively. It was sold only at shows, but was eventually withdrawn from sale over issues concerning the final track which the band did not have full permission to release. The band claims only a couple thousand were sold. The songs on the album were recorded between 1994 and 2000.

Some versions had other stickers applied, such as the robo-deer image and some had just a plain white sleeve.

rough fought boy with a sub-sandwich
his new girlfriend makes a good one
broken
his closest friends call him broken
'cause he's self titled busted up
broken
he rode dirt bikes years ago
won some trophies did some shows
and a few demos
broken
the boy, yes, he's my friend
assemblage of stories and things
broken
when it rains
he feels pain
but he don't mind
'cause it's all the same
broken
the boy, yes, he's my friend
assemblage of wonderful things
broken

Grandaddy - Hand Crank Transmitter

Artist: Grandaddy

Song: Hand Crank Transmitter

Album: Signal To The Snow Ratio (EP, 1999)

The four songs on Signal to Snow Ratio make a beautiful progression from Under the Western Freeway, Grandaddy's last full-length release -- the band takes a large step away from its more straightforward pop and rock constructions, choosing instead to toy with the vintage electronics which added texture to the LP, and to work with more roundabout and inventive pop structures which come off perfectly. Far from the typical Pavement and Weezer references which hovered around the LP, the best aesthetic reference for Signal to Snow Ratio would be more along the lines of Mercury Rev -- the sounds might be completely different, but the intelligent and imaginative approach to rethinking pop music is very much the same. This is a very promising note from an ever-more-promising band.

Well, Grandaddy have the hooks to back up the beards. "Hand Crank Transmitter" rambles along like a folky Flaming Lips, complete with psychedelic speed- strum solos and twinkling keys. Read more

…but all is not shadows, there is also light here, in the fuzzed out guitar and synthesized bleeps and blips of "Hand-Crank Transmitter"…

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take that hand crank transmitter
turn it upside down
and ride it like a bike
you best reserve your strength
it might just show tonight
it could go cold and slow
they might show tonight
wake that anemometer
ask it what it dreamt
and write the details down
you better stay awake
it might just come around
it could go cold and slow
and they might come around
you best reserve your strength
for the handshakes
you best reserve your strength
for the luncheons
you best reserve your strength
for the telethons
you best reserve your strength
for the world's fair
you best reserve your strength
smash that hand crank transmitter
and head for higher ground
and watch the red search lights
and please reserve your strength
it might just show tonight
it could go cold and slow
and they might show tonight

Grandaddy - Fuck The Valley Fudge

Artist: Grandaddy

Song: Fuck The Valley Fudge

Album: Excerpts From the Diary of Todd Zilla (EP, 2005)

When bands go a few years between albums, it's sometimes nice to know what they've been up to before that next LP comes out. And now we can thank dear ol' Grandaddy for squeezing out a little taste of what's to come with a new EP entitled Excerpts From the Diary of Todd Zilla. Recorded at Lytle's home studio in Ceres, Calif., on older equipment - none of that "glitzy 24-track" business - its eight tracks will not appear on the band's forthcoming fifth full-length. Tracks: 'Pull My Curtains', 'At My Post', 'A Valley Son (Sparing)', 'Cinderland', 'Fu*k The Valley Fudge, 'Florida', 'Goodbye?' and 'Hidden Health Announcement'.

Lytle sounds bored beneath his typical raised-glazed vox, and it shows. Much of the record is devoted to lambasting his current locale with cruise-control accompaniment: Piano ballad "Fuck the Valley Fudge" sticks it to the strip malls nursery-rhyme style … read more

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siamese portuguese dirty knees look at these
rookies around us, aren't you glad you found us?
now if are who you say you are get up here to the bar
we'll plot out a plan to take down the man
we'll start with that "new future superstore"
and steal all their decorative rocks
and we'll fight all their rent-a-cops
and for the freeway maintainers who assist our escape
we got sandwiches, chips, and cold gatorade
we'll expose all the bicyclists who really are
DUI students who can't drive their cars
and we'll take stucco dust and wet drywall sludge
combine 'em just right to make "fuck the valley" fudge
applebees
chucky cheese
dirty deeds
don't you see?
"fuck the valley" fudge
it's my hate and my love
nepalese
anti-freeze
calories
can't you see?
"fuck the valley" fudge
it's my hate and my love
"fuck the valley" fudge
it's my hate and my love
"fuck the valley" fudge
it's my hate, my love
"fuck the valley" fudge
"fuck the valley"
fuck

Grandaddy - The Town Where I'm Livin'Now

Artist: Grandaddy

Song: The Town Where I’m Livin’Now

Album: I’m On Standby (cds, 2004)

Solar-powered space pop combo Grandaddy was formed in Modesto, CA, in 1992 by singer/guitarist/keyboardist Jason Lytle, bassist Kevin Garcia, and drummer Aaron Burtch; although a noisy, lo-fi approach characterized early recordings like 1994's Complex Party Come Along Theories, with the 1995 additions of guitarist Jim Fairchild and keyboardist Tim Dryden the group's sound expanded exponentially over the course of subsequent efforts including the unreleased Don't Sock the Tryer and the 1996 EP A Pretty Mess by This One Band. Originally issued on indie label Will Records, 1997's acclaimed…AA-side single taken from the 2003 album 'Sumday'. A 'new version' of the title track is backed with 'Stray Dog & The Chocolate Shake' & two non-LP tracks, 'The Town Where I Live Now' & 'Fare Thee Not Well Mutineer'. read more…

…if you were to buy this, you'd probably be in it for the b-side. 'The Town Where I'm Livin' Now' is a nice 4-minutes-plus effort, starting with an acoustic guitar and drums, and including a descending and ascending piano line (they like to use those) at the vocal-free chorus.

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in the town where i'm living now wedding rings reek
and the records are held by the sad
the cameras can't find any smiles
and the water's the worst tasting i ever had
the grown-ups ride BMX bikes
every now and then stopping to cry on a lawn
the trees have turned black
and they're full of insane birds who can't remember any of their songs
shootouts and fist-fights by night in the graveyard
multi-car pile-ups by day
and the freight train de-railed and sank in the lake
like a lobster it bubbles away
when you get here, the "welcome to this town" sign,
it scares little kids with its skulls and it's gore
when you leave here, the "get the hell out" sign is well-kept
and pretty with floral decor
in the town where i'm livin' now

Grandaddy - For The Dishwasher

Artist: Grandaddy

Song: For The Dishwasher

Album: The Broken Down Comforter Collection

A collection of B-sides, EPs, and rare tracks, this release proves just how consistent Grandaddy is. Their enjoyable, but highly eccentric style was just as well-performed on the early tracks as on the recent songs. Indeed, Grandaddy's noisy-yet-melodic approach has never sounded rawer than on the 1994 track "Kim You Bore Me to Death." The Broken Down Comforter Collection is, however, rather sparse in places. "Gentle Spike Resort," this compilation's opener, showcases the dull, passive side of the band. Fortunately, these low points come around rarely, and are far outnumbered by the quality tracks. Grandaddy, being the superbly original band that they are, will not please all listeners. Those with an open mind and a taste for something a little abnormal, however, will lap up The Broken Down Comforter Collection and all its eccentricities.

"For the Dishwasher," a polished, richly textured track that's as good as anything on Grandaddy's albums…

(…) Not just the mundane but the downtrodden also. "For the Dishwasher" all about a..dishwasher, riding home after his day's work. He is told "it will be alright, just go to sleep tonight", again release through our dreams, the focal point.
Lyttle's lyrics move the listener all the way through. Immediately, following the above couplet, the consolation, "you'll get another chance some day" is offered, adding unbearable poignancy to proceedings.
It also offers an insight into the often child-like and utterly charming insights offered by the band's singer and songperson, Jason Lyttle.
For all the often sentimental value his lyrics hold throughout, the romantic side of things is painted as tragic on the final track and on 'For the Dishwasher' it is firmly rejected - "F**k that subject love". This is beautiful, encapsulating brilliantly the frustration and anger the rejected among us feel. (…)

A live version, recorded at Glastonbury Festival 2003, is present on the second cd of a limited edition of Sumday.

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ride your bike all night and give your heart a break
and give your head a shove and fuck that subject love
you'll get another chance someday
ride your bike till dawn and keep your lantern on
computers in the sun not one with power on
all alone and no one's won
for the dishwasher who rides home late tonight
it will be alright just go to sleep tonight
you'll get another chance some day

Grandaddy - Rode My Bike to My Stepsister's Wedding

Artist: Grandaddy

Song: Rode My Bike to My Stepsister’s Wedding

Album: VV.AA. - Sleeping Off Stolen Dreams. A Documentary Soundtrack.

The solar-powered space pop combo Grandaddy were formed in 1992 in Modesto, CA, by singer/guitarist/keyboardist Jason Lytle, bassist Kevin Garcia, and drummer Aaron Burtch. Although a noisy, lo-fi approach characterized early recordings like 1994's Complex Party Come Along Theories, the addition of guitarist Jim Fairchild and keyboardist Tim Dryden in 1995 expanded the band's sound exponentially, fueling such subsequent efforts as the unreleased Don't Sock the Tryer and the 1996 EP A Pretty Mess by This One Band. Originally issued on indie label Will Records, 1997's acclaimed full-length Under the Western Freeway... Read More...

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I rode my bike to my stepsister's wedding
and in my backpack was designer bedding
and a gift certificate for a cd or for a cassette
a cd or cassette
I only but once met her new guy
and the good news to me is he seems shy
maybe he'll help me find a new job
this ride that I'm on is all done
all over and done
if the wildest boar couldn't see me
then why does boredom at home see me so clearly
like a flashlight in the campfire that fade
forgetting the plans that I made
the plans that I made
so I grabbed my bike, I said goodbye and I left the wedding
I didn't get far for how cold it was getting
as I slept in a pile of leaves
I dreamt you were there next to me
you were there next to me
as I shivered that night in the leaves
I dreamt you were warm next to me
you were warm next to me

Lymbic Systym - Fall Bicycle

Artist: Lymbyc Systym

Song: Fall Bicycle

Album: Love Your Abuser (2007)

Lymbyc Systym's laptop post-rock is generated by brothers Jared andMichael Bell, who had previously been members of various bands in Tempe, AZ. Jared and Michael had been collaborating since their preteens, messing around with toy guitars and drum sets. They finally joined forces in 2001 for Lymbyc Systym, which balances acoustic instruments and programming. The two have since earned opening slots for such bands as the Album Leaf and Mice Parade. An EP,Carved by Glaciers (2005), was followed by Love Your Abuser (2007).

We last left this dynamic duo after releasing their debut album on Mush Records. Since then, the Bell brothers, Jared and Michael, from Tempe, Arizona, have put out a remix album (featuring remixes by The Album Leaf, Daedelus, The One AM Radio and Bibio) and recently re-issued their first EP on their new label, Magic Bullet out of Virginia. The new tracks the band has added for the sharing encompass the wide range of instrumental rock you can expect from these fellows. "Narita" from their new split EP with This Will Destroy You starts out small and subtle with a three-key riff and then gradually grows into a sweeping epic as layers pile onto layers. "Fall Bicycle" from their first album exemplifies the duo's playful personality and showcases well Jared's keyboard playing and Michael's drumming.

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Video – The Album Leaf Remix

Bicycle Men - Bicycle Metaphor

Artist: Bicycle Men

Song: Bicycle Metaphor

Album: Bicycle Men (2004)

Copertina….

Genere: spoken

"Put down that Prozac and cancel your vacation. Nothing could possibly lift your spirits as quickly as 'The Bicycle Men.'" --The New York Times Come travel deep into the heart of darkest France with The Bicycle Men.’ Sing along with the songs from this original musical about a hapless American trapped in a Francophile’s nightmare. “You may laugh so hard you’ll fear for your health.” London Daily Telegraph. All songs are written by group member Mark Nutter. www.cdbaby.com/cd/marknutter"Brilliant and funny." Steve Martin" I thoroughly enjoyed The Bicycle Men and have told many friends about it." Neil Innes"I love the CD." Emo Philips"The funniest show I've ever seen. It's perfect" Jim Belushi.

The Bicycle Men are a Los Angeles-based quartet of musicians/comedians. Their self-titled CD includes all the songs (and more) from their critically-acclaimed live stage show, Le Comedie du Bicyclette, a breakneck-paced comedy about a naive American tourist on a bicycle tour of the French countryside. When his bike gets a flat in a seemingly quaint village he soon learns that the bicycle repairmen, marionettes, cabaret artistes, and the other village inhabitants he encounters are all part of a surreal nightmare - nightmare that can only end with his physical transformation into a bicycle.

[excerpt] Take a ride you won't forget

on my bicyclette.

Fast as lightning and so much more,

it's a travelling metaphor.

It's a symbol, yes, you bet.

It has meaning you can't ignore,

not like bikes you have seen before.

Descendents - When I Get Old

Artist: Descendents

Song: When I Get Old

Album: Everything Sucks (1996)

Fueled by "rejection, food, coffee, girls, fishing and food," the Descendents sprang up during the halcyon days of the Los Angeles punk scene… read more

When I Get Old is the 1997 single release by the punk band Descendents in support of their full length release Everything Sucks. It is characterized by its slightly slower tempo (in contrast to the majority of Descendents songs) and its introspective lyrics.

Another Descendents bike song: Bikeage

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what will it be like when i get old
will i still hop on my bike, and ride around town
will i still want to be someone, and not just sit around
i don't want to be like other adults
cause they've already died
cool and condescending, fossilized
will i be rich will i be poor, will i still sleep on the floor
what will it be like when i get
what will i be like when i get
what will it be like when i get old
will i still kiss my girlfriend and try to grab her ass
will i still hate the cops and have no class
will all my grown up friends say they've seen it all before
they say hey act your age and i'm immature
will i do myself proud or only what's allowed
what will it be like when i get
what will i be like when i get
what will it be like when i get old
will i sit around and talk about the old days
sit around and watch t.v. i never want to go that way
never burn out not fade away
as i travel through my time will i like what i find
what will it be like when i get
what will i be like when i get
what will it be like when i get old

Freezepop - Bike Thief

Artist: Freezepop

Song: Bike Thief

Album: Fancy Ultra*Fresh (2004)

Freezepop is an indie New Wave/Synthpop band composed of Liz Enthusiasm and the Other Sean T. Drinkwater (who claims to be a clone of the "original" Sean T. Drinkwater). They formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1999. The band is named after the frozen snack. The members describe their music as "sweet and cold and fruity and plastic-y", much like the snack

biography

Fancy Ultra•Fresh is the second full-length studio album.

"Bike Thief (Schnellspanner Remix)" is featured in Downhill Domination video game.

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what is not, not to like, a shiny bike
no lock, no key...it's there for me
it's for real, i'm gonna steal a pair of wheels
FSU...now you can too

I know soon that someone else
will claim my new bike for themselves
waiting for their lucky day
to make a speedy getaway

I am a bike thief...

our friend the dane, he does the same, no lock, no chain
he rides around ...all over town
to travel far, without a car, he pedals hard
so join the fun...you could have one

want to get from here to there
a bike can take me anywhere
it's not mine, but I don't care
I've had enough of playing fair

i'm riding free
so come with me
we'll be carefree
say it with me

I am a bike thief...

scope it out, you'll be without the slightest doubt
you want it now, i'll show you how
go down tonite, the time is right, it's in your sights
and if you dare, it's sitting there

I know soon that someone else
will claim my new bike for themselves
waiting for their lucky day
to make a speedy getaway
want to get from here to there
a bike can take me anywhere
it's not mine, but I don't care
I've had enough of playing fair

I am a bike thief...

Linda Ronstadt - Bicycle Song (Soon Now)

Artist: Linda Ronstadt

Song: Bicycle Song (Soon Now)

Album: The Stone Poneys featuring Linda Ronstadt (1967)

The songs on this album typically shade more toward the "folk" than the "rock" side of the folk-rock musical genre. Kenny Edwards recalls of these sessions: "The first record was just basically bass, drums, and us: the live representation of what we did, with the addition of a rhythm section. I don't think that we had any radio play." The themes on the songs are familiar ones from folk music: the seasons, weather, stars, trains, love

The Stone Poneys is a studio album by the Stone Poneys; other than an early single of "So Fine" that was produced by Mike Curb in 1965 (though not released until 1968), this album includes the first recordings by Linda Ronstadt. Whether intended or not, the front cover photo appears to show the band as a more modern version of Peter, Paul and Mary; and like this group, most of the songs are sung in three-part harmony.

With roots in the Los Angeles country and folk-rock scenes, Linda Ronstadt became one of the most popular interpretive singers of the '70s, earning a string of platinum-selling albums and Top 40 singles. Throughout the '70s, her laid-back pop never lost sight of her folky roots, yet as she moved into the '80s, she began to change her sound with the times, adding new wave influences. After a brief flirtation with pre-rock pop, Ronstadt settled into a pattern of adult contemporary pop and Latin albums, sustaining her popularity in both fields.… Read more

Soon now

I'm gonna tell the people in the streets

And set 'em dancin'

Soon now I'm gonna tell the whole world

I'm in love

Soon now I'm gonna write a letter home

And tell my mother

Soon now I'm gonna tell the whole world

I'm in love

I'm in love with you

And the world is new

It feels so good to be alive

I'm in love I can't keep the news inside

Soon now I'm gonna go walkin' through the trees

And talkin' to the flowers

Soon now I'm gonna tell the whole world

I'm in love

All of my life I was lonely

Nobody cared

Nobody loved me

Now that you're here

I'm always happy happy happy

Soon now I'm gonna tell all of my friends

And they'll go party

Soon now I'm gonna tell the whole world

I mean the whole world

I mean the whole world

I'm in love

Kristina Olsen - Folding Bicycle

Artist: Kristina Olsen

Song: Folding Bicycle

Album: Live From Around The World (1997)

This selection of live recordings from around the world is an excellent representation of this charming and witty artist. Included, as seperately programmed tracks, are many spoken introductions which are an integral part of Kristina's live shows. The varied guitar and piano accompaniment complement good lyrics sung with warmth and conviction. Highly recommended.

To some extent, the recordings and live shows of Kristina Olsen are the result of her childhood in the musically fertile San Francisco of the 1960s, where she was exposed to blues, psychedelic rock, folk, and a variety of other styles. She is as comfortable with a self-penned acoustic ballad as she is with a gritty, classic blues tune by Robert Johnson. Olsen plays guitar and piano, but also plays 13 other instruments, most of which can be heard on her various recordings, which feature well-known traditional songs and blues as well as her own compositions. (…) ~ Richard Skelly, All Music Guide

Kristina Olsen is a contemporary folk singer-songwriter, known for her sometimes humorous, heartfelt and sometimes ribald songs.

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Steve Chastain - My Bicycle

Artist: Steve Chastain

Song: My Bicycle

Album: Over The Hole (2000)

This is a one man show of real talent playing an instrument. No screechy voices, no highly distorted noises, no accompanyment, just one man! His guitar is tuned and has a ringing quality which stands out above the rest. He uses intricate finger picking to make those six strings talk. Picking and strumming at the same time. Just amazing!

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Jad Fair Yo La Tengo - High School Shop Class Construts Bicycle Built for 26

Artist: Jad Fair & Yo La Tengo

Song: High School Shop Class Construts Bicycle Built for 26

Album: Strange But True (1998)

Strange But True contains 22 brief aphorisms inspired by absurd tabloid headlines. It is not unusual that Jad Fair is at his best when he is at his most frivolous.

Recorded over a two-day period, Strange but True doesn't sacrifice the talents of its individual collaborators. Jad Fair's nasally spoken musings, penned by his Half Japanese bandmate and brother, David, draw on supermarket tabloids for their themes and titles (e.g., "Minnesota Man Claims Monkey Bowled Perfect Game," one of two monkey-themed tracks) while Hoboken, New Jersey, legends Yo La Tengo construct sonic foundations that are alternately hazy, loose, or steeped in old-fashioned garage rock. Almost every track on Strange but True was recorded in one improvised take with the headphone-less band members unaware of what Fair was waxing over the vocal tracks. They probably all had a good laugh over the final product, and most listeners will, too. Strange but True is neither a novelty album nor a beatnik-poetry farce but two indie-rock icons having fun to positive results. When's the last time you heard something like that? --Jason Josephes

Jad and Yo La Tengo understand the obscure forces that drive them all too well. When they were told to get a life, they bought in bulk.
(NME)

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Things got a little out of hand
In their high school metal shop
They constructed a bicycle built for two
Then decided they wouldn't stop
They welded together a number of bikes
So everyone had his own seat
After months of planning and welding and building
The project was finally complete
It had dozens and dozens of pedals
And plenty of headlights and bells
The frame and all the fenders
Were painted in pretty pastels
But it can't be removed from the classroom
The doorway is not very wide
And instead of the bikes lining up in a row
They connected them all side by side