Anyone ready for a second helping? Fans who saw Saves the Day last August when the band headlined the Vagrant America Tour are about to get a second dose. Saves the Day is heading back to New Orleans’ House of Blues tomorrow for a show which promises to rock every fan’s socks off.
Formed in the winter of 1997 in their home state of New Jersey, Saves the Day’s members began making a name for themselves. Chris Conley with vocals, Bryan Newman on drums, Eben D’amico on bass, Ted Alexander and David Soloway on guitar, finally hit gold after the release of their most recent album titled “Stay What You Are.” With appearances on MTV and radio stations around the country, their hit single “At Your Funeral” has been getting airplay for more than a year. This new popularity also landed the group a gig last year touring North America opening for Weezer.
After a tangled web of previous labels, the band finally ended up on Vagrant Records, which released “Stay What You Are.” A self-titled debut was released in 1997. In 1998, Saves the Day put out its first full-length CD on Equal Vision Records titled “Can’t Slow Down.” A year later the band switched to Immigrant Sun Records and issued the “I’m Sorry I’m Leaving” EP. Later that year Saves the Day returned to Equal Vision Records for the release of its second full-length titled “Through Being Cool.”
However, none of the band’s previous albums contained the stylistic, lyrical and vocal maturity “Stay What You Are” holds. The band definitely has grown musically. The lyrics are darker, probing into the feelings everyone feels but are too afraid to recognize. Feelings of resentment, revenge, anger and when loving others so much means wishing only to hate them plague songs such as “Nightingale” and “Your Ghost Takes Flight.”
“Saves the Day definitely surprised me with its most recent album,” said mass communication sophomore Deborah Meiners. “The songs are so much more abstract and mysterious than in the last album. I was thoroughly impressed with the band’s progression.”
Not only does the band deliver heartfelt lyrics piercing the souls of its fans but the music itself also receives the largest reaction. The melodic voice of Conley combined with the flowing guitars of Alexander and Soloway make the songs sound perfect. Everything in them fits together so amazingly it’s hard to believe this sound was generated by a group of guys barely in their 20s. But they pull it off extremely well.
The band will be touring for the month of November and will continue through December ending in Hartford, Conn. on Dec. 8. The bill for tomorrow’s show includes, besides Saves the Day, Circle & Square, Kind of Like Spitting, and Ash. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $13.50 and the show is for all ages.
For more information on Saves the Day visit www.savestheday.com or www.vagrant.com. For more information about tomorrow night’s show stop by the House of Blues Web site www.hob.com, or call (504) 529-2624.