Once upon a pop punk band, Saves the Day (STD) had everything in place to become the next big thing. With both a hit CD "Stay What You Are" and a new major label record company in tow, Dreamworks, not to mention their name attached to the much anticipated Blink 182/Green Day "Pop Disaster Tour," the sky was their limit.
Though the tour never became reality, the stage was set for Saves the Day.
The band had two options, create the music the mass population would love and become commercial staples of MTV or make the music they wanted to make.
Saves the Day made the risky, but, in the end, rewarding choice of staying true to themselves, releasing their album In Reverie, which set them down the less popular, more creative path they're on now. Following the release of Reverie, the band unleashed Sound The Alarm and, on October 30, Under the Boards.
Lead singer and guitarist Chris Conley took some time out to speak with The Spectrum about their upcoming tour, new CD and a certain little band in a bubble.
Before their next full band tour, the band decided to strip things down a notch and go cross-country on a small venue, all-acoustic tour to give fans something special.
"We realized we've gone on a lot of full band tours, so we wanted to do something different," said Conley. "It's a very intimate show, and it's such a great way to keep in touch with our fans. We're playing around a 25 song set; one half is a set of song requests from the fans."
One thing fans of STD will notice on this tour is that while some bands are hesitant to play older material, Conley isn't afraid to bust out some of their Lifetime influenced jams heard on "Cant Slow Down," even on the acoustic guitar.
"We realize our fans are as important as we are, so we better take care of them," Conley said. "We're really proud of all our songs."
Following their first release, STD released two records that many fans cite as their favorites, Through Being Cool and Stay What You Are. But the record following those, In Reverie, showcased a mellower sound, with which many fans felt uncomfortable.
"After that record (In Reverie), we went through a lot of soul searching. Now we want to do this forever, we want to keep traveling. It really strengthened us, we are a more confident, stronger band because of it."
Sound the Alarm was released in 2006 and served as the CD that brought the pop punk boys back to their original sound with some of the angriest words Conley had ever penned.
"That record was the first part of a trilogy; my documentation of process of self discovery. I was really negative, and nearly lost everything. Sound the Alarm was all about facing the mirror, and when you look inside it's terrifying and so damaging."
Oct. 30 marks the arrival of the second part of the trilogy, Under the Boards, in which the first few songs released sound like a proper sequel to Stay What You Are.
"In this part I realize how many people I've been blaming, and I notice I've hit rock bottom so it's time for me to pick up the pieces and carry on," Conley said.
As Boards begins to pick up the pieces, the band intends to release the final part of the three-piece puzzle, Daybreak in 2008.
"It's our extremely positive record. I take responsibility and get everything back to together. It's been so much fun recording," Conley said of the upcoming album.
Unlike other bands, STD chose to release video clips on their personal Mac website instead of recording their new record in a carbonated beverage sponsored bubble.
"Recording is supposed to be about having fun. We are releasing a DVD with our new CD, which is going to be really cool because there is a lot of fly on the wall material. It's just Saves the Day in our natural environment."
Like giving the free DVD with the CD, STD seems to always do something special for their fans, but Conley believes a lot of bands in the scene are starting to get away from what made their style of music special.
"A bunch of bands came along in 2001, and they started to get bigger. Then the idea of being a rock star in the emo-world became a possibility. Before, concerts were where kids could come and identify with the band, and everybody could feel good together but now suddenly emo is a genre of music you can ascend to be a rock star. There will be a time where real music will return."
Conley believes that this acoustic tour will bring them even closer to their fans, the aspect of their band that matters most to them after nearly 10 years.
Saves the Day will be playing Water Street Music Hall in Rochester on Oct. 19 and Under the Boards will be released on Vagrant Records Oct. 30.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
