SHOULDER TO THE WHEEL...
Last year the band Saves The Day celebrated the 20th anniversary of the record Through Being Cool.
Of course their were reunion shows and the sheer reality that 20 freaking years has past since this album was released.
For people in high school/college around 1999 this is one of the most prolific Emo records ever recorded, it was a modern rock masterpiece that connected so many people within the punk community.
Saves The Day has put out a ton of records but if you ask their hardcore fans, it comes down to following discography.
1) Can't Slow Down
2) Through Being Cool
3) Stay What You Are
4) I'm Sorry I'm Leaving Acoustic EP
5) B-sides "Sell My Clothes I'm Off To Heaven" and "Drag in D Flat"
One of my favorite moments in high school was going to Blue Note Records in North Miami Beach on a Thursday afternoon to see a free acoustic performance of Saves The Day and Chris Carrabba aka Dashboard Confessional.
It was then that I knew things were pivoting in punk rock and that "Emo" was starting to bring a modern rock sound to the genre. Can't Slow Down came with angst of teenage life fueled by melodic guitars and sing-a-longs.
Chris Conley was making music for his generation and connecting with so many people. That was evident with the I'm Sorry I'm Leaving EP, which got enough attention that fans started requesting the songs at shows.
Through Being Cool made impact because it overall had this amazing fun rock 'n' roll aesthetic to it. Also, the lyrics were getting deeper and the songs became more structured. In a way the band and the fans were slowly growing up.
In October of 2000, Vagrant Records released their annual compliation CD featuring newly signed Saves The Day which featured two b-sides "Sell My Clothes I'm Off To Heaven" and "Drag in D Flat." Both tracks were stellar and immediately became popular on tour. In a somewhat pompous comment, you are not a true Saves The Day fan unless you know about these two b-sides plus the acoustic EP.
Then in the summer of 2001 came Stay What You Are and at least for me personally it was a curve ball. I was expecting something similar to those two b-sides, and instead what we got was a borderline indie rock record. The band was again maturing and was about to hit the peak of their mainstream success. Performing on Connan, getting played on MTV, and supporting national tours.
It took a while but the songs like "As Your Ghost Takes Flight" and "Nightingale" grew on me and I always knew "Firefly" was a gift to the hardcore fans.
As I began to enter post-grad life and live in different cities, I always felt a unique connection when meeting other Saves The Day fans. You just knew that you were part of something special and that the music still held weight.
That was evident in June of 2016 when the band played the final Bane show in Worcester, MA. Saves The Day came out of the East Coast hardcore punk scene and were always respected by their friends in the community. Their set was nostalgic yet perfect at the same time, it's what the people wanted for that night. Midway thought the set Chris starts singing "Three Miles Down", an acoustic track from Can't Slow Down, yet he decides to sing it solo with no instruments. What follows is the whole audience at a hardcore punk show singing it with him in tune. That was truly fantastical and pure example of how influential Saves The Day has been in punk rock.
Last year the band Saves The Day celebrated the 20th anniversary of the record Through Being Cool.
Of course their were reunion shows and the sheer reality that 20 freaking years has past since this album was released.
For people in high school/college around 1999 this is one of the most prolific Emo records ever recorded, it was a modern rock masterpiece that connected so many people within the punk community.
Saves The Day has put out a ton of records but if you ask their hardcore fans, it comes down to following discography.
1) Can't Slow Down
2) Through Being Cool
3) Stay What You Are
4) I'm Sorry I'm Leaving Acoustic EP
5) B-sides "Sell My Clothes I'm Off To Heaven" and "Drag in D Flat"
One of my favorite moments in high school was going to Blue Note Records in North Miami Beach on a Thursday afternoon to see a free acoustic performance of Saves The Day and Chris Carrabba aka Dashboard Confessional.
It was then that I knew things were pivoting in punk rock and that "Emo" was starting to bring a modern rock sound to the genre. Can't Slow Down came with angst of teenage life fueled by melodic guitars and sing-a-longs.
Chris Conley was making music for his generation and connecting with so many people. That was evident with the I'm Sorry I'm Leaving EP, which got enough attention that fans started requesting the songs at shows.
Through Being Cool made impact because it overall had this amazing fun rock 'n' roll aesthetic to it. Also, the lyrics were getting deeper and the songs became more structured. In a way the band and the fans were slowly growing up.
In October of 2000, Vagrant Records released their annual compliation CD featuring newly signed Saves The Day which featured two b-sides "Sell My Clothes I'm Off To Heaven" and "Drag in D Flat." Both tracks were stellar and immediately became popular on tour. In a somewhat pompous comment, you are not a true Saves The Day fan unless you know about these two b-sides plus the acoustic EP.
Then in the summer of 2001 came Stay What You Are and at least for me personally it was a curve ball. I was expecting something similar to those two b-sides, and instead what we got was a borderline indie rock record. The band was again maturing and was about to hit the peak of their mainstream success. Performing on Connan, getting played on MTV, and supporting national tours.
It took a while but the songs like "As Your Ghost Takes Flight" and "Nightingale" grew on me and I always knew "Firefly" was a gift to the hardcore fans.
As I began to enter post-grad life and live in different cities, I always felt a unique connection when meeting other Saves The Day fans. You just knew that you were part of something special and that the music still held weight.
That was evident in June of 2016 when the band played the final Bane show in Worcester, MA. Saves The Day came out of the East Coast hardcore punk scene and were always respected by their friends in the community. Their set was nostalgic yet perfect at the same time, it's what the people wanted for that night. Midway thought the set Chris starts singing "Three Miles Down", an acoustic track from Can't Slow Down, yet he decides to sing it solo with no instruments. What follows is the whole audience at a hardcore punk show singing it with him in tune. That was truly fantastical and pure example of how influential Saves The Day has been in punk rock.
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