Having organized the group Sefler in 1994, the guys from Princeton are still leading a successful musical activity. True, three years later they renamed it Saves the Day. Over the years, the composition of the indie rock band has undergone significant changes several times.
The first successful experiments of Saves the Day
The band currently consists of guitarists Chris Conley and Arun Bali. Bassist Rodrigo Palma and drummer Dennis Wilson also play here. All these years vocalist Chris Conley has not changed. True, at first the musician played bass, but since 2002 he switched to rhythm guitar and does not change it anymore.
Aron and Bali joined the group in 2009, and Dennis joined them in 2013. In the current line-up, the musicians released two records "Through Being Cool" and "Stay What You Are". On all the previous Conley worked with other guys.
Back when the band was called Sefler, a group of high school students performed in New Jersey. The guys recorded the first track "13 Hours of Everything" in the basement of one of their friends.
But, only by changing the name to Saves the Day, they managed to achieve success in the rock field. Bassist Sean McGrath proposed to become with this name. The team supported his idea. The debut recorded work "Can't Slow Down" with the support of the record company Equal Vision Records was released in 1998. Then the guys were still on the school bench.
At their own expense, a year later, promising musicians created an acoustic EP "I'm Sorry I'm Leaving", consisting of five tracks. This year has been extraordinarily fruitful. The team pleased their fans with another full-length album Through Being Cool.
Saves the Day in pursuit of sound
The group constantly worked on the musical sound, improving and improving it. Therefore, the Vagrant Records label drew attention to the guys, offering to sign a contract.
The third work "Stay What You Are" surprised by the change in sound. First, critics noted the complexity of the guitar playing and arrangements. Unlike the first two albums, which are based mainly on power chords. Secondly, the musicians have taken a significant step away from indie rock towards pop. A video was shot for the song "At Your Funeral", which made Saves the Day extraordinarily famous.
The second video from this collection for the song "Freakish" was filmed together with Muppet dolls. Despite the furor produced, guitarist Ted Alexander decided to leave. So Chris Conley had to take over his duties. Relations with drummer Brian Newman also did not work out. Drums performed by him sounded in the third album Saves the Day for the last time.
One step forward, two steps back
The success of the third album, shown to the world in 2001, was incredible. So big label DreamWorks Records offered to work together. Since the contract with Vagrant was not completed, we agreed to work together.
True, the fourth album "In Reverie" unusually disappointed fans of Saves the Day. The lyrics are not as dark as before, and the musical accompaniment is experimental. So the fans just turned away. Even the single "Anywhere With You" did not touch their demanding souls. Although in the Top 200 chart, he managed to rise to the 27th position.
The musicians were extremely disappointed with DreamWorks, which did not provide them with decent support. And they said that the record was wrong. But the conflict never flared up, as the label was bought out by Interscope. And the new broom swept Saves the Day out of its ranks without regret.
Three albums and new members of Saves the Day
There was nothing else to do in the current situation. The guys released the next two works "In Reverie" and "Sound the Alarm" by their own means. Bassist Eben D'amico was replaced by Manuel Carrero from Glassjaw.
And only the beginning of 2006 was marked by the signing of agreements with the recording company Vagrant and the release of the album "Sound the Alarm". In it, the musicians returned to the originally gloomy lyrics. At the same time, an EP of acoustic versions of several tracks from past works was released. Saves the Day traveled extensively to promote the album.
Chris Conley promised that "Sound the Alarm" would be the first of three. And he did not deceive his admirers. The next album of the trilogy "Under the Boards" was seen by music lovers in 2007, and the third - "Daybreak" 4 years later.
The first album is filled with anger and paranoid thoughts accumulated inside a person. The second is devoted to the realization that a way out of the current situation should be sought. And the third symbolizes the dawn, reconciliation and the search for harmony in oneself.
Saves the Day's eighth album
Toward the end of 2012, Saves the Day announced that they were preparing to release their 8th album. And in order to involve their fans in this process, through PledgeMusic they provided them with all sorts of chips - from record renewals to concert tickets. And people, in anticipation of a gift from their idols, began to make contributions.
The album "Saves the Day" was released in autumn 2013 with Dennis Wilson on drums. He joined the group the day before in May, replacing Claudio Rivera.
In support of the new album, the musicians held two tours of North America with the involvement of well-known rockers. And the following year, a UK tour took place. One day in 2016, Chris Conley made a tweet telling his followers that "Rendezvous", from his next ninth album, had become his favorite.
