Saves the Day
Saves the Day is an American rock band formed in Princeton, New Jersey, formed in 1997. The band currently consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Chris Conley, guitarist Arun Bali, bassist Rodrigo Palma, and drummer Claudio Rivera.
For other uses, see Save the Day (disambiguation).
Saves the Day
Princeton, New Jersey, U.S.
1997–present
- Chris Conley
- Arun Bali
- Rodrigo Palma
- Claudio Rivera
- Bryan Newman
- Justin Gaylord
- Chris Zampella
- Anthony Anastasio
- David Soloway
- Ted Alexander
- Sean McGrath
- Eben D'Amico
- Pete Parada
- Manuel Carrero
- Durijah Lang
- Spencer Peterson
- Dennis Wilson
- Mike Burns
After forming under the name Sefler in 1994, Saves the Day released their debut studio album, Can't Slow Down, through Equal Vision Records in 1998. It was followed by Through Being Cool (1999), which featured their first single, "Shoulder to the Wheel". The band achieved mainstream success with the release of Stay What You Are (2001), released through Vagrant Records, which sold 200,000 copies and spawned the MTV2 hit singles ''At Your Funeral" and "Freakish".[5] The album's success allowed the band to sign to the major label DreamWorks Records, who released the band's fourth album In Reverie (2003). DreamWorks folded into Interscope Records, who dropped the band weeks after the album's release.[6] The band have since released five more albums under the Vagrant, Razor & Tie and Equal Vision labels, with their most recent, 9, being released on October 26, 2018.[7][8]
In May 2021, Conley was accused of sexual misconduct and grooming by a fan, prompting a statement from Equal Vision and Conley, who took responsibility for some of his actions.[9] Equal Vision quietly removed Saves the Day from their roster in April 2022 without an announcement.[10]
History[edit]
Formation and first releases (1994–2000)[edit]
Sefler was a four-piece band, formed in 1994, which performed in the New Jersey area, and featured Chris Conley on bass guitar and vocals. Sefler changed its name to Saves the Day in late 1997. Of Saves the Day's original lineup, only Conley remains today; the band has gone through numerous personnel changes over the years, and has only recorded two consecutive albums with the same lineup (Through Being Cool and Stay What You Are, respectively), with Conley as the only permanent member.
Saves the Day's first proper release, Can't Slow Down, was recorded and released through Equal Vision Records in 1998, while the members were still in high school.
Using their own resources, Saves the Day released a five-song acoustic EP, I'm Sorry I'm Leaving, in early 1999. Later that year, they released their second full-length with Equal Vision, Through Being Cool, which saw them further refining their melodic sound. They began drawing attention from some of the larger independent labels, eventually signing with Vagrant Records.
Stay What You Are and commercial exposure (2001–2003)[edit]
In 2001, Saves the Day began moving away from their roots with the release of Stay What You Are. The album had a poppier feel, with more intricate guitar work and arrangements rather than the previous power chord-based sound. They gained some exposure with a video for the song "At Your Funeral", and made appearances on Conan O'Brien and The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn. They also released a video for "Freakish" in April 2002; the video featured Muppet-esque puppets. Shortly after the album's release, guitarist Ted Alexander left and Conley took over guitar duties. The album was also original drummer Bryan Newman's last recording with the band, who also left shortly after the album's release. The album artwork featured photographs taken by the photo duo Day 19.[11]
"At Your Funeral" reached No. 76 on the UK Singles Chart in June 2002.[12]
Major label signing for In Reverie (2003–2005)[edit]
With the success of Stay What You Are, Saves the Day signed with major label DreamWorks Records, who would co-release their next album with Vagrant, who still had them under contract. The 2003 release of In Reverie saw them further experiment with their sound and featured less macabre lyrics than past recordings. The drastic change in sound was alienating among fans, and the album received little support from DreamWorks. The song "Anywhere With You" was released as a single, but went largely unnoticed, despite the album peaking at 27 on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart. Conley later said the following about the album's release in an interview with Skratch Magazine:
Side projects[edit]
In 2009, Chris Conley and former Saves the Day guitarist David Soloway got together with Max Bemis and Coby Linder of Say Anything to form the supergroup Two Tongues.[27] The group features Bemis and Conley sharing lead vocals and guitar duties, with Soloway on bass guitar and Linder on drums. Thirteen songs were recorded in Electric Ladybug Studio, Conley's home studio in Chico, California.[28][29] Bemis, Conley, and Linder previously collaborated on a cover song of Bob Dylan's "The Man In Me" for the compilation album Paupers, Peasants, Princes & Kings: The Songs of Bob Dylan, released by Doghouse Records in 2006. The group's self-titled debut was released on February 3, 2009.[29][30]
In Fall 2010, Two Tongues made their first public (surprise) performance in the middle of Say Anything's set each night of the Motion City Soundtrack/Say Anything/Saves the Day tour, performing the song "Crawl". Arun Bali (current guitarist of Saves the Day) played guitar, Kenny Vasoli (of the Starting Line and Person L) played bass, Jake Turner (of Say Anything) played guitar, and Coby Linder played drums, while Chris Conley and Max Bemis sang.