Instant's Interview with Saves the Day

Once inside the Worcester Palladium, I found it to be one of the coolest venues I had ever been to. However, penetrating this fortress was not an easy task. Saves the Day were late, so when I arrived and said I was on the guest list I wasn't believed. Thankfully I met Bryan Newman, STD's drummer, and he cleared up that discrepancy for me. The bill was incredible, not counting the first band who no one knew and who were really bad. New Found Glory (with a cover of the Karate Kid theme song), Piebald, the Sheila Divine and lastly, Saves the Day provided for an incredible night.

After the show, I had agreed to meet Bryan back at where the tickets were being sold, 20 minutes after their set. About 5 minutes after their set I was kicked out. AGAIN, the Palladium staff did not believe that I might have actually had some business to do there! Thankfully, I ran into Dave Soloway, one of STD's guitarists, and ended up assisting him, with a friend of mine (thanks John), load the bands equipment into their trailer. It turns out that if everyone wasn't out of the Palladium by 10:30 or 11:00pm, they would lose their license and the fire department and the police would have to come down there. I have never heard of such a thing.

Anyway, much thanks goes out to Chris, Bryan, Eben, Ted and Dave aka Saves the Day for being so cool. This interview was conducted while they were trying to get themselves out of Worcester, in their tour van, with Chris Conley, the lead singer (who had an amazing show and the interview while being sick).

Instant: Alright, just for those who don't know, can you give us a brief description or bio of the band? Like, the people in it, what they do, where you got started...?

Chris: Yeah um, there's Bryan Newman who plays drums, Dave Soloway who is a guitar player, Ted Alexander is the other guitar player, Eben D'amico is our bass player and I'm Chris Conley and I sing. We've been together for like, almost three years. It will be three years in March. Uh.. Bryan and I, and Dave actually, were in bands together for a very long time before then and it just sort of evolved into the music that we're playing now. We recorded a demo - we weren't called Saves the Day - but we recorded a demo in March of 1997 and after we recorded that we changed the name to Saves the Day and that was when we started.

Instant: So where did the name come from? [Right here, Eben opens the door to the van]

Eben: What are you guys doing, an interview? Chris: Yeah. Instant: You want in? [Eben then starts a conversation with someone outside the van, leaving the door open, and a girl steps in. It was someone they knew]

Girl: [to me] ...Hi!

Instant: Hi!

Chris: Hi!

Girl: I'm going to leave.

Chris: Why?

Girl: ...I don't know. But I'll see you... maybe... where's that show on Friday?

[They talk about an upcoming show in Connecticut. Chris apologizes politely for the disturbance, and gets out to give the girl a hug goodbye. I make a note-to-self on the service of the Palladium.... Minutes later, Chris returns, but now the van is littered with different members of the band, one of whom is looking for his phone.]

Chris: Guys! I'm doing an interview!

[We now all search for the phone... it is later found in a bag. Then a search for a pen begins... again we all search. I am laughing hysterically at how crazy typing this interview will be. No pen is found.]

Chris: Guys... hey, yeah. I'm trying to do an interview. Could you close the doors Bryan? [Bryan walks away leaving the van door open]

Chris: Ugh, look at this. [points to the floor] Bryan's sunflower seeds. Jerk... [he is trying to clean then up when he sees Eben outside] Eben! EBEN! Get Bryan!

Eben: Bryan! You're wanted!

Bryan: Yeah?

Chris: What's this?

Bryan: So crucify me. [he starts to pick them up off the floor]

Chris: No no - just wait. Wait like 10 minutes.

Bryan: You just decided to point these out to me now?

Chris: No seriously... just wait like 10 minutes. Seriously... [Bryan leaves] Okay... so where were we?

Instant: The name? Where did it come from?

Chris: Oh where did we get the name? It's from a Farside song called "Hero".

Instant: How do you see your music as changing? Has it from say, first album to this album, or demo to first album?

Chris: Yeah... sure. The first album was faster. It's just really fast. That's just a product of us being 17 when we wrote it. We grew up thought - a little bit - I guess we got more mature as songwriters, and the music naturally slowed down. I think the songs are way better written now though.

Instant: Yeah, being inside earlier during your set, I think the new stuff came across a lot better than the older, faster stuff. The new stuff separated you guys from other acts tonight.

Chris: Thank you!

Instant: Okay, so I gotta ask before I ask this next question. Who would you compare yourself with in popular music today?

Chris: Popular music...

Instant: Yeah, because I was wondering how you felt about your genre's representation in music today - whatever you feel your genre is. You know, rock among the Backstreet Boys and what have you. What do you feel your place is?

Chris: At this moment, I'd most compare us to the second Foo Fighters record. It doesn't sound like that really, but the most... it does.

Instant: How do you feel about music today, with the difference in "underground" and that higher level..?

Chris: I really don't care. I just listen to what I like. I don't care if it's top 40 stuff or punk bands, hardcore bands...whatever.

Instant: What did you grow up listening to? Stuff like your parents music?

Chris: Well yeah, I used to break dance to Michael Jackson records when I was four [laughs].

Instant: Ain't nothing wrong with the old Michael Jackson.

Chris: Definitely was in love with Aerosmith, the older stuff from the 70's then like the newer stuff, like "Pump". Led Zeppelin for sure... uh... who else? Buddy Holly... Elvis Costello, he's amazing. I think the first tape I ever bought was the soundtrack to uh... "Cocktail" - with "Kokomo" and "Don't Worry, Be Happy".

Instant: I HAVE THAT! First tape I ever bought was DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince.

Chris: Oh God, I had that. With that Nightmare on Elm street song?

Instant: Ohhh yeah.

Chris: That was sooo good.

[We both laugh at how geeky we were as kids.]

Chris: Okay... okay... the most important album of my youth was "Appetite for Destruction". Guns and Roses. I would stay up all night, drinking Pepsi just so I could stay up all night, listening to that album and playing with legos when I was like, ten.[Some guy comes by Chris' door of the van (he is in the drivers seat). He has come to say goodbye.]

Guy: Hey, bye Chris.

Chris: Hey - we'll see you again in February maybe?

Guy: Yeah, I want to be in your little film or whatever.

Chris: Oh yeah! That'd be awesome! Absolutely, definitely.

Guy: Drive safely ok? Chris: We will - you drive safely to your house. [The guy leaves.]

Instant: So... what's this film we speak of?

Chris: Oh, we're doing a video.

Instant: Oh you are? Is it like, a video for yourselves or...?

Chris: Nah, it'll be on MTV.

Instant: Oh yeah?

Chris: Yeah... on like 120 Minutes.

Instant: That's the only program I watch.

Chris: Yeah... Darren Doane who did the Blink 182 videos for "Dammit" and "Josie".. he did those and some Promise Ring video's.

Instant: So.... what is your relationship with bands on the bill tonight? How did this all come together?

Chris: Yeah... we got proposed the tour like two months ago. This label Drive Thru Records - New Found Glory is on Drive Thru Records - and they were really interested in us and they were like "Why don't you guys do a tour with New Found Glory" and we were like "Yeah that sounds awesome" and then Piebald got added.

[More people come to say goodbye and to wish him and the band luck.]

Instant: Where's the video being shot?

Chris: In our hometown of Princeton, New Jersey.

[The girl from before who was leaving is back, this time she wants Chris' address. The pen we couldn't find was for her, and she is calling her answering machine to leave a message with his address on it. Good idea]

Chris: [in a retarded voice] I'm doing an interview!

Dave: [in an equally retarded voice, under Chris] Where's my other glove? Where's my other glove???

Chris: INTERVIEW!

[Dave finds his glove and leaves]

Instant: So, what's the concept of the video?

Chris: It's us going around looking for a cool party to play at and we drive around to all the different ones. There's a party where there are stoners, and beatniks, one with jocks - all the stereotypes - a hiphop crowd. You know..

Instant: A lot like the booklet with your new CD ["Through Being Cool" on EqualVision Records] ?

Chris: Yeah.

Instant: So, what do you guys do when you aren't doing this? Like, when you are just at home..?

Chris: Hanging out with my girlfriend, hanging out with my mom...and I read books.

Instant: Who's your favorite author?

Chris: [without thought] Ernest Hemingway. And Raymond Carver - they are like... brilliant.

Instant: Have you any good touring stories?

Chris: I've been molested before... on stage.

Instant: Oh god... [someone comes in the van again, and leaves quickly]

Chris: Yeah, I had this girl like groping me.

Instant: I had one girl standing next to me and everytime you guys would break, or end a song, she'd scream "I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU!!!". One time, this other girl was like "SHE LOVES YOU!!!" and she'd be like "GOD I LOVE YOU!!!!" and I'm thinking in my head "I'll pass it on.".

Chris: That's so crazy [laughing]. I've actually gotten marriage proposals before! Girls will be like "You know, it doesn't have to be a physical thing, you can just, like, sing me to sleep every night. And you can have, like, a concubine if you want! A live-in lover!"

[Much laughter is had over this thought of a "live-in lover"]

Instant: So, how old are you guys?

Chris: I'm 19, Ted's 19, Eben's 19... Dave is 21 and Bryan is 20.

Instant: Cool. Lastly.... how do you feel about the bands initials being "STD" ?

Chris: Love it. [Eben comes into the van] Because, Eben has genital herpes, so it works out perfectly.

Eben: Riiiight. Instant: [sarcastically] Really?

Chris: Yeah. Hey watch out there, Bryan dropped sunflower seeds all over the place.

Instant: Hey, keep your distance Herpes.

Chris: Turner [a girl who I never noticed actually enter the van, but who I am guessing had been there quite a while.] actually gave it to him.

Eben: No! She gave it me the Clap! It was Jo-Jo who gave me the herpes.

Instant: Any last words? Plug plug plug?

Chris: Buy our album.

Instant: Indeed.