Beginning (2006–2007)

BrokeNCYDE was the brainchild of vocalists Se7en (David) and Mikl (Mike). According to them, the etymology of the band name comes from the idea of their music being fundamentally broken or “broken inside” due to their relationship problems. From there, they began to write more lyrics and songs and promote themselves online. Later, the other two members, Phat J (Julian) and Antz (Anthony), joined the band.

Signing to Suburban Noize Records and BC13 EP (2008–2009)

In July, brokeNCYDE earned a spot on MTV’s Total Request Live where they performed FreaXXX on the segment “Under the Radar.” They signed to Suburban Noize Records soon after, and released the BC13 – EP early in 2009. Their two previous self-released albums (“The Broken!” and “BC13″), and one self-released EP (“BC13 Mix”), are no longer available for purchase or legal download.

On December 6, 2008 they appeared on Fearless Music TV performing their song “Sex Toyz”. They were brought back the next week on December 13 to perform “FreaXXX”.

BrokeNCYDE has toured with bands such as Drop Dead, Gorgeous, Breathe Carolina, Karate High School, and The Morning Of.

In the summer of 2008, they performed on the GET F$CKED UP US tour with Millionaires as the headliners and Hyper Crush as another supporting act. Special guests And Then There Were None and The Arrival each took half of the tour as well.

They performed on the I’m So Fierce tour with headliner, Jeffree Star, as well as other supporting acts Grab A Girl And Dance, Kill Paradise, Red Car Wire, and Teen Hearts in Fall 2008.

I’m Not a Fan…But the Kids Like It and touring (2009–present)

BrokeNCYDE played on The Original Gangstour tour with Drop Dead, Gorgeous, Eyes Set to Kill, and special guests And Then There Were None. They also played on the Saints and Sinners Tour 2009 with Senses Fail, Hollywood Undead, and Haste The Day.

BrokeNCYDE is scheduled to play the entire Warped Tour 2009.

The group’s debut full-length, I’m Not a Fan…But the Kids Like It, debuted at #86 on the Billboard 200.

Criticism

Metal Edge Magazine has called brokeNCYDE “fucking horrendous”. Thrash Magazine has called them “a mockery to the world of music”. Another metal magazine, Decibel, has repeatedly made fun of the band, mentioning them in a interview with the group Big Business, and once ironically referring to then as their “favorite screamo-crunk band”. British commentator Warren Ellis calls brokeNCYDE’s “Freaxxx” music video “a near-perfect snapshot of everything that’s shit about this point in the culture”. Says August Brown of the Los Angeles Times, “The ‘Albucrazy’-based band has done for MySpace emo what some think Soulja Boy did for hip-hop: turn their career into a kind of macro-performance art that exists so far beyond the tropes of irony and sincerity that to ask ‘are they kidding?’ is like trying to peel an onion to get to a perceived central core that, in the end, does not exist and renders all attempts to reassemble the pieces futile.”

Band members

Se7en – screamed vocals, rap vocals (2006–present)
Mikl – clean vocals, autotune vocals (2006–present)
Phat J – synths, guitars, beats, backup vocals, backup screams and growls (2006–present)
Antz – fog machine and lights (2006–present)

“So much of the music out there now is negative,” says Valencia frontman Henderson with a heavy sigh. “It’s all about someone complaining about their life. But that’s why we wrote this record. We wanted to write about how you should be happy and how you shouldn’t let what happens in your life upset you.”

To truly understand the gravity of that statement, you have to go back to early 2003, at which point the members of Valencia had just started playing out in the Philadelphia underground punk scene. Much like their musical heroes before them, the band’s career began with playing sweat-soaked shows in basements and vet’s halls, while trying to balance the regular routine of early morning college courses and afternoons spent at dead end jobs.
“In the beginning, there was just a lot going on,” remembers Walter. “There was a point where me, George and JD were all taking finals during the day, then we would go back and forth between the studio, then we would have to break away for a show. It was a lot of work and, at that point, we were doing it all ourselves.”

By the time Valencia completed their first album, This Could Be A Possibility, in the fall of 2005, their hard work had paid off. Released on I Surrender Records (a modest indie label run by one of their boyhood idols, former Midtown drummer Rob Hitt), the album had quickly earned praise in magazines like Spin and Alternative Press, while the band’s live shows graduated from dank vet halls to packed dates with hugely popular artists like Fall Out Boy.

All and all, it was a promising time for the band. But while on tour that May, Henderson (then 21) received some jarring news. Back in Newtown, PA, his girlfriend was injured in a freak accident and had been rushed to the hospital. The show that night was canceled and the members of Valencia immediately turned their van around and headed home. Sadly, they were too late. When they arrived home, Henderson’s girlfriend had already been pronounced dead.

The tragic death that spring sent shockwaves through the Valencia camp, but they persevered and eventually began work on an album of new material. By the winter of 2007, the band had found themselves camped out in Los Angeles, where they teamed up with producer Ariel Rechtshaid [Plain White T’s, We Are Scientists, Say Anything] to record their sophomore release.

The end result is We All Need A Reason To Believe, an eclectic affair that explores what happens when five young men are suddenly forced to deal with some very adult issues. Still replete with pop-punk hooks, but also with a far more mature statement, it is on tracks like “All At Once” that Valencia still churn out the kind of inch-thick hooks that made This Could Be A Possibility a cult hit. However, when Henderson lets out the songs final verse, a full-on orchestra backs him and his band mates. Elsewhere, on poignant sing-alongs like “Listen Up” and “Where Did You Go?,” the songs take on surprising musical depth, while the band get some help on vocals from The Starting Line’s Kenny Vasoli and Rachel Minton from Zolof The Rock ’N’ Roll Destroyer.

One of the album’s most compelling moments can be heard on “The Good Life,” a rollicking alt-country track that was inspired by the sudden death of Henderson’s girlfriend. “That whole experience deeply affected my life,” says Henderson. “We wanted to write a record that looked on the brighter side, and have songs on the album that portrayed hope and optimism.”

Ultimately, that’s what Valencia have done. Where other groups spend the years between adolescence and adulthood bemoaning their last breakup, the members of Valencia have made an album with the kind of unrelenting optimism that you can’t help but admire.

The band is currently scheduled to hit the road with Say Anything, Motion City Soundtrack, and Saves the Day in October of 2010.

Straightforward, earnest rock music seems to be a contradiction from the path popular music has strayed as of late. The need for genuine lyrics, purposeful direction and accessible melodies has been long overdue. The Dangerous Summer have crafted a throwback to the days when music was charged with hope and contained a much-needed brand of sincerity.

This foursome from Ellicott City, MD, have poured every drop of honesty and thoughtfulness into Reach For The Sun, a polished and wise debut brimming with a poise that belies the band’s years. Taking their name from an Ernest Hemingway novel of the same name, it seems every move toward success has been calculated from the start. “We thought that name sort of fit for the time in which we were starting the band, and the commitment we’re getting into,” explained guitarist Cody Payne. That commitment was one that proved a bit shaky at the band’s beginning, when their crowded hometown shows gave way to smaller turnouts once they ventured past city limits. As Payne recalls, The Dangerous Summer’s first NYC show was held in a bar basement and included an audience of five. But for this collection of friends who’d been toiling away in practice sessions since high school, these were simply the dues of an ambitious group of musicians. And that low attendance record soon became a thing of the past once Hopeless Records came calling, finding the band’

s quintessential rock pleasers just as inviting and impressive as those hometown patrons.

Sticking with producer Paul Leavitt (All Time Low, Circa Survive) in their comfortable and familiar home base, The Dangerous Summer wanted to fashion Reach For The Sun with someone who “really knows how to bring out our sound,” Payne said. “Also, since we weren’t doing much as a band and were at home living somewhat normal lives, this album was just driven by pure inspiration and just wanting to play music.” With Bryan Czap adding spiraling second guitar, Tyler Minsberg smattering raptly behind the drum kit and AJ Perdomo’s astute lyrics and ardent delivery, The Dangerous Summer has churned out a studied and unfettered production. The modern nostalgia and urgency of opener and lead single “Where I Want To Be” builds to the crisp ebb-and-flow of “Surfaced,” before giving way to the tempered yearning of “Northern Lights.”

Perdomo emits an understated-yet-electric vocal approach that is vulnerable and defiant in the same breath.

“I really love every song on this album for one reason or another. They all had their own little story in our lives while we were writing the album and seeing it come together in the studio,” Payne said. “The album is overall very positive and about real life. AJ covered a lot of different ground – love, life, death, the past, the future…it’s all there.” In the vein of the honest and clear-cut rock of Jimmy Eat World, Third Eye Blind and the Foo Fighters, The Dangerous Summer have created their own tour de force devoid of a specific genre or particular audience. Anyone who appeals to hopes, futures and candidness will find a piece of themselves in Reach For The Sun. “We really just want people to remember the value of a good, memorable album,” Payne said. “We didn’t focus on any trends going on right now; we just wanted to write a good album that would last forever.”

Originally a studio project between Tay Jardine (vocals) and Jordan Eckes (guitar/vocals) and Mike Ferri (bass) there was an obvious chemistry that they felt could be better translated through a full-band sound. When Rob Chianelli and Cameron Hurley joined on drums and guitar, respectively, the Poughkeepsie, NY, natives found their niche in the sort of straightforward, brutally honest pop songs that only those in the throes of young adulthood could convey. Whether it’s a feeling of being tongue-tied, or heartbroken, or betrayed, each emotion earns a new life through the words and music of this quintet.

The dual vocalists express a give-and-take that feels like an eavesdropped conversation with a dash of battle of the sexes, before joining in choruses of mutual understanding. As evidenced by their debut single “For The Win,” Jardine describes the vocal volleyball as the secret to getting their views across. “With two vocalists, we think it’s a great way to illustrate two opinions because you can clearly hear the difference between our voices. We based a lot of the songs around the idea of having two opinions to every situation.”

Straightforward, earnest rock music seems to be a contradiction from the path popular music has strayed as of late. The need for genuine lyrics, purposeful direction and accessible melodies has been long overdue. The Dangerous Summer have crafted a throwback to the days when music was charged with hope and contained a much-needed brand of sincerity.

This foursome from Ellicott City, MD, have poured every drop of honesty and thoughtfulness into Reach For The Sun, a polished and wise debut brimming with a poise that belies the band’s years. Taking their name from an Ernest Hemingway novel of the same name, it seems every move toward success has been calculated from the start. “We thought that name sort of fit for the time in which we were starting the band, and the commitment we’re getting into,” explained guitarist Cody Payne. That commitment was one that proved a bit shaky at the band’s beginning, when their crowded hometown shows gave way to smaller turnouts once they ventured past city limits. As Payne recalls, The Dangerous Summer’s first NYC show was held in a bar basement and included an audience of five. But for this collection of friends who’d been toiling away in practice sessions since high school, these were simply the dues of an ambitious group of musicians. And that low attendance record soon became a thing of the past once Hopeless Records came calling, finding the band’

s quintessential rock pleasers just as inviting and impressive as those hometown patrons.

Sticking with producer Paul Leavitt (All Time Low, Circa Survive) in their comfortable and familiar home base, The Dangerous Summer wanted to fashion Reach For The Sun with someone who “really knows how to bring out our sound,” Payne said. “Also, since we weren’t doing much as a band and were at home living somewhat normal lives, this album was just driven by pure inspiration and just wanting to play music.” With Bryan Czap adding spiraling second guitar, Tyler Minsberg smattering raptly behind the drum kit and AJ Perdomo’s astute lyrics and ardent delivery, The Dangerous Summer has churned out a studied and unfettered production. The modern nostalgia and urgency of opener and lead single “Where I Want To Be” builds to the crisp ebb-and-flow of “Surfaced,” before giving way to the tempered yearning of “Northern Lights.”

Perdomo emits an understated-yet-electric vocal approach that is vulnerable and defiant in the same breath.

“I really love every song on this album for one reason or another. They all had their own little story in our lives while we were writing the album and seeing it come together in the studio,” Payne said. “The album is overall very positive and about real life. AJ covered a lot of different ground – love, life, death, the past, the future…it’s all there.” In the vein of the honest and clear-cut rock of Jimmy Eat World, Third Eye Blind and the Foo Fighters, The Dangerous Summer have created their own tour de force devoid of a specific genre or particular audience. Anyone who appeals to hopes, futures and candidness will find a piece of themselves in Reach For The Sun. “We really just want people to remember the value of a good, memorable album,” Payne said. “We didn’t focus on any trends going on right now; we just wanted to write a good album that would last forever.”

They got together when its members were only 13, signed a label deal while still in high school, and went on to sell thousands of records, tour with blink-182 and Weezer, land songs on the playlist of Los Angeles’ KROQ, and influence countless followers.

Singer-songwriter-guitarist Chris Conley’s lacerating, frequently existential lyrics provide sharp counterpoint to his sweet melodic sensibility as the band exercises their penchant for a variety of rock, punk and pop hooks. In Reverie was produced by Rob Schnapf, who has worked with Saves The Day before, as well as with Beck, Elliott Smith and Guided By Voices.

Precocious from the get-go, Conley took up the cello at six. He had his first real rock ’n’ roll epiphany while sitting in his dad’s Mazda listening over and over on his Discman to the opening drum fill in “Stairway To Heaven.” “That summer I started playing guitar,” he explains. “I was 13. When I got back to school, a friend of mine, who was our drummer for a long time, asked me to come to his house and jam. David played guitar. That was the first incarnation of Saves The Day. We were called Indifference and later, Sefler, which came from an e-mail typo.”

Says Soloway: “We’d play on the street outside Chuck’s Café in Princeton.” “They had great wings,” Conley adds, “which is what they gave us for playing.” As Sefler moved indoors to the school gym and friends’ basements, they began discovering indie rock. “I was getting into Superchunk, Sunny Day Real Estate, Archers Of Loaf, Jawbreaker …, ” Conley recalls. “We would play as hard and fast as we possibly could without losing the melody.”

While recording their first demo, the band changed its name. A musician friend volunteered Saves The Day, a lyric from a song called “Hero” by the band Farside: “I want to be the one who saves the day.”

A small hardcore label heard Saves The Day’s demo and signed them. “It was so weird,” Conley admits. “Senior year starts, and within the first few months, we find out Equal Vision wants to put out our album. We flipped out!” Positive change makes sense for a band that has always had a penchant for evolution. After forming in Princeton, New Jersey in 1997, Saves The Day released its debut album, Can’t Slow Down, in 1998. Most of its songs were written when Conley was 16.

The next key step in the band’s development came with the recruitment of bassist Eben D’Amico. “What clinched me joining,” D’Amico informs, “was when Chris played a demo of Saves The Day’s next album. It just hooked me. I heard limitless potential.”

By June of 1999, the group was recording Through Being Cool. “The record had a much more pop sensibility,” D’Amico elaborates. “Chris had figured out that every song didn’t have to have the same Minor Threat beat.”

The day of the disc’s release, respected indie label Vagrant Records reached out to Saves The Day. “Then all the majors came calling,” Conley says. “But we fell in love with the people at Vagrant. They were so down to earth and simply said, ‘We love what you are and we want to work with you.’”

Before signing with Vagrant, Saves The Day embarked on a lengthy tour. Near La Croix, Wis., the band’s van skidded on a patch of ice. “I remember waking up and hearing Dave scream, ‘Oh my God,’” Conley says. “I could feel the van roll, and I knew I was going to die. We went off the road, spun around, rolled down an embankment and slammed to the ground on the right side. The weight of the force flipped us back up. When we flipped back, David was launched into the windshield, then repelled into the steering wheel. Then everything stopped. The fact that David lived is beyond a miracle.” He did, however, suffer a broken nose and lose most of his teeth. Conley broke his collarbone. Amazingly, the band missed only five shows before rejoining the tour in Seattle.

To record their Vagrant debut, Saves The Day moved into a two-bedroom sublet off L.A.’s Sunset Strip. “We were in the heart of all that is shitty about Los Angeles,” D’Amico explains. “And Dave’s room was literally a walk-in closet.”

These circumstances apparently bred inspiration. Stay What You Are, produced by Schnapf and released in 2001, became STD’s most critically lauded and commercially successful release to date. It landed in the upper half of the Billboard 200 album chart and ultimately sold more than 200,000 copies. It also spawned the highly addictive “At Your Funeral” – which presciently declared, “This song will become the anthem of your underground” – and the nuanced pop gem “Freakish,” the videos for both of which earned heavy rotation on MTV2.

Saves The Day went on to headline the 2001 Vagrant America Tour with Dashboard Confessional. “That was the first time we played before thousands of people who knew every word to all our songs,” says D’Amico. Then they scored a slot on Weezer’s tour. “The show in Charlotte, N.C., was our first arena show,” Conley notes, nonetheless confessing, “I kept having flashbacks to Sefler playing in basements.” Saves The Day next was asked to join the Pop Disaster tour, with Blink-182 and Green Day. “That they actually considered us – let alone asked us – to be on that tour was just incredible,” Conley offers.

The band followed it up with the genre-defining Through Being Cool one year later. 2001’s Stay What You Are elevated Saves The Day to an even greater level of success and critical recognition, followed soon after by 2003’s In Reverie. In Reverie took an exciting sonic leap from Stay What You Are, which itself was a stylistic departure from Through Being Cool. For their follow-up to Stay What You Are, Saves The Day again called on Schnapf. “We just have excellent chemistry with him,” says D’Amico. They began recording in February of 2003 with new drummer Pete Parada. This time they actually enjoyed L.A. Soloway points out: “Every other record felt like we were rushing and struggling to get everything on tape, but this time the recording was a great experience. We got to try different ideas and explore more sounds. Plus, I didn’t have to sleep in a closet.” Each album the band has released has its own distinct style and flair, though they are all undoubtedly Saves The Day through and through.

Reports Conley: “I’d gotten really into Howlin’ Wolf between albums. There’s something about him that’s so pure that it reminds me of punk rock; it’s so stripped down, and it gets right to the point. The Beatles were also a mainstay. I played the White Album and their #1’s disc, with the older pop songs, which are so incredibly well constructed. I was also listening to a lot of Stevie Wonder and David Bowie.”

All of which simmers somewhere among In Reverie’s dozen songs, from the huge guitars and irresistible melody of first radio track “Anywhere With You” to the mercurial “Morning In The Moonlight,” to the infectious “In My Waking Life,” to the poignant acoustic ballad “She.”

Conley says of his songwriting method: “I just pull things out of my head. Melody always comes first, then chords, then lyrics. I search for words that fit the cadence of the song. A lot of people have told me that I’ve put words to every emotion they’ve ever felt, but really, I’m just putting words to my own emotions.”

Asked if moving to a major label carries any baggage for the indie stalwarts, Conley says: “Not really. That whole thing is like being in high school and being terrified that the cool kids won’t like you. We’re comfortable with who we are, and you can’t really ask for more than that.”

Adds Soloway, “I just keep thinking about the fact that we’re not even 25 and we’ve already gotten this far – how did that happen?” D’Amico effectively answers the question, venturing, “This band has done a lot of molting.”

Fast-forward to 2010, and Saves The Day is evolving once again. After the departure of long time member David Soloway in 2008, along with Mannuel Cerrero and Durijah Lang in 2009 (who left the band to focus on former group Glassjaw), Saves The Day hit the road rocking all their classic tunes with a brand new look. Arun Bali, Rodrigo Palma and Claudio Rivera, now join Conley to round out the Saves The Day lineup. It is with these new members that the band will record Daybreak. As Conley explains, “it makes sense that Daybreak features a new lineup, as thematically the album deals with coming back to Life with a renewed appreciation and attitude of perseverance and acceptance.”

Now, with the band ready to release the long-anticipated third part to the trilogy, you get the feeling that a new day is truly breaking for Saves The Day. “Daybreak is both an ending and a new beginning,” says Conley. “Daybreak comes back to Life to say, ‘we are here together and we can make it through.’”

The current line up seems to be the strongest and most talented yet. Members Jesse Cottam on Vocals, Will Nutter and Davy Rispoli on Guitar, Greg Strong on Bass and Dango on Drums have a fresh start on a new label and couldn’t be more ready to take on the world. “We’re all really excited to be on Victory. We expect a lot of good and very big things to happen,” says Will Nutter.

Originally known under the name Follow Through, an expired version of the band enjoyed a run of fame when participating in the Vans Warped Tour from 2004-2007 and sharing a string of dates with Matchbook Romance on the Sub City Take action Tour in the spring of 2006. Amber Pacific proved that the “sophomore release curse” was a myth when they challenged it head on, releasing “Truth in Sincerity” in 2007. The title landed itself a deserving number 64 on Billboard’s Top 200 Charts.

However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing on the success wave. in February of 2008, lead vocalist Matt Young left Amber Pacific to pursue a career in public education. Luckily, after feverish searching, the remaining members stumbled upon “neighbor – to – the – north” Canadian singer Jesse Cottam. “We set up an audition system via email account,” says Nutter. “There were about 250-300 submissions and out of that, there were only three people who were maybe good enough to do it.” After weeks of frustration, Nutter turned to YouTube, searching for homemade videos of radio hits, in hopes that maybe someone would grab his attention. “I was entertaining the idea of maybe having a girl singer, so i typed in ‘Katy Perry – I Kissed A Girl’ and Jesse’s video popped up. At first I wasn’t sure what to expect, but after watching, i immediately reached out to him about flying in for an audition.”

Present day finds Amber Pacific with a breath of fresh air. having added a vocalist that gives the band an extra boost, they’ve written what can be called their best record to date; “Virtues” is available now on Victory Records.

They got together when its members were only 13, signed a label deal while still in high school, and went on to sell thousands of records, tour with blink-182 and Weezer, land songs on the playlist of Los Angeles’ KROQ, and influence countless followers.

Singer-songwriter-guitarist Chris Conley’s lacerating, frequently existential lyrics provide sharp counterpoint to his sweet melodic sensibility as the band exercises their penchant for a variety of rock, punk and pop hooks. In Reverie was produced by Rob Schnapf, who has worked with Saves The Day before, as well as with Beck, Elliott Smith and Guided By Voices.

Precocious from the get-go, Conley took up the cello at six. He had his first real rock ’n’ roll epiphany while sitting in his dad’s Mazda listening over and over on his Discman to the opening drum fill in “Stairway To Heaven.” “That summer I started playing guitar,” he explains. “I was 13. When I got back to school, a friend of mine, who was our drummer for a long time, asked me to come to his house and jam. David played guitar. That was the first incarnation of Saves The Day. We were called Indifference and later, Sefler, which came from an e-mail typo.”

Says Soloway: “We’d play on the street outside Chuck’s Café in Princeton.” “They had great wings,” Conley adds, “which is what they gave us for playing.” As Sefler moved indoors to the school gym and friends’ basements, they began discovering indie rock. “I was getting into Superchunk, Sunny Day Real Estate, Archers Of Loaf, Jawbreaker …, ” Conley recalls. “We would play as hard and fast as we possibly could without losing the melody.”

While recording their first demo, the band changed its name. A musician friend volunteered Saves The Day, a lyric from a song called “Hero” by the band Farside: “I want to be the one who saves the day.”

A small hardcore label heard Saves The Day’s demo and signed them. “It was so weird,” Conley admits. “Senior year starts, and within the first few months, we find out Equal Vision wants to put out our album. We flipped out!” Positive change makes sense for a band that has always had a penchant for evolution. After forming in Princeton, New Jersey in 1997, Saves The Day released its debut album, Can’t Slow Down, in 1998. Most of its songs were written when Conley was 16.

The next key step in the band’s development came with the recruitment of bassist Eben D’Amico. “What clinched me joining,” D’Amico informs, “was when Chris played a demo of Saves The Day’s next album. It just hooked me. I heard limitless potential.”

By June of 1999, the group was recording Through Being Cool. “The record had a much more pop sensibility,” D’Amico elaborates. “Chris had figured out that every song didn’t have to have the same Minor Threat beat.”

The day of the disc’s release, respected indie label Vagrant Records reached out to Saves The Day. “Then all the majors came calling,” Conley says. “But we fell in love with the people at Vagrant. They were so down to earth and simply said, ‘We love what you are and we want to work with you.’”

Before signing with Vagrant, Saves The Day embarked on a lengthy tour. Near La Croix, Wis., the band’s van skidded on a patch of ice. “I remember waking up and hearing Dave scream, ‘Oh my God,’” Conley says. “I could feel the van roll, and I knew I was going to die. We went off the road, spun around, rolled down an embankment and slammed to the ground on the right side. The weight of the force flipped us back up. When we flipped back, David was launched into the windshield, then repelled into the steering wheel. Then everything stopped. The fact that David lived is beyond a miracle.” He did, however, suffer a broken nose and lose most of his teeth. Conley broke his collarbone. Amazingly, the band missed only five shows before rejoining the tour in Seattle.

To record their Vagrant debut, Saves The Day moved into a two-bedroom sublet off L.A.’s Sunset Strip. “We were in the heart of all that is shitty about Los Angeles,” D’Amico explains. “And Dave’s room was literally a walk-in closet.”

These circumstances apparently bred inspiration. Stay What You Are, produced by Schnapf and released in 2001, became STD’s most critically lauded and commercially successful release to date. It landed in the upper half of the Billboard 200 album chart and ultimately sold more than 200,000 copies. It also spawned the highly addictive “At Your Funeral” – which presciently declared, “This song will become the anthem of your underground” – and the nuanced pop gem “Freakish,” the videos for both of which earned heavy rotation on MTV2.

Saves The Day went on to headline the 2001 Vagrant America Tour with Dashboard Confessional. “That was the first time we played before thousands of people who knew every word to all our songs,” says D’Amico. Then they scored a slot on Weezer’s tour. “The show in Charlotte, N.C., was our first arena show,” Conley notes, nonetheless confessing, “I kept having flashbacks to Sefler playing in basements.” Saves The Day next was asked to join the Pop Disaster tour, with Blink-182 and Green Day. “That they actually considered us – let alone asked us – to be on that tour was just incredible,” Conley offers.

The band followed it up with the genre-defining Through Being Cool one year later. 2001’s Stay What You Are elevated Saves The Day to an even greater level of success and critical recognition, followed soon after by 2003’s In Reverie. In Reverie took an exciting sonic leap from Stay What You Are, which itself was a stylistic departure from Through Being Cool. For their follow-up to Stay What You Are, Saves The Day again called on Schnapf. “We just have excellent chemistry with him,” says D’Amico. They began recording in February of 2003 with new drummer Pete Parada. This time they actually enjoyed L.A. Soloway points out: “Every other record felt like we were rushing and struggling to get everything on tape, but this time the recording was a great experience. We got to try different ideas and explore more sounds. Plus, I didn’t have to sleep in a closet.” Each album the band has released has its own distinct style and flair, though they are all undoubtedly Saves The Day through and through.

Reports Conley: “I’d gotten really into Howlin’ Wolf between albums. There’s something about him that’s so pure that it reminds me of punk rock; it’s so stripped down, and it gets right to the point. The Beatles were also a mainstay. I played the White Album and their #1’s disc, with the older pop songs, which are so incredibly well constructed. I was also listening to a lot of Stevie Wonder and David Bowie.”

All of which simmers somewhere among In Reverie’s dozen songs, from the huge guitars and irresistible melody of first radio track “Anywhere With You” to the mercurial “Morning In The Moonlight,” to the infectious “In My Waking Life,” to the poignant acoustic ballad “She.”

Conley says of his songwriting method: “I just pull things out of my head. Melody always comes first, then chords, then lyrics. I search for words that fit the cadence of the song. A lot of people have told me that I’ve put words to every emotion they’ve ever felt, but really, I’m just putting words to my own emotions.”

Asked if moving to a major label carries any baggage for the indie stalwarts, Conley says: “Not really. That whole thing is like being in high school and being terrified that the cool kids won’t like you. We’re comfortable with who we are, and you can’t really ask for more than that.”

Adds Soloway, “I just keep thinking about the fact that we’re not even 25 and we’ve already gotten this far – how did that happen?” D’Amico effectively answers the question, venturing, “This band has done a lot of molting.”

Fast-forward to 2010, and Saves The Day is evolving once again. After the departure of long time member David Soloway in 2008, along with Mannuel Cerrero and Durijah Lang in 2009 (who left the band to focus on former group Glassjaw), Saves The Day hit the road rocking all their classic tunes with a brand new look. Arun Bali, Rodrigo Palma and Claudio Rivera, now join Conley to round out the Saves The Day lineup. It is with these new members that the band will record Daybreak. As Conley explains, “it makes sense that Daybreak features a new lineup, as thematically the album deals with coming back to Life with a renewed appreciation and attitude of perseverance and acceptance.”

Now, with the band ready to release the long-anticipated third part to the trilogy, you get the feeling that a new day is truly breaking for Saves The Day. “Daybreak is both an ending and a new beginning,” says Conley. “Daybreak comes back to Life to say, ‘we are here together and we can make it through.’”

Based in Huntington Beach, CA, Reel Big Fish was originally a trio comprised of vocalist/guitarist Aaron Barrett, bassist Matt Wong, and drummer Andrew Gonzales. At that stage, the group was a conventional rock band with pop-metal leanings that covered both classic rock and Top 40 songs — essentially, it was music designed for frat parties. After several months, the band discovered ska and decided to bolster its lineup with the addition of horn players. Reel Big Fish had a difficult time maintaining a stable horn section, and it took several years before their final lineup — featuring Tavis Werts (trumpet), Scott Klopfenstein (trumpet, vocals), Grant Barry (trombone), and Dan Regan (trombone) — fell into place.

This definitive incarnation of Reel Big Fish recorded its self-released debut album, Everything Sucks, in 1995. Everything Sucks became a word-of-mouth underground hit in ska-punk and college circles, which gave the band enough leverage to sign with the indie label Mojo Records. The label’s president, Jay Rifkin, and former Oingo Boingo bassist John Avila co-produced Turn the Radio Off, which marked Reel Big Fish’s first album for Mojo. Turn the Radio Off was unleashed in August 1996, and over the next year, the group continually toured in support of the album’s release, expanding their fan base all the while. In spring 1997, the single “Sell Out” began receiving heavy airplay from several influential modern rock stations in the U.S., which soon translated into MTV support for the song’s quirky video. By summer, the song had become a moderate modern rock hit, and the album had charted in the Top 100. In July 1997, Reel Big Fish released the Keep Your Receipt EP, which contained “Sell Out” and several outtakes, new songs, and live cuts. Why Do They Rock So Hard followed a year later, and in early 2000 the band returned with a reissued version of Everything Sucks.

The guys wound up on Jive Records in fall 2001 when their current label, Mojo, was bought by Jive’s parent label, Zomba. Reel Big Fish’s first release for Jive, a rock-oriented record entitled Cheer Up!, appeared in mid-2002. Years of touring followed, during which the band shared stages with the likes of Sum 41, Catch 22, Lucky Boys Confusion, the Matches, and Zebrahead. Replacement drummer Carlos de la Garza (formerly of Suburban Rhythm) eventually decided to leave the lineup, and his last show with the group was recorded live at Anaheim’s House of Blues in June 2003. A DVD of that performance, The Show Must Go Off, was released by the end of the year, and the band’s next album, the cynical yet catchy We’re Not Happy ‘Til You’re Not Happy, was issued in April 2005. By this time, the group’s lineup had shifted to include Barrett, Regan, Klopfenstein, Wong, new trumpeter John Christianson, and drummer Justin Ferreira (who was later replaced by Ryland Steen).

Touring continued for the rest of the year, and Reel Big Fish happily parted ways with Jive in January 2006, having wished to be dropped from the label since Cheer Up!’s release. A co-headlining tour with MxPx followed that summer, allowing Reel Big Fish the chance to gain their footing as an independent band. In August, the group self-released a double-disc live CD (along with an accompanying DVD) titled Our Live Album Is Better Than Your Live Album. A few months later — and much to the annoyance of the band — Jive issued its own Reel Big Fish album, a best-of compilation entitled Greatest Hit…and More. Reel Big Fish received no money from the album’s sales, as Jive Records now owned the rights to the bulk of their songs. Nevertheless, the band returned with some new material in February 2007, splitting an EP (Duet All Night Long) with their friends in Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer. Monkeys for Nothin’ and the Chimps for Free followed several months later, marking Reel Big Fish’s first full-length studio release since leaving Jive’s roster, and 2009’s Fame, Fortune and Fornication found the band covering songs by the likes of Poison, Slade, and Tom Petty.

Their Mercury Records debut, Habits, produced by friend, singer/guitarist Tim Pagnotta, is a refreshing blast of timeless rock energy and spirit that wouldn’t sound out of place at any point from ‘60s garage-rock to 2010 dance rock, with the first single, “Animal,” taking off from a round of weaving, angular guitars into a song equally at home in the arena as on the dance floor, a paean to sexual longing in which singer/front man Tyler Glenn wails, “Take a bite of my heart tonight.,” and you have no reason to doubt his sincerity.

Take hook-happy new wave, add to it the classic-rock story-telling humanity and leaven with other-worldly charisma, and you begin to understand the palette Neon Trees are working from.

“I have this weird, obsessive nature of wanting to be a superhero,” admits Glenn, who cites his two favorite performers as the Boss and the King of Pop. “I just want to help my friends and the people I love by saving them, only to realize they’re really saving me by listening to the music. The songs are all about forgiveness, love and passion, which basically sums up the whole vibe of what we’re about as a band, professionally and spiritually.”

In the opening “Sins of my Youth,” Tyler reminisces about a childhood of trial, error and eventual self-discovery. “I’ve got these habits I cannot break… Call me crazy/I was born to make a mess.” “Your Surrender” takes Roy Orbison’s romantic plaint and sets it up against Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound, while “Girls and Boys in School” speaks for itself, with a playground chant over a dark yet sing-along synth-pop chorus. Chris Allen has a quirky, edgy Johnny Marrr-meets-The Edge guitar playing while drummer Elaine Bradley drums with the intensity of John Bonham adding a heartbeat to the sensuality of the songs.

“We’re all about songs which relate the human experience,” says Las Vegas native, bassist Branden Campbell. “The emotion is very important to us. Our logo is a human heart with wings. We try to keep it real, but we’re not afraid to dream, either, work hard and admit we want success.”

“We approach the songs from a classic perspective,” adds guitarist Chris Allen, who formed the initial group in Southern California with neighbor Tyler, who lived around the corner. “Even from the start, it was all about the music for us. We didn’t even talk, just practice.”

“I’ve always tried to keep my feet on the ground with my songwriting,” adds Tyler, a self-taught musician who began composing when he was six. “I try to focus on getting out what I’m thinking and feeling. It’s a tool to help me cope with all the weird things that come into my mind. I’m just happy to have found that outlet.”

When Allen moved to Provo, UT, to attend school, Glenn followed him, knowing he wanted to play music with Allen.

“That was a real awkward trip,” laughs Chris. “We drove all the way out there and hardly said a word to each other. All we knew was we wanted to play music together.”

Once there, they were soon joined by Campbell on bass and drummer Bradley, a Midwestern Led Zeppelin/Depeche Mode fan, a combination that clicked despite the fact the individual members eventually discovered they were all very different people.

“We are all so fascinatingly different,” explains Bradley, who has been playing in bands since she was 14, first as a guitarist then as a drummer. “Tyler’s the quirky serious type who is really a goofball. Branden’s the musical history encyclopedia. Chris is the manual labor. Being in this band is like an arranged marriage where divorce is not an option, and I’m ok with that.”

Being signed to a major label hasn’t changed Neon Trees one bit.

“Our goal and how we play are still the same,” insists Tyler. “We’ve always tried to evoke a larger-than-life feel, even if we’re playing to 10 people in a garage. We’re just trying to keep our feet on the ground and remember why we started doing this in the first place.”

“Music is a sacred act of communion for me, offering hope and love,” says Tyler. “That’s the heart of this band. Just like in life, though, you need to have fun, too, you have to laugh and dance and sing. The songs that last and get people to feel something are the ones they can sing along to and really identify with.”

“There’s so much breath to what we do,” adds Elaine. “Every song represents a different aspect of our sound. We don’t stick to a single formula. And we have the goods to back it up live.”

“Our favorite thing is playing live shows, traveling, seeing new places, meeting new people,” adds Chris. “We just want to share that feeling we got from the bands that inspired us, and then We want to pass the torch.”

With their major label debut, Habits, Neon Trees light the fire.