I’ve been a fan of Saves the Day for many years now. I picked up on them when I was a teenager, so like most bands that you listened to when you’re young, you often lose touch. In Saves the Day’s case I guess it had to do with their ever changing identity and sound. I followed Saves the Day religiously until about the time In Reverie was released in 2003. I guess for me it was the sound that STD developed that caused me to lose sudden interest. I remember how disappointed I was with the member changes the band was facing at the time too. The loss of Eben (bass) and Bryan (drums) were huge for me. I was a big fan of Eben’s bass style, especially on Stay What You Are. He found a way to write bass lines that almost lead/followed Chris’s vocal melody perfectly. As a young vocalist at the time, I found this to be very influential.
I picked back up with the band before Sound the Alarm, perhaps it was the B-Sides record? Regardless, it was around that time. The band was releasing some aggressive yet catchy songs that were beginning to fill the void STD left me with In Reverie. -- (It should be noted that even though I did not find their new music always impressive, albums like Can’t Slow Down, Through Being Cool, and Stay What You Are continued to be played in high rotation on my stereo, and still are). Even with the rekindled love, I still missed the elements the past member brought to Saves the Day’s music.
Alas, STD has another new line up…. One I believe could give the band a much needed lift once again. And for the purpose of this entry, I’m speaking of the drummer alone. I’ve known Spencer Peterson since 2002. He was an 18 year old kid who arrived in New Jersey with his drum set impressively packed in the back of a little customized Honda Civic (complete with rims, tires, full body kit…). He left college/music performance school on whim to drive 18 hours from Newnan, Georgia to Mendham, New Jersey to answer a post on Myspace, “Drummer Wanted”. Hidden in Plain View at the time was on the verge of recording their first full length album for Pop-punk powerhouse label Drive-Thru Records when the band’s drummer suddenly quit. We/HIPV put out a blast on Myspace.com to get the word out. It was our intent to tryout as many drummers as necessary to turn our recent shortcomings into an actual improvement to band’s lineup. What we found in Spencer was a true young talent. Of course, he had some small timing problems and a he set up his drums using a drum cage (ha ha, memories), but he was young with little experience. He had chops, he hit hard, he played fast, he played our songs well, and he was perfect for the band. We knew we had pure potential with him and we all immediately agreed that Spencer belonged with HIPV. Spencer grew into a well rounded and poised drummer. He recorded two full length records and toured with us until HIPV disbanded in early 2007. After HIPV broke apart, I felt that Spencer, out of all of us, had the best chance to land himself in a band that would send him to the top. He was still young, still full of potential, and he had time to evolve creatively. Finally, after filling in on tour for bands like Charlotte Sometimes and VersaEmerge, Spencer recently landed himself a fulltime drumming position with Saves the Day. I expect that he has only continued to mature since the days we once shared a stage. There is no doubt in my mind this is a good fit for both Spencer and Saves the Day. I plan to stop by the Electric Factory tomorrow night to see Saves the Day with New Found Glory (I think the last time I saw these two bands play together Alkaline Trio and Face to Face were on the same bill?)… before that I am sure it was the Manville Elks Lodge in Manville, New Jersey -- Long time ago.