Save Ferris Biography

Save Ferris were a ska punk band formed circa 1995 in Orange County, California.
The Save Ferris saga began circa 1995 (see 1995 in music) when members of various Orange County third-wave ska bands joined forces. From Los Pantelones came Brian Mashburn, bassist Bill Uechi, saxophone player Eric Zamora and trumpet player José Castellaños. Monique Powell, late of the eclectic band Larry was the next recruit, and Knuckle Brothers trombonist T-Bone Willy followed shortly thereafter. Drummer Evan Kilbourne joined the band in early 1998.

Save Ferris quickly got to work releasing their own five-song EP "Introducing Save Ferris," which has sold more than 50,000 copies to date. In 1996 the band returned home from a trip to New York bearing a NARAS Grammy showcase award for best unsigned band and a contract with Epic Records. "It Means Everything," the band's Epic debut, was produced by Peter Collins and released in September 1997 (see also 1997 in music). The music conveyed all the frustration, giddiness, anticipation, glee, and naiveté of being a teenager. The band took the road: headlining clubs, opening US tours for Sugar Ray and Reel Big Fish, and in December 1997, making their first trip to Japan with The Offspring. In April 1998, they performed live on HBO's popular music series Reverb and saw their song "The World Is New" included in the Tri-Star movie The Big Hit. Save Ferris appeared on screen in another movie, Ten Things I Hate About You, a Top Ten box office success.

"It Means Everything" was a potent statement of purpose which went on to sell some 325,000 copies in the US alone. In addition, the album spun off three three Top Ten hits in both Japan and Mexico. In June 1998, Save Ferris signed up as a featured act on the Vans Warped Tour, playing dates all across North America, the UK, and Europe.

Their next album, "Modified" -- the bulk of which was written in the winter of 1998 in an Orange County practice studio -- seems to take a much more realistic, measured, and revealing personal look at early adulthood. On "Mistaken," the album's first beautifully explosive single, Save Ferris tackles the disillusionment of discovering someone isn't the person you thought he or she was: "So who are you/I thought I knew/I guess I was mistaken."

This sense of hard-won wisdom emerges again in "The Only Way to Be," in lines like "Do you like what you see/To live this life of luxury/... It's all about the money/ It's the perfect way to be." On the other side of an identity crisis, however, lies a stronger sense of self: "Your Friend," "I'm Not Crying for You," and "What You See is What You Get" all reveal this empowering sense of self-worth. "Turn It Up" captures the pure adolescent rush of hearing your favorite music on the radio.

The band explores new sonic ground as well, from the trance-hop noire of "One More Try," with its off-time drum loop, to the almost Motown vibe of "Holding On." Perhaps the biggest departure, though, is the plaintive, string-laden "Let Me In" a gorgeous ballad whose strength lies in the vulnerability it lays bare ("All the world is spinning round and round inside my head tonight/I will fall into the darkness and I fear I will never see the light").

The actual recording of the album likewise took a different course. To avoid burnout and keep things fresh, producer John Travis (of Kid Rock and Sugar Ray fame) forewent the usual recording regimen: The musicians worked on a different song each day, depending on what they felt like working on.

Also keeping things interesting in the studio were the guest musicians including keyboard players Roger Manning Jr., Brian Kehew and Jamie Muhoverac. Their distinctive talents can be heard throughout the album, from the new wave flair of "Turn It Up" to the subtle mellotron on "What You See Is What You Get." Steve Ewing of The Urge toasts on "I'm Not Crying for You."

The band split up in 2002.

SAVE FERRIS PICTURES

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SAVE FERRIS BIOGRAPHY