By Elissa Banfill/reporter
A new sound in the local music scene is on the rise.
Not just a typical garage band, Savor the Sky has a new flavor of music called ice cream pop rock.
These six funny guys have different genres of music under their belts, but they are quite serious when it comes down to making music.
The band is composed of six dedicated members, three of whom are students on NE Campus: lead guitarist James Ivey, guitarist Jon Leggit and drummer Matt Haight. The other three members are keyboardist Shane Hyatt, bassist Ian Thortan and vocalist Cris Marshall.
“It all started as a side project for Shane and me,” Ivey said. “About a year ago, we just started writing music together.”
Band names and the way they started always create buzz in the band world.
After all, people may end up seeing it on shirts, billboards, the Internet and any place else imaginable. Ivey said he was the creator of this group’s name.
“I was eating lunch one day, and I just looked up to the sky and thought about people who had to stare at the sky as their career. And then I thought, ‘Savor the Sky,’” he said.
It wasn’t until recently that Ivey and Hyatt asked the other members to step in and play with them as a group.
The two said they tried once before to form a group, but the sound and the heart just weren’t there.
With ambitious intentions, the two decided two months ago a band was worth another shot and started serious rehearsals with the other members.
Now, realizing their sound is special and having a bigger passion about the music, the guys have begun taking their music to heart.
For this band, that means school may take a back seat if the music takes off.
“ College is something you can always take,” Leggit said, and Ivey agrees.
“If we got a break,” he said, “I wouldn’t think twice about missing school.”
Coming from different backgrounds of music, the group decided to mix the sounds to come up with something unique, which they describe as poppy but edgy.
Their influences range from Motion City Soundtrack and Blink 182 to Hanson and Seether.
The bass pops along with the beat of the drums as the keyboardist leads somewhat of a twingy vibe between the jumpy guitar solos.
This is followed by vocals that complement the dance-friendly music.
Bands all have different ways of writing music—STS builds songs off a melody it likes and then structures it.
Ian compares the process to building a roller coaster.
“Well, we know we want some loops in it, and we want some curves. So we get those going and set them aside, and then we just start piecing it all together,” he said.
Everyone in the band is more willing to collaborate, too, instead of having one front man with the say-so, Thortan said.
“Being in other (bands), it was much harder, and people were more stubborn. Everyone in this one is more willing to work,” he said.
STS hopes to make it with its music, but more importantly the group hopes to bring positive, uplifting music everyone can enjoy.
“And, I just want all of us to be happy,” Ivey added.
Don’t anticipate seeing Savor the Sky at your local venues just yet.
STS is working on a full-length CD, which is not very common among new bands in the music scene.
Typically, most newbies work on an EP to get the sound out and get fans interested. But STS has big plans for its music and future fans.
“Everyone who listens to it loves it,” Leggit said.
As for shows, the band members expect to start booking gigs beginning in January. They also hope to put the CD out around the same time they start performing.
For a sample of Savor the Sky’s music, visit the band’s MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/savorthesky.
