New Artist Monday: Say Anything
Alright, kids, welcome to the first entry of my brand-new blog, with the first ever band that I get to feature! Time for the stats…
- Name of band: Say Anything
- Sound: Think rock-and-roll with a sarcastic edge. Almost verging on the mainstream emo-pop scene, but with the cussing, crossing-the-line lyrics, and blatant irony, they are kept more safely secured in an underground feel, regardless of existing or future success, which is very cool and hard to establish.
- Location: Los Angeles, California
- Website: www.sayanythingmusic.com
- Band Members:
- Max Bemis - Vocals
- Coby Linder - Drums
- Alex Kent - Bass
- Jake Turner - Guitar, Vocals
- Jeff Turner - Guitar, Vocals
- Parker Case - Keyboard, Guitar, Vocals
- You May Remember Them From Such Songs As…: “Wow, I Can Get Sexual, Too” or “Alive With The Glory of Love.” Both have been featured as music videos on MTV, a.k.a. the big time for all preteens and young adults nationwide.
If Lloyd Dobler had a double, lived in present day, and went on to form a band, Max Bemis would definitely be that double. Bemis is the lead singer of the aptly-named “Say Anything,” a relatively new band hailing from Los Angeles, California. The band started with Bemis and Linder, and after several comings and goings of different band members, the stars aligned to create the magic combination that came out with their first and only album thus far, “…Is a Real Boy.” The success of the band has been unusual, to say the least. Some videos have been featured on MTV, and the songs have been released on radio stations, but the band seems to still be relatively under the radar of the mainstream. According to Bemis, this was done intentionally. From their official website, Bemis’ words read:
Being fresh faced teenagers, as well as the fact that we were playing with bands like the Promise Ring (and, like, Rooney) it wasn’t a surprise that all these big scary labels saw us as a safe bet and tried to get us to sell our souls to them. They also told us we could be the next Blink182 if we gave them our first-born children and agreed to do whatever the wanted. That didn’t sound so hot so we chose to be totally ‘underground’ and sign to Doghouse Records.
In my opinion, this business decision has served them quite well. The MTV set can feel like they know the band for those few songs, and the more elitist fans can feel smug in knowing they are familiar with every song on their 2-CD album, which definitely contains some hidden gems. While the music itself can sound quite mainstream and basic, it’s the lyrics that set these guys apart from others who may be normally associated with them. They could be mistaken for emo when they have songs that mention “eating rat poison for dinner,” (”The Futile”), but there’s something in the way Bemis sings that you know not to take it so seriously.
This tone has probably been reworked and thought over most by Bemis himself. Say Anything could definitely be mistaken for another whiny band with emo-like lyrics, unless you listen to both the sound and the words in tandem. After that, something wonderful happens. Everything comes across with such earnesty, heartbreak, but all with a sense of humor. Say Anything definitely could be destined for greatness, and I agree completely with Bemis when he said, “…hidden deep in the recesses of my mind, I had hidden the notion that I could do something incredible and different, that I could be somebody like Warhol, or Jesus.”
Well, maybe not Jesus, but “[he’s] only human with [his] cross to bear.” (”Wow, I Can Get Sexual Too”) There’s something so relatable to everything that Bemis sings about. It’s all about heartbreak, questioning your importance in life, growing up, stuff like that. It’s hard to not fall in love with music that is so utterly human down to the most basic element.
I’ll end this segment of New Artist Monday with the quote that sold me on the fact that Bemis is in fact Lloyd Dobler in living form:
There’s so much hope for my future yet so much potential for me to become a) a coked up diva b) a bitter, penniless hack c) a cab driver. I don’t really care either way because there is that small chance I’ll get what I want; to be someone to relate to for anyone who is as alienated, awkward, spastic and passionate as me.
And that’s all we really want as listeners, when it comes down to it. Just as a P.S., if you haven’t watched the movie Say Anything, you really need to. John Cusack plays a fantastic teenage catastophe.
Photo source: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/117/297662084_d0d12d8039.jpg?v=0
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