Okay, today got a bit heavy. I love and appreciate everyone who’s still with me, so let’s end this day on something light: one of my favorite Saves the Day videos (live or otherwise), a live 2000 performance of Through Being Cool’s “Holly Hox Forget Me Nots.”
This is video is peak 2000, and peak Saves the Day -- they’re just a bunch of ordinary young men having an absolute blast on stage. It’s notable that Chris Conley is wearing the same shirt here that he wears in the band’s first music video for “Shoulder to the Wheel” (which we’ll talk about a little later in the week), a testament to the band’s lo-fi, keeping it real attitude.
But what I love about this video more than anything is Conley’s dance in the song’s bridge. He’s so confident when he asks “Okay, are you ready? Let’s dance,” but then immediately breaks into this dorky little jig that’s just the most endearing thing I’ve ever seen in my life -- rhythm guitarist Ted Alexander’s shimmy throughout much of the video is on the same level. It’s all just so fun and unpretentious. I never want to underestimate Saves the Day’s skill -- they sound just as good here as they do on the album -- but their ordinariness is something I just love so much about them.
That makes it all the more funny that Saves’ next album, 2001’s Stay What You Are, became their mainstream breakthrough. Saves are no sell-outs, though (and they wouldn’t be even if selling out was a legitimate concept and not just a sham), and never fully seemed comfortable with their success. We’ll cover this tumultuous period -- and the classic albums it produced -- tomorrow.
(Actually, since this is the first video I’ve shown you guys thus far to feature the entire band, let’s take a second to give these boys some credit: by the time Through Being Cool rolled around, Saves the Day featured Chris Conley on vocals, Brian Newman on drums, Dave Soloway on lead guitar, Ted Alexander on rhythm guitar, and Eben D’Amico on bass. This isn’t the band’s founding line-up, but it is probably their most beloved; these five are immortalized on Through Being Cool’s iconic cover, and they’re Saves’ only line-up to ever record two consecutive records without changing. I’m very jealous of anyone who got to see this roster perform in person; y’all know who you are, and you suck.)
