Saosin

Saosin
The remaining four members of Saosin. Chris Sorenson, Justin Shekoski (Top Row) Beau Burchell, Alex Rodriguez (Bottom Row)
Background information
Origin	Newport Beach, California
Genres	Post-hardcore,[1][2] alternative rock,[3][4]
Years active	2003–present
Labels	Death Do Us Part, Capitol, Virgin[5]
Associated acts	Circa Survive, Open Hand, Norma Jean, Patriot, Mormon In the Middle
Website	saosin.com
Members
Beau Burchell Justin Shekoski Chris Sorenson Alex Rodriguez
Past members
Anthony Green Cove Reber Zach Kennedy

Saosin is an American rock band originally hailing from Newport Beach, California. The band was formed in 2003 and recorded its first EP, Translating the Name, that same year with original singer Anthony Green. Green left Saosin following the band's decision to sign with a commercial label, Capitol Records. Vocalist Cove Reber took over as frontman as the band recorded its self titled debut album. Its second studio album, In Search of Solid Ground was released on September 8, 2009 on Virgin and contains three re-recorded tracks off of The Grey EP. The band parted ways with Reber on July 21, 2010 and currently consists of guitarists Beau Burchell and Justin Shekoski, bassist Chris Sorenson, and drummer Alex Rodriguez.

The band has sold 1,362,000 copies worldwide.

Origin of name

Anthony Green, the former vocalist, had initially suggested the name "Saosin" for the band. Saosin means "caution" in Chinese (小心 xiao xin). The word comes from a 15th century proverb about fathers admonishing their sons who are being married off for money to not get emotionally involved with their wives, as they could die at any time. Green explained the meaning behind this as being a reference to the fact that nothing is eternal, and that it is a mistake to become overly attached to any one or thing, because that thing will eventually be lost.^[6] While Green's personal interpretation of the word 小心 xiao xin is obscure, 小心 xiao xin is generally used in Chinese as a means to express caution. Green had previously used "Saosin" as a track name in his high school band, Audience of One's CD, I Remember When This All Meant Something.^[7][8]

History

Formation and Translating the Name (2003–2004)

The original lineup for Saosin, consisting of Burchell, Shekoski, Kennedy and former vocalist Anthony Green, was formed in the summer of 2003.^[9] On June 17, the band released their first commercial production, the EP Translating the Name.^[10] It was an immediate success and was immensely popular on online forums and music sites. Saosin first became popular through promotion and exposure through the Internet. They became known for their distinct musical styles long before their first studio-length album was released, and were popularized on social networking and music sites such as MySpace. The E.P. has sold an estimated 62,000 copies.^[11]

Session drummer Pat McGrath and bassist Zach Kennedy left the band early on. Kennedy left for personal reasons, and he wanted to pursue a career in art.^[6] He was later replaced by Chris Sorenson. McGrath, who briefly played with American thrash metal band Slayer, was hired only for the recording for the EP, according to Burchell. The band was impressed with his drumming skills however,^[12] and he later appeared as a guest performing Lost Symphonies live with the band.^[13] Alex Rodriguez was unable to record Translating the Name as he had promised his band at the time Open Hand he would finish recording with them. Danny King filled in for live drums with the band before Rodriguez completed his responsibilities with Open Hand and joined Saosin full time after the EP release.^[14] Saosin went on a U.S. tour with bands Boys Night Out and Anatomy of a Ghost shortly after the release of Translating the Name.

In February 2004, the band's vocalist Anthony Green left Saosin and later formed the band Circa Survive. Green was homesick, depressed^[15] and said he was missing his family. Green was also disenchanted with the direction of Saosin and disliked that the band excluded him from the writing process.^[15] The band finished their Warped Tour obligations with Story of the Year's Philip Sneed taking the mic. A public, nationwide audition then took place.

New singer and Saosin EP (2004–2006)

After the audition process and several guest vocalists on demos, the then 19-year-old Cove Reber, previously the vocalist of the unsigned local bands Mormon in the Middle and Stamp Out Detroit, was announced as their new permanent lead singer. Reber had sent in his demo tape, which was an acoustic demo with "Mookie's Last Christmas". The demo has since leaked onto the internet. It is widely speculated to have included a few songs from Translating the Name. When Beau Burchell first heard the demo, he thought it was Anthony playing a trick on them, for Reber's vocal stylings were very similar to those of Green's when the demo was originally recorded.

In an interview with PlayPro.com, Reber commented that "everyone I’ve played with wants to make music their lives...Saosin is a band on a completely different level. All these dudes are freaks about music."^[16]

Reber's addition to the band was difficult, for the more experienced Green was the center piece of the band in the eyes of Saosin's fans. Many fans consider the time with Green to be something entirely different from what the band is today. There are still distinct fans of both eras (Green Era/Reber Era) debating on which is a better fit for the band as a whole.

Saosin played the Taste of Chaos tour the following winter. Saosin was signed to Capitol Records in March and toured the United States with the Warped Tour for the second time. That summer, they released the Saosin EP. At first it was intended to be a free sampler, but Capitol Records would not allow this and released it as an EP. It contained demo versions of songs later recorded on their first full length album. A video to their new single "Bury Your Head" was filmed during the tour. The band continued touring for the rest of 2005, opening for Avenged Sevenfold and Coheed and Cambria.

Saosin LP and Come Close (2006–2008)

After a respite from touring between February and June, the Warped Tour 2006 and numerous demos and compilation appearances, Saosin released their first full-length album Saosin on September 26, 2006. The well-known music producer Howard Benson was hired for the production of the album. Benson had worked with several major rock bands such as My Chemical Romance and Blindside.

During the rest of 2006, Saosin toured on the International Taste of Chaos Tour, playing their first shows outside of America. They also toured the United States with Bleeding Through and Senses Fail. They kept on touring for the whole year of 2007, beginning with a tour with Senses Fail, Alexisonfire, The Sleeping and Drop Dead, Gorgeous. Saosin also invited the non-profit organization Invisible Children for a portion of the tour. In February they joined the Taste of Chaos 2007. Between April and June they toured in Europe, Australia, Japan and Indonesia.

When Saosin returned home they continued their headlining tour with Poison the Well, The Receiving End of Sirens, Fiore and Flight 409. In the later summer of 2007, they were part of Linkin Park's Projekt Revolution tour. After this they headlined yet another tour in USA and Canada with Alexisonfire, Envy on the Coast, Norma Jean and The Dear and Departed. Concert footage was recorded during the tour stop on November 3, 2007 at The Theater of Living Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The concert footage was compiled for a live album and concert movie entitled Come Close.

Saosin toured from January 26 to February 8, 2008 with Armor for Sleep, Meriwether, and The Bled; from February 9 to February 16 Fear Before joined the tour. They went to Australia between February and March, after which they performed in Singapore on March 7 as the opening performance for Incubus on their Light Grenades Tour. On their way home they also visited Bali, Hawaii and Mexico. After two final shows at home in California in April, they took a nine month break from touring.

The Grey EP and In Search of Solid Ground (2008–2010)

Saosin returned to touring in October 2008 alongside Underoath and The Devil Wears Prada.

In early 2009, they started recording their new album with producer Butch Walker. They partnered with Hurley to broadcast the recording process live on Hurley's website.^[17]

Saosin released a new EP titled The Grey EP on October 14, 2008. The EP was sold on tour and on iTunes and featured three new demos, as well as an acoustic version of "Come Close".^[18] The purpose of The Grey EP was to show demos they had been recording; a similar manner in which the Saosin EP contained demos for their debut LP.

Saosin released In Search of Solid Ground on September 9, 2009. Two songs were released as a download to anyone who bought a shirt, and a digital pre-order. The songs were "On My Own" and "Is This Real". These two songs were released as singles on iTunes August 4, 2009. On August 5 a new song titled "Changing" was made available for streaming on the internet. The single was then put up for download on iTunes August 11. Another track titled "The Worst of Me" was also released as part of a free Warped Tour song package on hurley.com/warpedtour. The song "Why Can't You See?" was made available on Last.fm.

Their most recent song "Move Slow" was released on the TV show NCIS's original soundtrack. Saosin's most recent single "Deep Down" was released in May 2010.

Saosin will tour Australia nationally during June 2010 in support of Story Of The Year's Australian tour. Also joining Story Of The Year and Saosin will be blessthefall.^[19]

Three unreleased Saosin songs have leaked onto the internet through the Hurley Live Recording Stream they broadcasted while recording In Search of Solid Ground. Fans have titled them "The Norma Jean Song," "Back to Greatness" and the third is still known as "Untitled".

Recently, Saosin stated on Twitter that they have parted ways with Virgin records and are going back into a DIY direction.^[5]

The departure of Cove Reber, replacement rumors and new album (2010-present)

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Saosin with Cove Reber, live on Projekt Revolution Tour, in 2007

On July 21, 2010, guitarist Beau Burchell made the following announcement: "Well, a few days ago, Alex, Justin, Chris and I got back into the studio for our first group writing/jam session. We have all been writing things on our own, but it was cool to get into a room and play with loud amps all together again. I am very excited about this record, for a few different reasons. After 5 years with Cove, we have decided to part ways. So it will be a new experience for us, not knowing what to expect in the vocal dept, who will replace him, or if we will even find a replacement this century."^[20] Reber was asked to leave due to his diminishing stage performance and vocal abilities. According to Justin Shekoski, "We didn't feel he could represent the music that we have recorded well on stage." Justin also commented on the rumors started by a YouTube video suggesting Cove was fired due to "not being like the rest of the band" by saying:

"We kicked cove out of the band because his stage performance and vocal performances were on a downward spiral. We didn’t feel he could represent the Music that we have recorded well on stage. We are not on a record label! Virgin (since that’s the label we were on) didnt have anything to do with the firing, they dropped us before it all went down. We didn’t kick him out because he has long hair or because he doesn’t look like us haha, I have long hair as well. And the part about cove being “clean”? This must be a joke. He was the only member of Saosin that smokes cigarettes, religiously. if that’s not mind altering enough for you mormons, I have smoked the devils Lettace (weed) with him tons of times. oh, Drinking with cove is also fun I must say. I hope none of you judge him for it because it’s his life. Free will. I’m saying this because everyone has their vises [sic] and coves not exempt from that list. Either way you can smoke as much as you want for all I care, just as long as your voice sounds great. the problem is that smoking for him is like me warming up for a show by hitting a brick wall with my bare hands. Listen, all I’m saying is that if you do actualy know cove or the situation, than either you are delusional or you are straight up lying to anyone dumb enough to go on YouTube and actually think you know what you are talking about. Just try to keep it real.Party on Garth, -Justin"^[21]

Cove offered a dignified rebut to Justin's blunt comment:

"In 2003, I fell in love with a band that not only changed the way that I viewed music, but also inspired me to pursue my dreams. In 2004, the members of that very band that I was madly in love with took a giant risk and gave me, the worlds biggest Saosin fan, a shot. I got to play and make music with my heroes. Even now, Justin, Alex, Beau and Chris are living legends in my mind. It’s not very often that you hear someone say that they had the amazing privilege of working with people they so highly admire and respect. But all bands have their problems and we were no exception. It all started with one comment directed towards me. That seemingly small comment completely drained every ounce of confidence I had worked so hard to build up. Not only did it completely catch me off guard, but not one of my heroes stood up for me, let alone acknowledged that the comment made was truly uncalled for. Thinking you’ve let your heroes down in even the smallest way really freaking sucks. I’m sorry if any of you feel ripped off from my live performances- I take that to heart because every night that I get up on stage, I’m doing it for you guys- for the fans who come to our shows and show us support. As far as smoking goes, it’s not something I intentionally hid but it’s definitely not a habit I wanted to broadcast or promote. Let me make this crystal clear, it’s not a cool thing to do. Anyone who says it is “cool” is flat out lying to you. We all have our demons and this is one I struggle with. For a while now, I had been feeling like it was only a matter of time until my end with Saosin was going to come. I’m just glad I got to sing, write, and record songs with my heroes. For those of you who feel like my role in Saosin was a dominant one, for better or for worse, it wasn’t; every decision we made, we made together. Whether you feel like my departure is positive or negative, I really do wish Justin, Beau, Chris and Alex the best of luck and I will always support them in all that they do. Now that that’s off my chest, life has been treating me awesome these days. The passion and love for music I felt I had lost is back, my confidence is growing daily, and I really can’t wait to show you all what I’ve been working on. Thank you all for giving me the wonderful opportunity to live out my dream over the last 6 years. It was one hell of a ride, but I truly believe that the best is yet to come."^[22]

Cove Reber is now planning on opening a new recording studio in Vista, California with his business partner Joey Bradford. On November 2, saosin's facebook page states that they "finished Two NEW Songs, Instrumentals, ones called JUD JUD JUD. Lots of Riffs, Rolls and ROFLCOPTERS. Might put one up in a few days. STOKED! - Beau"^[23]

On November 25, strikegently.com reported that Charles Furney, lead singer of Secret and Whisper, had been recruited to fill Reber's abandoned vocalist spot.^[24] One day later, on November 26, Saosin themselves denied these claims on their Facebook page:

Thanks for the update from strike gently But, unfortunately, we DO NOT have a new singer yet, and its not Chris [sic] from Secret & Whisper. INFORMATION POLLUTION! Stick to the squirt videos, homeboy - SAOSIN^[25]

There has been speculation of Tides of Man vocalist, Tilian Pearson quitting his band to audition for Saosin's vacant position. Tilian states:

"For the record, I didn't quit Tides Of Man. I expressed interest in pursuing the open spot in Saosin to the guys in Tides. The reactions were mixed, and I got kicked out of the band. They didn't want a singer/leader to be in the band with that kind of doubt in his mind. Though I don't like it, I respect their decision. In a more perfect world I would have had full trust and support from my friends in Tides and would've been able to pursue the open spot in Saosin, and possibly stay in both bands (this all would depend on whether it even worked out with Saosin in the first place). As of now, I have never even met a member of Saosin. We got connected up months ago from a member of Oh, Sleeper. I have recorded a demo and, so far, a couple of the guys said they loved it and that it has potential. I didn't hear from the other two. They could hate it for all I know or could be completely indifferent. From what I have gathered each member has a totally different opinion regarding me so far. I am meeting up with all of them in January and we will see how it goes from there. I think it could potentially turn into something amazing, or it could turn into nothing. The future is completely uncertain for me, but it is ****** exciting and I am grateful for the position I am in. All I can say is nothing is going to stop me, and I am confident that, if necessary, I will be able to start with absolutely nothing to create a brand new project that will blow away anything I have been a part of in the past."

Justin Shekoski has also confirmed the speculation and clarified by saying:

"Here's the truth, since I can't stand rumors. Tilian has been hitting us up. A lot. It looks like he wants the job pretty badly if he would quit his band. BUT....the REALITY is we haven't even met the guy in person. Everybody is talking about step #54 (joining the band). When we haven't even taken care of step #2 (actually meeting). The next thing on the To-Do list is rehearsing songs that we have already released. We will record the session. Which is a great test for a singer just because of the pressure factor. Also it's a great way for us to hear what he sounds like in a "band" setting. We've done this with everyone that we have considered for the position. January is the set time for step #2. Wish us luck, We are going to need it."^[26]

A new demo has been leaked on the internet and there is speculation that it is Tilian with the rest of the band. In an interview with MindEqualsBlown.net, Tilian revealed that the leaked demo is a track Saosin bassist Chris Sorenson had been working on that Tilian was asked to provide vocals on.^[27]

According to Justin Shekoski, they will be releasing new material and the band hopes to record a new album or EP this year.

On May 10, 2011, Saosin released a demo titled, "Promises" with Tilian Pearson.

In a recent interview with Alternative Press, Tilian gave an update on his status with Saosin, and cleared up the rumor of him being an official Saosin member:

"That's not true. I don't avoid the subject. It's also not true that I sought them out persistently. We were hooked up by a mutual friend and they sent me a demo. Then they came to watch a Tides Of Man show and said they loved it and would love to hear me on the demo. I recorded it in December (Promises). Afterward they told me they would love to do an album with me and wanted to meet up. Obviously I was pretty stoked on it and told them I would love that. I had been talking to mainly Beau and Alex. When the Tides of Man split happened, rumors started spreading that I was already "in the band". This pissed Justin off, who I had never really talked to, and he posted a pretty negative statement about me. That day I got apologies from the rest of the band members and assurances that they were optimistic something was going to come of it. I went to California in January. We did a couple of rehearsals and recorded another demo. When I went home they asked me to record another demo, so I did and sent it to them. After that they basically said, "We know that this sounds vague, but we want to do an album with you." That has been the agreement since. I am not an official member of the band, but we are officially doing an album with me on vocals and will see where it goes from there. Later Chris sent me the instrumentals for an idea he had (the first demo that leaked). I did rough vocals on it and quickly sent it to them before it was done because I had to leave home to do a few Emarosa dates. About a month ago I visited them again to jam out some song ideas. While I was having lunch with Beau and Alex, Beau suggested that I start another project to keep me busy while they prepare to write the third Saosin album. I had talked about this with Chris a few weeks before as well. They mentioned that it would be unfair of them to have me sit around and wait for them at this point in my life, when I could be putting the energy in another project. Obviously I was stoked to hear that. As it sits now, I am committed to doing an album with Saosin, and I will fulfill that obligation. I have started up with Archives and will put my energy toward its success. I also think I have some sort of contractual obligation with Rise Records. I had previously planned to do a solo album with them. I have a good amount of material written for it, but I have doubts about Rise's confidence that it will sell a lot of copies right now. And to answer your other question, I have always been a fan of Saosin and love their music. I wouldn't say I held TTN as a bible, but I love Saosin's music, and I am beyond excited to work with them."^[28]

There have not been any further announcements of Tilian doing a record with Saosin, nor have there been announcements of Tilian being added as an official member.

Band members

Current members Beau Burchell - rhythm guitar (since 2003); lead vocals (touring, 2010-2011) Justin Shekoski - lead guitar, backing vocals (since 2003) Chris Sorenson - bass, keyboards, backing vocals (since 2003) Alex Rodriguez - drums (since 2003) Former members Anthony Green – lead vocals (2003–2004) Cove Reber – lead vocals (2004–2010)[29] Zach Kennedy – bass (2003) Pat McGrath – drums (2003)

Touring members Philip Sneed – lead vocals (2004) Ken Floyd – rhythm guitar (2010)[30]

Discography

Main article: Saosin discography

Studio albums

• Saosin (2006)
• In Search of Solid Ground (2009)

References

1. ^ "Saosin Album "Saosin" Review; Rolling Stones". http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/11571397/review/12053878?utm_source=Rhapsody&utm_medium=CDreview. Retrieved 2008. 
2. ^ "Album Stream: Saosin – ‘Come Close’ | tunelab". Tunelabmusic.com. http://www.tunelabmusic.com/2008/03/10/album-stream-saosin-come-close/. Retrieved 2011-10-26. 
3. ^ http://wherethelinesoverlap.com/Images/saosin%20article.pdf
4. ^ US. "SAOSIN | Gratis muziek, tourneedata, foto's, video's". Myspace.com. http://www.myspace.com/saosin. Retrieved 2011-10-26. 
5. ^ ^{a b} "Saosin back unsigned". http://twitter.com/Saosin/status/13409233575. 
6. ^ ^{a b} Samantha Klingman. "Saosin FAQ". Saosin.com. http://www.saosin.forumsunlimited.com/index.php?showtopic=12111. Retrieved 27 August 2006. 
7. ^ Corey Apar. "Saosin biography". Allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p579297. Retrieved 21 May 2008. 
8. ^ "Audience of One; Anthony Green's high school band". Punknews.org. http://www.punknews.org/review/3619. Retrieved 21 May 2008. 
9. ^ "Saosin - Band History". http://www.plu.edu/~maykb/. Retrieved 21 May 2008. 
10. ^ Andrew Martin. "Saosin: Translating the Name". Emotionalpunk.com. http://www.emotionalpunk.com/cdreview/222/. Retrieved 21 May 2008. ^{[dead link]}
11. ^ "Saosin -- band profile". Absolutepunk.com. http://www.absolutepunk.net/artists/showlink.php?do=showdetails&l=2426. Retrieved 21 May 2008. 
12. ^ "Saosin biography". http://artists.letssingit.com/saosin-mxth4/biography. Retrieved 7 July 2010. 
13. ^ "Pat McGrath performs Lost Symphonies live with Saosin". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOHpgK32UAo. Retrieved 7 July 2010. 
14. ^ "Saosin Bio". Nipp.com. http://www.nipp.com/artists/detail/saosin. Retrieved 21 May 2008. 
15. ^ ^{a b} "Interview with Anthony Green @ Punkbands.com". http://www.punkbands.com/interviews/226/. Retrieved 7 July 2010. 
16. ^ "PlayPro.com". New Singer Interview - Cove Reber (Saosin). http://www.playpro.com/?p=997. Retrieved 5 July 2011. 
17. ^ "Saosin webcam at Hurley Studios". http://www.hurley.com/saosin/. 
18. ^ DeAndrea, Joe (2008-09-15). "Saosin: The Grey EP". absolutepunk.net. http://absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=547921. Retrieved 2008-09-15. 
19. ^ "Happy Easter...". Facebook. 2010-04-01. http://www.facebook.com/soundwavetouring?v=feed&story_fbid=114261498587841&ref=mf. Retrieved 2011-10-26. 
20. ^ Reid, Sean (2009-08-20). "Cove Reber Leaves Saosin". Alter The Press!. http://www.alterthepress.com/2010/07/cove-reber-leaves-saosin.html. Retrieved 2011-10-26. 
21. ^ "It’s not easy being Cove Reber. @ Linescratchers". Linescratchers.com. 2011-02-21. http://www.linescratchers.com/?p=1663. Retrieved 2011-10-26. 
22. ^ Reid, Sean (2009-08-20). "Cove Reber Addresses Saosin Departure". Alter The Press!. http://www.alterthepress.com/2010/08/cove-reber-addresses-saosin-departure.html. Retrieved 2011-10-26. 
23. ^ Shotwell, James (August 12, 2010). "Saosin speak about kicking out Cove". Alternative Press. http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/saosin_speak_about_kicking_out_cove/. Retrieved August 12, 2010. 
24. ^ "Saosin Select New Lead Singer". Strike Gently. http://strikegently.com/2010/11/25/saosin-select-new-lead-singer/. Retrieved 2011-10-26. 
25. ^ "Thanks for the...". Facebook. 2010-11-26. http://www.facebook.com/saosin/posts/151104101602911. Retrieved 2011-10-26. 
26. ^ Reid, Sean (2009-08-20). "Tilian Pearson Comments on Tides of Men Departure and Interest In Joining Saosin". Alter The Press!. http://www.alterthepress.com/2010/12/tilian-pearson-comments-on-tides-of-men.html. Retrieved 2011-10-26. 
27. ^ "MEB Interview: Tilian Pearson". Mind Equals Blown. http://mindequalsblown.net/2011/03/interview-tilian-pearson-emarosa-saosin-leak-demo/. Retrieved 2011-10-26. 
28. ^ Reid, Sean (2009-08-20). "Tilian Pearson Comments on Work with Saosin and New Project". Alter The Press!. http://www.alterthepress.com/2011/06/tilian-pearson-comments-on-work-with.html. Retrieved 2011-10-26. 
29. ^ Heisel, Scott (July 21, 2010). "Cove Reber out of Saosin". Alternative Press. http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/cove_reber_out_of_saosin/. Retrieved July 21, 2010. 
30. ^ "Ken Floyd of Saosin | Flickr - Photo Sharing!". Flickr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/earplugsrequired/4425520127/. Retrieved 2011-10-26. 

External links

• Official website
• Interview of Saosin by PlayPro.com
• Saosin on Myspace