Saves the Day and Piebald talk-Bandmates from two bands open up to talk about what’s realBy Sonia SaenzOnline Editor

In the dressing room of local venue Chain Reaction (located in Anaheim), there is an average green beat up couch. All around, average guys are munching on snacks that have been provided for them. They aren’t dressed to kill, just t -shirts, jeans and sneakers. One person yells out “hey man, are we just going back to the hotel or what?” In this average setting, in what seems an average night, stand the exceptional musicians of well-known bands Saves the Day and Piebald. “Music is great. You just take a guitar and a piano and listen to the people who came before you and that’s inspiration,” says lead singer Travis Shettel from Piebald, ” If you just close your eyes, music triggers things that you never knew it would.”Piebald’s Shettel is as humble as they come. And this band who have all known each other since high school, are as humble as they get. At shows, they shout out to watchers and talk to fans as though they are someone they have always known. For Saves the Day, who have received much more recognition for their heartbreaking and sometimes gory lyrics, music is like food for them. Necessary.Eben D’Amico has played bass for Saves the Day since the beginning. He carries the typical sullen rockstar look. Yet once he begins to talk, his hunger for music is apparent. But perhaps the question on every aspiring musician’s mind is how did they get to where they are now?”Music is a very dicey business,” D’Amico explains, “I think you need to have a good head on your shoulders. Honestly, I think it’s about 5 percent talent, 5 percent commitment and about ninety percent luck. For us it was just being in the right place at the right time. We are very blessed.”Shettel on the other hand has another idea in mind for those in quest of a career in music. “Just keep doing it, keep writing. Eventually, it all gets better.” He also questions what people feel is “really making it.” He says for them (Piebald) they just “have a great time doing it.”One thing that has come unto the music world lately is the term “Emo.” For those involved in the underground Indie scene, this word is not foreign. It is commonly used as description of any kind of emotional music. Other artists such as Dashboard Confessional, The Get Up Kids, and yes, Saves the Day and Piebald have been sorted into the category. But is it adequate? Shettel says that being labeled Indie is great. While he agrees that there are different ways of defining Indie Rock, the term Emo is bad. He isn’t the only one to feel this way. Many bands past and present have thought the term to be ignorant. “All music is emotional, what kind of music doesn’t involve emotions? Things have just gotten so warped over the years that people have started to put things into categories,” Shettel said. “I don’t like labels in general,” D’Amico says with a smirk, “I think it devalues music a lot. And it’s hit a lot of bands harshly.”Speaking of good music, the music in these guys Ipods isn’t too shabby either. Shettel listens to The Who, Muddy Waters, Spoon and The Rolling Stones. Chris Conley, lead singer for Saves the Day is currently listening to Howlin’ Wolf’s Moanin’ in The Moonlight, old reggae, Elliot Smith and “lots of Neil Young.”Conley is a mystery to all of his fans. And once one meets him and observes his quiet demeanor, it’s puzzling to figure out where his sometimes violent lyrics come from. (“…To nail you on a wall/and use bottles to catch your blood/ and display you for the neighbors so they know your time had come…And I drink your blood and feel it dripping down my throat as it heads for my heart”- Stay What you Are). Despite all of this, he is polite and smiles a lot and admits that his music is an obsession. “It’s like a fixation. Something that I have no control over. I have to do this. I have to, even if I wasn’t paid for it I would,” Conley says. So how do these guys deal with “stardom?” “I’ve gotten used to it,” Conley says, “it’s hard but manageable.” It’s just like having a regular job. Just like anyone else, these guys go to work and then come home. But with a twist. These guys go to work and come home six months later. This is how Conley describes being a musician. And just because they spend most of their time on tour doesn’t mean they are any less informed than we are. They’ve got strong positions and ideas about how they feel about the possible war with Iraq. And when questioned about it, they show the same exasperation that we share. “I think that,” Conley hesitates. He thinks for a moment before continuing. “I think that there are many things our country does, that would upset any human being if we knew it was happening” Conley says. “Decisions are made with others in mind, and now its just one big competition. I think it’s a scam,” he adds, “and there are some unsaid motives at work.”As for D’Amico, all he has to say is “I think it’s scary and if I’m called to war, I’m going straight to Canada.”When most celebrities are asked what they can’t live without, you get answers like money, cars, and “crystal”. But when asked what Shettel could not live without, he plainly says, “a roof over my head, and my bike.” Average guys, average everyday thoughts. But to many throughout the United States, and various countries, the music that Piebald and Saves The Day create is not merely average. It’s inconceivable.