Save Ferris is an American
ska punk
Ska punk (also spelled ska-punk) is a fusion genre that mixes ska music and punk rock music together. (sometimes spelled skacore) is a subgenre of ska punk that mixes ska with hardcore punk. Early ska punk mixed both 2 tone and ska with hard ...
band formed circa 1995 in
Orange County, California
Orange County is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,186,989, making it the third-most-populous county in California, the sixth-most-populous in the United States ...
, United States.
Their name is a reference to the 1986 film ''
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
''Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' is a 1986 American teen comedy film written, co-produced, and directed by John Hughes and co-produced by Tom Jacobson. The film stars Matthew Broderick, Mia Sara, and Alan Ruck with supporting roles by Jennifer G ...
''. In 1995, the band began to perform underground venues in Southern California. In 1996, the band won a
Grammy
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
showcase award for best unsigned band and a contract with
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was founded predominantly as a jazz and classical mu ...
. Their album ''
It Means Everything
''It Means Everything'' is the first album by Save Ferris
Save Ferris is an American ska punk band formed circa 1995 in Orange County, California, United States. Their name is a reference to the 1986 film ''Ferris Bueller's Day Off''. In 1995 ...
'' from 1997 was their first full-length album. By 1999, the band moved from ska-pop into pop-punk. After a hiatus, in 2017, Save Ferris released the ''
Checkered Past'' EP.
The band is best remembered for their 1997 cover of "
Come On Eileen
"Come On Eileen" is a song by the English group Dexys Midnight Runners (credited to Dexys Midnight Runners and the Emerald Express), released in the United Kingdom in June 1982 as a single from their second studio album '' Too-Rye-Ay''. It reach ...
", originally by the British new wave band
Dexys Midnight Runners
Dexys Midnight Runners (currently officially Dexys, their former nickname, styled without an apostrophe) are an English pop rock band from Birmingham, with soul influences, who achieved major commercial success in the early to mid-1980s. They a ...
.
History
1995–1996: Early years and ''Introducing Save Ferris'' EP
The band came together after the dissolution of a number of Orange County, California bands. With the band working together under their own “Starpool” label, they began to book shows around Southern California to a great underground response.
The band released their debut EP ''
Introducing Save Ferris'' on their own label, Starpool Records in 1996, and ended up selling close to 20,000 copies of their EP “out of the trunks of their cars.” That year, Monique Powell provided vocals on the
Reel Big Fish
Reel Big Fish is an American ska punk band from Orange County, California. The band gained mainstream recognition in the mid-to-late 1990s during the third wave of ska with the release of the gold-certified album '' Turn the Radio Off''. Soon ...
song "
She Has A Girlfriend Now" from their album ''Turn the Radio Off'' (Mojo), which is considered one of RBF’s most requested songs to date.
Riding a wave of support from fans all over Southern California, Save Ferris became favorites of
KROQ
KROQ-FM (106.7 Hertz, MHz) is a commercial Radio broadcasting, radio station licensed to Pasadena, California, serving Greater Los Angeles. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an alternative rock format known as "The World Famous KROQ" (pronou ...
radio’s legendary “Rodney on the Rock”, which resulted in regular airplay on LA’s world-famous KROQ radio station, possibly being the first unsigned band to do this in LA alternative radio history. Later that year, the
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
The Recording Academy (formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; abbreviated NARAS) is an American learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is famous for its Grammy Aw ...
gave the band a
Grammy
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
showcase award for best-unsigned band, earning them a recording contract with
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was founded predominantly as a jazz and classical mu ...
(
SONY
, commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...
).
1997: ''It Means Everything'' and mainstream success
The band released their debut full-length album, ''
It Means Everything
''It Means Everything'' is the first album by Save Ferris
Save Ferris is an American ska punk band formed circa 1995 in Orange County, California, United States. Their name is a reference to the 1986 film ''Ferris Bueller's Day Off''. In 1995 ...
'', for Epic in 1997. The album featured several re-recorded tracks from the EP, some new songs, and a cover of
Dexys Midnight Runners
Dexys Midnight Runners (currently officially Dexys, their former nickname, styled without an apostrophe) are an English pop rock band from Birmingham, with soul influences, who achieved major commercial success in the early to mid-1980s. They a ...
' "
Come On Eileen
"Come On Eileen" is a song by the English group Dexys Midnight Runners (credited to Dexys Midnight Runners and the Emerald Express), released in the United Kingdom in June 1982 as a single from their second studio album '' Too-Rye-Ay''. It reach ...
",
which became the band’s most successful single to date. ''It Means Everything'' also featured the single "The World is New," which was featured in the film ''
The Big Hit'' starring
Mark Wahlberg
Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (born June 5, 1971), former stage name Marky Mark, is an American actor, businessman, and former rapper. He has received multiple accolades, including a BAFTA Award, and nominations for two Academy Awards, thre ...
, and was later featured in the trailers for ''
Senseless
''Senseless'' is a 1998 American buddy comedy science fiction film directed by Penelope Spheeris and written by Greg Erb and Craig Mazin. The film stars Marlon Wayans, David Spade, and Matthew Lillard as college students.
Plot
Darryl Wither ...
'' and ''
Thomas and the Magic Railroad
''Thomas and the Magic Railroad'' is a 2000 children's fantasy adventure film written and directed by Britt Allcroft and produced by Allcroft and Phil Fehrle. It is the only theatrical live-action/animated ''Thomas & Friends'' film in the fra ...
'', as well as an episode of the TV series ''
7th Heaven''.
Save Ferris toured extensively in support of ''It Means Everything'', opening for bands such as
Sugar Ray
Sugar Ray is an American rock band formed in Newport Beach, California, in 1986. Originally playing heavier funk metal and nu metal style music, the band achieved mainstream popularity in 1997 with their more pop-influenced single " Fly". Th ...
,
The Offspring
The Offspring is an American rock band from Garden Grove, California, formed in 1984. Originally formed under the name Manic Subsidal, the band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Bryan "Dexter" Holland, lead guit ...
,
Goldfinger, and
Reel Big Fish
Reel Big Fish is an American ska punk band from Orange County, California. The band gained mainstream recognition in the mid-to-late 1990s during the third wave of ska with the release of the gold-certified album '' Turn the Radio Off''. Soon ...
and two mainstage spots on the
Vans Warped Tour
The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running tourin ...
in 1998 and 2000. In April 1998, they made their television debut on
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television, premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office busi ...
's music series ''
Reverb
Reverberation (also known as reverb), in acoustics, is a persistence of sound, after a sound is produced. Reverberation is created when a sound or signal is reflected causing numerous reflections to build up and then decay as the sound is abso ...
'' and made an on-screen appearance in the teen film, ''
10 Things I Hate About You
''10 Things I Hate About You'' is a 1999 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Gil Junger and starring Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Larisa Oleynik. The screenplay, written by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirs ...
''. The album sold over 400,000 copies, and spawned three Top Ten hits in both
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
and
Mexico
Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Gua ...
. With two singles in the
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
top 100 and full rotation on alternative radio all over the world, ''It Means Everything'' was able to go Platinum internationally.
1998–1999: ''Modified'' era
After the departure of the band’s first drummer, Marc Harismendy, in 1998, Save Ferris regrouped and released their appropriately titled sophomore album for Epic records, ''
Modified'', in October 1999. The album saw the band moving away from their ska-pop roots and into pop-punk territory. The album also spawned three Top Ten hits in both
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
and
Mexico
Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Gua ...
. The song "The Only Way to Be" was used in 2000 film
Scary Movie
''Scary Movie'' is a 2000 American slasher parody film directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans and written by Marlon and Shawn Wayans (who both also star), alongside Buddy Johnson, Phil Beauman, Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer. Starring Anna Far ...
.
Save Ferris supported Modified on tour throughout the next several years including a trek with
Lit in the U.S. and a headlining tour of the UK.
2000–2003: Hiatus, and ''For the Fans'' tour
The band performed at the
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 ( arp, Niico'ooowu' 2002; Gosiute dialect, Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; nv, Sooléí 2002; Shoshoni language, Shoshoni: ''Soó ...
between the qualifiers and the finals of the
Men's Halfpipe at the competition venue in Park City.
Through the years, Save Ferris went through a number of changes in their lineup, most notably the departure of Brian Mashburn, the band’s main songwriter, who quit Save Ferris in 2002. Soon to follow Mashburn were Eric Zamora and Bill Uechi, departing to start a new band. Save Ferris announced their break up in October 2002.
Soon after the departure of Mashburn, Powell self-financed what she called the "For the Fans" Save Ferris US tour in 2003, which included a mainstage performance at Ska Summit in Las Vegas for over 10,000 fans.
2004–2012: Post-breakup
From 2004 to 2008, Powell appeared on albums by
The Used,
Lostprophets
Lostprophets (stylised as lostprophets) were a Welsh rock band from Pontypridd, formed in 1997 by singer and lyricist Ian Watkins and guitarist Lee Gaze. The band was founded after their former band Fleshbind broke up. They later recruited Mi ...
,
Hilary Duff
Hilary Erhard Duff (born September 28, 1987) is an American actress and singer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including seven Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, four Teen Choice Awards and two Young Artist Awards. She began her acti ...
,
Goldfinger and others. She also started a now defunct band called The Mojo Wire in 2008, and toured in the LA area.
In 2003, Bill Uechi, Brian Mashburn, T-Bone Willy, Eric Zamora, and Oliver Zavala started the band
Starpool with Alan Meade original member of No Doubt on vocals and Phil Hanson on drums.
2013–present: Revival
Save Ferris, now led by Powell, went on indefinite hiatus from 2003 until the spring of 2013, in which Powell once again regrouped and headlined the
Pacific Amphitheatre in Orange County, CA to a sold out audience of over 7,000 fans, and another sold out show at the
El Rey theater in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
.
The Pacific Amphitheatre performance resulted in a lawsuit being filed by the former members over of the band's name. The lawsuit stated that Powell never contacted or invited her former bandmates to perform at the show, although she stated this wasn't the case. Powell responded with her own countersuit in 2015. Ultimately, Powell won the rights to the band’s name, brand and social-media pages. Powell was also awarded writing credits on several songs she had previously not been credited on. In October 2015, a message indicating that the lawsuits between the members has been amicably resolved was posted to the band's official website although the message has since been removed.
Also in 2015,
ASCAP
The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...
songwriting records were updated to represent Powell as co-writer on a number of Save Ferris songs not previously represented in the liner notes of the albums.
In 2016, Save Ferris ran a successful
Pledge Music
PledgeMusic was an online direct-to-fan music platform, launched in August 2009. It was started to facilitate musicians looking to pre-sell, market, and distribute projects; such as recordings and concerts. It bore similarities to other artist p ...
campaign to raise money for what would be the first new album in over 15 years. Their financial goal was hit in only a couple of weeks, fully funded by their fans. They co-headlined
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley ...
Ska Fest 2016 with the
Mighty Mighty Bosstones
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (informally referred to as The Bosstones and often stylized as The Mighty Mighty BossToneS) were an American ska punk band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1983. From the band's inception, lead vocalist Dicky ...
.
On February 10, 2017, Save Ferris released the ''
Checkered Past'' EP, their first release in 18 years. The EP was produced by
Oingo Boingo
Oingo Boingo () was an American new wave band formed by songwriter Danny Elfman in 1979. The band emerged from a surrealist musical theatre troupe, The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, that Elfman had led and written material for in the ye ...
bassist
John Avila and features a guest appearance by
Neville Staple
Neville Eugenton Staple (born 11 April 1955), sometimes credited as Neville Staples, is a Jamaican-born English singer, known for his work with the 2 Tone ska band the Specials, as well as with his own group, the Neville Staple Band. He also p ...
of
The Specials
The Specials, also known as The Special AKA, are an English 2 tone and ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry. After some early changes, the first stable lineup of the group consisted of Terry Hall and Neville Staple on vocals, Lynv ...
on the EP's first single, "New Sound". The band toured the album in 2017, and took part in the US Warped Tour during the summer of 2017.
Lineup
; Current
* Monique Powell – lead vocals (1995–2003, 2013–present), keyboards (1995–2003)
* Brandon Dickert — drums (2015–present)
* Justin Linn - guitars, vocals (2018-present)
* Alex Csillag – trombone and keyboards (2017–present)
* Max O'Leary – trumpet (2017–present)
* Nate Light – bass and backing vocals (2018–present)
; Past
* Adrienne Nolff - co-lead vocals (1995–1996)
* Bill Uechi – bass (1995–2002)
* Eric Zamora – alto and tenor saxophone (1995–2002)
* Brian Mashburn – guitar and backing vocals (1995–2002)
* Jesse Tunnell – trombone (1995–1996)
* T-Bone Willy – trombone (1996–2002)
* José Castellaños – trumpet (1995–2000)
* Oliver Zavala – trumpet & backing vocals (2000–02)
* Adam Plost - Guitar (2000)
* Steve White – trumpet (2002)
* Steve Cordero – drums (1995)
* Marc Harismendy – drums (1995–98)
* Evan Kilbourne – drums (1998–2002)
* Denny Weston Jr. — drums (2013–2015)
* Joe Berry — saxophone, additional guitar and backing vocals (2013–2015)
* Gordon Bash — bass and backing vocals (2013–2017), trumpet (2013–2015)
* Patrick Ferguson — guitar (2013–2017)
* Erik Hughes — trombone (2013–2016)
* Alex Burke — keyboards (2013–2016)
* Scott Jones — trumpet (2015)
* Connor McElwain — trumpet (2015–2017)
* Richard Velzen – trombone (2016–2017)
* Jonathan Levi Shanes – keyboards (2016–2017)
* Alexander Mathias — saxophone (2016–2017)
* Jesse Stern – bass and backing vocals (2017–2018)
Timeline
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bar:Light text:"Nate Light"
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Discography
Albums
EPs
Singles
Other appearances
The following Save Ferris songs were released on compilation albums and soundtracks. This is not an exhaustive list; songs that were first released on the band's albums and EPs are not included.
References
{{Authority control
American ska punk musical groups
Musical groups from Orange County, California
Third-wave ska groups
Musical groups established in 1995
Musical groups disestablished in 2003
Musical groups reestablished in 2013
Columbia Records artists
Epic Records artists
Orange County School of the Arts alumni