Save Ferris
Encyclopedia
Save Ferris was a ska punk
band formed circa 1995 in Orange County
, California
. Their name is a reference to the 1986 film Ferris Bueller's Day Off
.
trombonist Brian "T-Bone Willy" Williams, and drummer Marc Harismendy to form the original Save Ferris.
Financed by Uechi and Mashburn's families, as well as Powell's sister, the band released their debut EP Introducing Save Ferris
on Starpool Records in 1996. Later that year, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
gave the band a Grammy showcase award for best unsigned band, earning them a recording contract with Epic Records
. The band released their debut full length for the label in 1997. It Means Everything
featured several re-recorded tracks from the EP, several new songs, and a cover of Dexys Midnight Runners
' "Come on Eileen
," which the band released as a single. The band also released "The World is New" as a single which was featured in the film The Big Hit
as well as being used in Tara Lipinski
's program as a professional skater in the 1998 Skate TV Championships. The album charted on the Billboard Top 200 at number 75 that year.
The band toured extensively in support of the album, opening for bands such as Sugar Ray
, The Offspring
, and Reel Big Fish
, and Powell also provided vocals on the Reel Big Fish song "She Has A Girlfriend Now." In April 1998, they made their television debut on HBO's music series Reverb
and made an on-screen appearance in the film 10 Things I Hate About You
. The album proved to be a moderate success in the United States, selling over 400,000 copies, and spawned three Top Ten hits in both Japan
and Mexico
.
Winter 1998 saw the departure of drummer Marc Harismendy. Evan Kilbourne joined shortly thereafter, and the band began writing their follow-up to It Means Everything. The appropriately-titled Modified
was released in October 1999, approximately one year later and charted at number 136 in the Billboard top 200 that year. The album saw the band moving away from their ska-punk roots and into pop-rock territory. The band toured with fewer ska-punk and pop-punk bands as a result, opening for bands like Lit.
Brian "T-Bone Willy" Williams quit the band in 2001.
The band continued to tour in support of Modified throughout 2000 and 2001.
In August and September 2001 the band did a short tour of the U.K. playing with the bands Lightyear and Jesse James.
The final performance with Powell, Uechi, Zamora, Kilbourne and Mashburn, the last true version of Save Ferris, was held in Culver City on September 20, 2002.
After the band parted ways, Powell self-financed what she called a "For the Fans" tour in 2003 essentially playing the same set list as previous Save Ferris shows but backed by hired musicians.
On March 29, 2003 at Ska Summit 2003 in Las Vegas, Monique Powell of Save Ferris played on the main stage to a thunderously positive response..
Powell later founded the band "The Mojo Wire". She has stated that the "Mojo Wire is nothing like Save Ferris", but "still so much fun".
, Lostprophets
, Hilary Duff
, Goldfinger
and others. Her new band, The Mojo Wire began headlining shows in the LA area after an overwhelming response to the four demos posted on MySpace in 2008. Consideration of the songs for TV and film have been coming in.
In 2003, Bill Uechi, Brian Mashburn, T-Bone Willy, Eric Zamora, and Oliver Zavala started the band Starpool
with Alan Meade on vocals and Phil Hanson on drums. They released an EP in 2003 titled STRPL E.P.0001 before going on hiatus for two years. The band started to play once more in 2006 releasing the single Start Again in 2007. Former Save Ferris member Evan Kilbourne joined the group as its drummer in 2010 when Starpool released a full length album in 2010 called Living in Transition.
In addition to Starpool
, Brian Mashburn plays guitar for Power Serge and PopBritannica. Bill Uechi also plays in Red Panda with John Tran of Home Grown
.
Ska punk
Ska punk is a fusion music genre that combines ska and punk rock. It achieved its highest level of commercial success in the United States in the late 1990s. Ska-core is a subgenre of ska punk, blending ska with hardcore punk.The characteristics of ska punk vary, due to the fusion of contrasting...
band formed circa 1995 in Orange County
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Their name is a reference to the 1986 film Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Ferris Bueller's Day Off is a 1986 American teen coming-of-age comedy film written and directed by John Hughes.The film follows high school senior Ferris Bueller , who decides to skip school and spend the day in downtown Chicago...
.
History
The band formed in 1995 after the dissolution of a number of Southern California third-wave ska bands. Los Pantelones members Brian Mashburn (guitar/vocals), Bill Uechi (bass), Eric Zamora (saxophone), and José Castellaños (trumpet) joined with Larry vocalist Monique Powell, Nuckle BrothersNuckle Brothers
The Nuckle Brothers were a third wave ska band from Huntington Beach that was part of the early 1990s Orange County, California music scene, inspiring such bands as Reel Big Fish, Save Ferris and The Aquabats. Playing their first show in March 1992 at the Ocean View High School Battle of the Bands,...
trombonist Brian "T-Bone Willy" Williams, and drummer Marc Harismendy to form the original Save Ferris.
Financed by Uechi and Mashburn's families, as well as Powell's sister, the band released their debut EP Introducing Save Ferris
Introducing Save Ferris
Introducing Save Ferris is the debut EP by Save Ferris. With the exception of "For You" and "You and Me" all tracks were re-recorded for the band's first full-length album, It Means Everything.-Track listing:# "The World Is New" – 2:11...
on Starpool Records in 1996. Later that year, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc., known variously as The Recording Academy or NARAS, is a U.S. organization of musicians, producers, recording engineers and other recording professionals dedicated to improving the quality of life and cultural condition for music and its...
gave the band a Grammy showcase award for best unsigned band, earning them a recording contract with Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
. The band released their debut full length for the label in 1997. It Means Everything
It Means Everything
It Means Everything is the first full-length album by Save Ferris. It was released on September 9, 1997.-Track listing:# "The World Is New"# "Nobody But Me"# "Superspy"# "Come on Eileen"# "Goodbye"# "Sorry My Friend"# "Lies"# "Little Differences"...
featured several re-recorded tracks from the EP, several new songs, and a cover of Dexys Midnight Runners
Dexys Midnight Runners
Dexys Midnight Runners are a British pop group with soul influences, who achieved their major success in the early to mid 1980s. They are best known for their songs "Come On Eileen" and "Geno", both of which went No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart....
' "Come on Eileen
Come on Eileen
"Come On Eileen" was a single released by Dexys Midnight Runners in 1982. The song was written by Kevin Rowland, "Big" Jim Paterson, and Billy Adams; it was produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley. It also appeared on the album Too-Rye-Ay...
," which the band released as a single. The band also released "The World is New" as a single which was featured in the film The Big Hit
The Big Hit
The Big Hit is a 1998 American black comedy crime film directed by Hong Kong filmmaker Che-Kirk Wong. The film stars Mark Wahlberg, Lou Diamond Phillips, Christina Applegate, Avery Brooks, and Elliot Gould....
as well as being used in Tara Lipinski
Tara Lipinski
Tara Kristen Lipinski is an American figure skater. At the age of 15, she won the Ladies' Singles Olympic gold medal in figure skating at the 1998 Winter Olympics. Lipinski remains the youngest individual gold medalist in the history of the Olympic Winter Games. She is also the 1997 World...
's program as a professional skater in the 1998 Skate TV Championships. The album charted on the Billboard Top 200 at number 75 that year.
The band toured extensively in support of the album, opening for bands such as Sugar Ray
Sugar Ray
Sugar Ray is a band from Orange County, California. The band, starting off more as an alternative metal band, first gained fame in 1997 with their release of the song "Fly". This song's success, coupled with its pop rock sound that was quite different from the rest of their material at the time,...
, The Offspring
The Offspring
The Offspring is an American punk rock band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1984. Known as Manic Subsidal until 1986, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Dexter Holland, lead guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman, bassist Greg K. and drummer Pete Parada...
, and Reel Big Fish
Reel Big Fish
Reel Big Fish is an American ska punk band from Huntington Beach, California, best known for the 1997 hit "Sell Out". 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 after, the band...
, and Powell also provided vocals on the Reel Big Fish song "She Has A Girlfriend Now." In April 1998, they made their television debut on HBO's music series Reverb
Reverb (TV series)
Reverb, the critically acclaimed weekly HBO music television series spotlighting emerging talent, ran for four seasons . Reverb captured the energy and spontaneity of live music by taking viewers on stage, backstage, and into the audience at some of the premier venues in the United States...
and made an on-screen appearance in the film 10 Things I Hate About You
10 Things I Hate about You
10 Things I Hate About You is a 1999 American teen romantic comedy film. It is directed by Gil Junger and stars Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Larisa Oleynik, David Krumholtz, and Larry Miller...
. The album proved to be a moderate success in the United States, selling over 400,000 copies, and spawned three Top Ten hits in both Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
Winter 1998 saw the departure of drummer Marc Harismendy. Evan Kilbourne joined shortly thereafter, and the band began writing their follow-up to It Means Everything. The appropriately-titled Modified
Modified (album)
Modified is the second full-length album by Save Ferris. It was released on October 19, 1999.-Critical reception:The album received a negative reception from critics. Barry Walters of Rolling Stone wrote that "even when the band is rocking full throttle, Powell sings as if she's belting out the...
was released in October 1999, approximately one year later and charted at number 136 in the Billboard top 200 that year. The album saw the band moving away from their ska-punk roots and into pop-rock territory. The band toured with fewer ska-punk and pop-punk bands as a result, opening for bands like Lit.
2000s
José Castellaños left the band in June 2000, citing a desire to return to school. He was replaced by T-Bone Willy's former bandmate from Six Feet Deep and Nuckle Brothers, Oliver Zavala.Brian "T-Bone Willy" Williams quit the band in 2001.
The band continued to tour in support of Modified throughout 2000 and 2001.
In August and September 2001 the band did a short tour of the U.K. playing with the bands Lightyear and Jesse James.
The final performance with Powell, Uechi, Zamora, Kilbourne and Mashburn, the last true version of Save Ferris, was held in Culver City on September 20, 2002.
After the band parted ways, Powell self-financed what she called a "For the Fans" tour in 2003 essentially playing the same set list as previous Save Ferris shows but backed by hired musicians.
On March 29, 2003 at Ska Summit 2003 in Las Vegas, Monique Powell of Save Ferris played on the main stage to a thunderously positive response..
Powell later founded the band "The Mojo Wire". She has stated that the "Mojo Wire is nothing like Save Ferris", but "still so much fun".
Post-breakup
Since the breakup, Monique Powell has focused her efforts on her studio career. Her work can be heard on albums by The UsedThe Used
The Used is an American rock band from Orem, Utah. The band was founded in 2001 and signed to Reprise Records the same year. They rose to fame in June 2002 after releasing their self-titled debut album. They followed up with their second album, In Love and Death, in September 2004 and their third...
, Lostprophets
Lostprophets
Lostprophets is a Welsh rock band from Pontypridd, formed in 1997. Founded by vocalist Ian Watkins, bassist Mike Lewis, drummer Mike Chiplin and guitarist Lee Gaze, they were originally a side-project to hardcore punk band Public Disturbance. To date, Lostprophets have released four studio...
, Hilary Duff
Hilary Duff
Hilary Erhard Duff is an American actress, singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, and author. After working in local theater plays and television commercials in her childhood, she achieved fame playing the title role in the Disney Channel television series Lizzie McGuire. She also reprised her role in...
, Goldfinger
Goldfinger (band)
Goldfinger is a Los Angeles pop punk/ska punk band that formed in 1994. Currently, the band is composed of vocalist/guitarist John Feldmann, guitarist Charlie Paulson, bassist Kelly LeMieux, and drummer Darrin Pfeiffer...
and others. Her new band, The Mojo Wire began headlining shows in the LA area after an overwhelming response to the four demos posted on MySpace in 2008. Consideration of the songs for TV and film have been coming in.
In 2003, Bill Uechi, Brian Mashburn, T-Bone Willy, Eric Zamora, and Oliver Zavala started the band Starpool
Starpool
Starpool is a ska punk band consisting of former members of Save Ferris and former No Doubt member Alan Meade. The band's name is taken from a nickname given to trombonists Tbone Willy's house that had a swimming pool shaped like a star, where the band members used to practice and throw parties as...
with Alan Meade on vocals and Phil Hanson on drums. They released an EP in 2003 titled STRPL E.P.0001 before going on hiatus for two years. The band started to play once more in 2006 releasing the single Start Again in 2007. Former Save Ferris member Evan Kilbourne joined the group as its drummer in 2010 when Starpool released a full length album in 2010 called Living in Transition.
In addition to Starpool
Starpool
Starpool is a ska punk band consisting of former members of Save Ferris and former No Doubt member Alan Meade. The band's name is taken from a nickname given to trombonists Tbone Willy's house that had a swimming pool shaped like a star, where the band members used to practice and throw parties as...
, Brian Mashburn plays guitar for Power Serge and PopBritannica. Bill Uechi also plays in Red Panda with John Tran of Home Grown
Home Grown
Home Grown was an American rock band formed in 1994 in Orange County, California. They released three full-length albums and several EPs before disbanding in 2005. Their music is often characterized as pop punk, lyrically favoring humor and silly or satirical subjects.-Formation:Home Grown was...
.
Lineup
- Monique Powell - Vocals (1995-)
- Bill Uechi - Bass (1995–2002)
- Eric Zamora - Alto & Tenor Saxophone (1995–2002)
- Brian Mashburn - Guitar, Vocals (1995–2002)
- T-Bone Willy - Trombone (1995–2001)
- José Castellaños - Trumpet (1995–2000)
- Marc Harismendy - Drums (1995–1998)
- Evan Kilbourne - Drums (1998–)
- Oliver Zavala - Trumpet & Backing Vocals (2000–2002)
Discography
| Year | Title | Label | Format | Other information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Introducing Save Ferris Introducing Save Ferris Introducing Save Ferris is the debut EP by Save Ferris. With the exception of "For You" and "You and Me" all tracks were re-recorded for the band's first full-length album, It Means Everything.-Track listing:# "The World Is New" – 2:11... |
Starpool Records | EP | Re-released by Epic Records Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A... . |
| 1997 | It Means Everything It Means Everything It Means Everything is the first full-length album by Save Ferris. It was released on September 9, 1997.-Track listing:# "The World Is New"# "Nobody But Me"# "Superspy"# "Come on Eileen"# "Goodbye"# "Sorry My Friend"# "Lies"# "Little Differences"... |
Epic Records Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A... |
LP | Includes re-recorded versions of several songs from the band's debut EP. |
| 1999 | Modified Modified (album) Modified is the second full-length album by Save Ferris. It was released on October 19, 1999.-Critical reception:The album received a negative reception from critics. Barry Walters of Rolling Stone wrote that "even when the band is rocking full throttle, Powell sings as if she's belting out the... |
Epic Records Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A... |
LP |