Sev
Encyclopedia
Sev is a rock band from the Northern Virginia
area who appeared in a national advertising campaign for Pepsi
Blue. Sev also appeared on the website come-alive show Farmclub
and the summer festival in the Washington D.C. area that typically sets off the summer concert season, the HFStival
.
. Winning the "Big Break" contest hosted by at-the-time local alternative rock radio station 99.1 WHFS, SEV opened the 1999 HFStival with their performance on the Street Stage. In 2000, Sev started a campaign to be noticed by major labels in New York City. One of the labels to take notice was Farmclub
, represented by Marcie Jacobson. Farmclub was a website / TV show / record label venture headed by Interscope (Jimmy Iovine
) and head of Geffen
(Doug Morris
). Bands would upload tracks, get voted on, get enough votes perform on the show, and if you impressed them enough they would sign you to their label. Sev uploaded their music and their fans responded, which led to Sev being the first band to get signed through the website and TV show.
On the show, Sev performed the songs Stand Straight and Same Old Song, these were the songs that were voted on the Farmclub website. Stand Straight became Sev's first national single on Farmclub compilations, but not as an "official single" from the band. Sev immediately went into the studio in 2000 to cash-in on their sudden success.
on Monday nights after WWF
Monday Night RAW
. However, when RAW moved to TNN
in late 2000, Farmclub's core audience went with it. Farmclub lost their core audience and the venture crumbled. This led to Sev being pushed on to the Geffen label. With the label shake up, it took 2 years for Geffen to release All These Dreams in June 2002. After the release of the promised album from the Farmclub label, Geffen announced it had no other plans for the band and stopped all communication.
In July 2002, Pepsi launched a new soft drink called Pepsi Blue
. They wanted bands from the Universal label (Geffen). Pepsi picked out Sev's Same Old Song to represent their new product. The concept was to record a music video and a commercial using the same footage and with hopes that Pepsi Blue would be seen in both commercial and music video. Since the future at the label was bleak, Sev saw this as the only way to get at least a music video from Pepsi, which the label did not want to fund, and some exposure. "Same Old Song" eventually peaked at #25 on the Billboard Hot Singles Sales charts.
. No plans for a new album have been mentioned.
Back Rider CD / LP (1998)
68. Bonus Track
69. Bonus Track
Sunflower CD / LP (1996)
Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia consists of several counties and independent cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia, in a widespread region generally radiating southerly and westward from Washington, D.C...
area who appeared in a national advertising campaign for Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
Blue. Sev also appeared on the website come-alive show Farmclub
Farmclub
- Track listing :# Alley Life - "Thats the Way we Roll"# Eminem - "The Real Slim Shady" # DMX - "Party Up" # Nelly - "Country Grammar " # Ja Rule - "Between Me and You" # Powerman 5000 - "Nobody's Real" # Mýa - "Case of the Ex"...
and the summer festival in the Washington D.C. area that typically sets off the summer concert season, the HFStival
HFStival
The HFStival is an annual Washington, D.C. / Baltimore, Maryland rock festival. Held every summer from 1990 through 2006 by radio station WHFS, and annually since 2010 in commemoration of the now-defunct station's legacy, the HFStival was at its peak the largest yearly music festival on the East...
.
Biography
The Washington D.C. area band Sev first performed together live on October 31, 1995. The formation happened earlier that summer when Max asked bassist Will, who was in another band at the time with him to start a new project. With the gears in motion for a new sound, Will brought in his high school friend, Dennis, as a drummer. Singer/rapper Phil was the next to join, followed quickly by vocalist Danny.The Rise
Sev quickly gained the attention of the Mid-Atlantic Music SceneMid-Atlantic Music Scene
The Mid-Atlantic music scene consists of mostly unsigned bands from Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., North Carolina, South Carolina, and West Virginia...
. Winning the "Big Break" contest hosted by at-the-time local alternative rock radio station 99.1 WHFS, SEV opened the 1999 HFStival with their performance on the Street Stage. In 2000, Sev started a campaign to be noticed by major labels in New York City. One of the labels to take notice was Farmclub
Farmclub
- Track listing :# Alley Life - "Thats the Way we Roll"# Eminem - "The Real Slim Shady" # DMX - "Party Up" # Nelly - "Country Grammar " # Ja Rule - "Between Me and You" # Powerman 5000 - "Nobody's Real" # Mýa - "Case of the Ex"...
, represented by Marcie Jacobson. Farmclub was a website / TV show / record label venture headed by Interscope (Jimmy Iovine
Jimmy Iovine
James "Jimmy" Iovine is an American music producer, entrepreneur and chairman of Interscope-Geffen-A&M.-Biography:...
) and head of Geffen
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
(Doug Morris
Doug Morris
Doug Morris is an American music executive. He is the current Chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment. He previously served as Chairman and CEO of the Universal Music Group from 1995 to 2011.-Life and career:...
). Bands would upload tracks, get voted on, get enough votes perform on the show, and if you impressed them enough they would sign you to their label. Sev uploaded their music and their fans responded, which led to Sev being the first band to get signed through the website and TV show.
On the show, Sev performed the songs Stand Straight and Same Old Song, these were the songs that were voted on the Farmclub website. Stand Straight became Sev's first national single on Farmclub compilations, but not as an "official single" from the band. Sev immediately went into the studio in 2000 to cash-in on their sudden success.
Label Controversy
The show Farmclub aired on the USA NetworkUSA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
on Monday nights after WWF
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
Monday Night RAW
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
. However, when RAW moved to TNN
Spike TV
Spike is an American cable television channel. It launched on March 7, 1983 as The Nashville Network , a joint venture of WSM, Inc...
in late 2000, Farmclub's core audience went with it. Farmclub lost their core audience and the venture crumbled. This led to Sev being pushed on to the Geffen label. With the label shake up, it took 2 years for Geffen to release All These Dreams in June 2002. After the release of the promised album from the Farmclub label, Geffen announced it had no other plans for the band and stopped all communication.
In July 2002, Pepsi launched a new soft drink called Pepsi Blue
Pepsi Blue
- History :Pepsi Blue was launched in mid-2002 and discontinued in Canada and the United States in 2004, although it remains available in some other countries. Its berry flavor was the result of taste-testing over 100 flavors over a 9-month period...
. They wanted bands from the Universal label (Geffen). Pepsi picked out Sev's Same Old Song to represent their new product. The concept was to record a music video and a commercial using the same footage and with hopes that Pepsi Blue would be seen in both commercial and music video. Since the future at the label was bleak, Sev saw this as the only way to get at least a music video from Pepsi, which the label did not want to fund, and some exposure. "Same Old Song" eventually peaked at #25 on the Billboard Hot Singles Sales charts.
The Band Today
The band has gone through a various change of their rhythm section of bass and drums. The additional members have come from both Washington D.C. local music bands and members from other national level bands. As of Spring 2006, the band has been playing the Washington D.C. area locally for a few select dates. They have also lent a few songs off their All These Dreams album for the extreme stunt DVD series by Adrenaline CrewAdrenaline Crew
Adrenaline Crew is an American stunt team that started in Los Angeles, California...
. No plans for a new album have been mentioned.
Current members
- Max Alley – Guitars
- Danny Schools – Vocals, Guitars
- Phil Clayman – Vocals
- Matt "Pampers" Hughes – Drums
- Matt Waller – Bass
Former Members
- Chris Mullen – Bass
- Bill Ledbetter – Drums
- Tim Pryor – Bass
- Jeremy Fowler – Guitars
- Dennis Faye – Drums
- Will Mazur – Bass
U.S. Releases
All These Dreams CD / LP (Geffen, 2002)- All These Dreams
- Same Old Song
- Menace To Society
- When
- All Right By Me
- Stand Straight
- 24/7/365
- Front Of The Line
- What You Got For Me
- Lust
- Player
- Twisted
Back Rider CD / LP (1998)
- Techno
- 24-7
- Higher
- Advance
- Who's Got The Mic?
- Crashing
- Jump (Remix)
- Gotta (Remix)
- Buy It (Remix)
68. Bonus Track
69. Bonus Track
Sunflower CD / LP (1996)
- Drop
- Stand
- Gotta
- When
- Jump
- Drinking
- Buy It
- Hip Hop Habeeb (bonus track)