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Saosin
SEEKING
- Someone who is good looking.
- Does not do drugs.
- Fun to get along with.
- Has a really dry sense of humor.
Sounds like one of those personal ads that populate online dating sites or the back pages of weekly newspapers. Actually, the above is what Burchell told a reporter were the traits Saosin was looking for in a vocalist to replace Anthony Green, who had left after the group's debut EP. Burchell also added the group was looking for "someone who can actually sing live." Ouch! Following a nationwide search Reber got the assignment.
Saosin formed in '03 when members of the recently disbanded Newport Beach group, Open Hand, decided to keep going. Aside from Green, another early departure was bassist Zach Kennedy, who left to focus on his art career but eventually found himself in Ashlee Simpson's band. Talk about career suicide. Of course, he didn't have to worry about playing live just making the right moves along with a recording (something Simpson couldn't manage).
Saosin, pronounced "Say-Ocean" in Chinese but "Say-Oh-Sin" by the band, is a term that Green discovered in grade school. In both Mandarin and Cantonese, it literally translates into "small heart." However, it has evolved into meaning "watch out," or "be careful." There's a Saosin proverb where fathers married off their youngest sons for money and told them that they weren't marrying for love, that their wife doesn't matter. She could die at anytime so don't get attached. For some reason, this concept intrigued Green who referenced it in songs for earlier bands.
Saosin landed on the '05 Warped Tour. A bit later, a video of "Bury Your Head" got airplay on Fuse. Capital Records signed the group and in September of '06, Saosin unfurled their self-titled full-length debut. Then it was back on the road for a stint on the International Taste of Chaos Tour.
While Saosin can Rock ("Sleepers," "Follow And Feel," "It's So Simple" and "Collapse"), the group excels on melodic mid-tempo tunes ("Bury Your Head," "I Never Wanted To" and Voices"). The layered vocals, led by Reber's Alt. Rock tinged sense of drama, are effective. The ballad, "You're Not Alone," is a real song rather than a wailing throw-away. Of course, any band with two guitarists is likely to come up with some hot riffs amidst the din and Saosin is right in line. "Follow And Feel" and the churning "Come Close," with the group's muscular rhythm section propelling them, are not to be denied.