Aug. 17: Ska-punk icons Save Ferris perform at The Music Hall in support of new single
Folks who grew up in the ‘90s know about Save Ferris due to their hit rendition of Dexy’s Midnight Runners’ “Come On Eileen” and their on-screen appearance in the teen flick “10 Things I Hate About You.”
PORTSMOUTH, NH – Folks who grew up in the ‘90s know about Save Ferris due to their hit rendition of Dexy’s Midnight Runners’ “Come On Eileen” and their on-screen appearance in the teen flick “10 Things I Hate About You.” Despite having a constant interchanging flow of members, initially calling it a day in 2003 and regrouping 10 years later, the ska-punks from Orange County, Calif., are still going strong. They’ve been crafting new tunes over the past few years and they’re still touring, which includes a stop in Portsmouth on August 17. That’s when they’re going to be performing in the historic theater within The Music Hall located in the heart of the city’s downtown.
Towson, Maryland pop punks Kings of the Wild Things are going to be opening up the show at 7:30 p.m.
I recently had a talk with Save Ferris lead vocalist Monique Powell about the band’s latest single, being the only continuous member of Save Ferris and releasing more material in the future.
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Rob Duguay: Last month, Save Ferris released a new single “Lights Out In The Reptile House” and it has a ton of backing harmonies along with having a catchy vibe. During the songwriting process, was there anything specific that inspired this particular structure and tone?
Monique Powell: Well, I’ve always been a fan of harmonies, that’s always been my jam, and I love pop music. I think Save Ferris has always been influenced by pop music and strong harmonies, so I just wanted to carry on with that sort of tradition of what we do while making it sound a little bit more modern.
RD: I totally get that from listening to the song. The music video for it has these two alternate settings with one being where you’re sitting at a bar and the other having you be on TV as part of this b-reel horror flick with a bunch of different characters, so what was the reasoning for the video to be presented in this way?
MP: The video is about hanging out at a bar until you’re the last person there and I fall asleep at the bar where I have this nightmare that never ends while being in this horror maze. It’s kind of what this song is about with this nightmare that never ends.
RD: Ok, that makes sense. Save Ferris has had numerous members over the years with you being the sole original, so what makes this particular lineup of the band stand out from the others? I know you have some newer members who joined up last year.
MP: We all get along really well and these guys are really invested. We’re writing new songs together for the next EP and they’re incredible musicians that have degrees and knowledge of music structure and theory. They also have great taste in music, which I love, so we can just talk about music for hours and hours on end. I really love that.
RD: It sounds like you have a great camaraderie, that’s great. Being from California, what are your thoughts on coming up to Portsmouth, NH to perform at The Music Hall? I don’t know if you know anything about the building, but it’s an old building that’s been around since the 1700s in numerous incarnations.
MP: We don’t have that kind of history in Southern California architecturally, so whenever I enter a building that we’re going to play that has that kind of history, I’m always really moved by it. We’ve been able to play some really beautiful old theaters, so I’m looking forward to seeing what this one is like and it’s always an honor to be able to grace those stages.
RD: It should be a cool experience and Portsmouth is a beautiful town that’s right by a river, it’s very New England. You mentioned how you and the rest of the members of Save Ferris have been working on this EP, so what’s the status of that? Are you planning on releasing it later this year or is this something we can expect from Save Ferris in 2025?
MP: We already have the EP done, so we’re going to be releasing a song and a music video for each one hopefully every couple months or maybe every six weeks. That’s the goal, but we’ll see. I might have gotten a little too excited when I suggested six weeks, so I’m just going to be patient with myself on that one. With every two songs that are released, we’re going to release a seven inch and then once we get to five songs, we’re going to release the EP, and then we’re just going to keep going. We’re going to be re-recording five old songs and then recording five new ones, with it all being for a full-length.
There’s a lot going on and we’re going to try to do a video for each new song.
