Saosin

Saosin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Saosin is a five-piece band from Newport Beach, California. They formed during the summer of 2003, and are characterised by their powerful high-pitched vocals and melodic guitars. Their musical style has variously been described as post-hardcore, emo, and screamo.
Origin of name
Anthony Green, the former vocalist, had initially suggested the name Saosin for the band. The name is derived from the Chinese phrase xiao xin, meaning careful, which could also be literally translated in English to small heart. Green explained the meaning behind this as being in reference to the fact that nothing is eternal, and that it is a mistake to become overly attached to any one thing, because that thing will eventually be lost. Whilst Green's interpretation of the word xiao xin is obscure, xiao xin is generally used in Chinese as a means to express caution. Anthony had previously used Saosin as a track name in his high school band, Audience of One's first and only CD, I Remember When This All Meant Something.
History
The original lineup for Saosin, consisting of Burchell, Shekoski and former vocalist Anthony Green, was formed in the summer of 2003. On June 17, the band released their first commercial production, the EP Translating the Name. It was an immediate success and was immensely popular on online forums and music sites. Saosin first became popular through promotion and exposure through the Internet. They became known for their distinct musical styles long before their first studio-length album was released, and were popularised on social networking and music sites such as MySpace.
Drummer Pat Magrath and Bassist Zach Kennedy left the band early on. Kennedy left for personal reasons, and he wanted to pursue a career in art. He was later replaced by Chris Sorenson. Magrath, who was a former drum technician for American thrash metal band Slayer, was never properly with the band; according to Burchell, he was hired only for the recording for the EP, and he was replaced by Alex Rodriguez after the release of Translating the Name.
Shortly after the EP's release, Saosin went on a U.S. tour with bands Boys Night Out and Anatomy of a Ghost. In February 2004, the band's vocalist Anthony Green left Saosin and later formed the band Circa Survive. Anthony was very homesick and said he was missing his family. He says he felt bad for leaving his friends in a tough situation without a singer, but he "would have gone crazy had he stayed any longer." The other bandmembers did however finish their Warped Tour obligation with Story of the Year's Philip Sneed taking the mic. A public, nationwide audition then took place.
After the audition process and several guest vocalists on demos, the 19-year-old Cove Reber, previously the vocalist of the unsigned local bands Mormon in the Middle and Stamp Out Detroit, was announced as their new permanent lead singer. Cove had sent in his demo tape which was an acoustic demo with "Mookie's Last Christmas". The demo has since leaked onto the internet. It is widely speculated to have included a few songs from Translating the Name. When Beau first heard the demo, he thought it was Anthony pulling a trick on them.
However, the inexperienced Cove Reber replacing the charismatic frontman Anthony Green was hard for the band, especially for Cove himself, receiving a great deal of criticism. Many fans consider the time with Anthony to be something entirely different from what the band is today, and comparisons between the both singers are still widely being done, not least at YouTube.
After the Taste of Chaos tour the following winter, the band got signed to Capitol Records in March and toured the United States with the Warped Tour for the second time. Here, they released the Saosin EP. At first it was intended to be a free sampler, but Capitol Records did not allow this and released it as an EP. It contained Demo versions of songs later recorded on their first full length album. A video to their new single "Bury Your Head" was recorded during the tour. They kept on touring for the rest of 2005, mostly opening for Avenged Sevenfold and Coheed and Cambria.