Music
Press
" I found the music on Searching For Savitre to be enthralling! Though I wasn't particularly with the album opener (Opening Explanation Justifies Cancellation), I was mystified for the rest of the journey.
The true magic of this band's sound is found in the way that these musicians have been able to blend their varied styles to form a tight-knit, progressive sound. Though I am unable to provide tons of references to prog-rockers of recent days, I feel that a reference to the gods of the genre, Rush, is not out of place. Savitre has the same elements working for them; driving bass riffage provided by Bob Davidson, incredible drumming compliments of Matt Thomas, and textural, artsy guitar work from Sav Balkissoon. Rounding out the sound is reasonably new vocalist Paul Krussell. Though his vocals can get a bit monotonous, I can't picture anybody else's voice in his place! The chemistry that exists among the members of this band makes for great music, and a spectacular listening experience!
Credit goes to each member of Savitre for the work they have done in creating very interesting music! I especially wish to give credit to Paul Krussell, the band's vocalist/lyricist, for his haunting melodies and interesting words. I mentioned above that he is a relative newcomer to the band; I say that because he has only been with the group 1 1/2 years, compared to the 10+ years that Davidson, Balkissoon, and Thomas have spent together. The founding members, however, credit Krussell with 'igniting the unpredictable sound of Savitre'. I do believe that assessment is very accurate. Having jammed with other musicians before, I know that sometimes it takes a force like Krussell to harness the creativity and power in a musical project. Many kudos to him for being a spark in this instant! His affect is very apparent on the band, and his lyrics give a voice to the eclectic feel of the band's music!
With one exception, I liked every tune on this album! I didn't particularly care for the first tune, (see above) because I felt it was very disconnect; however, it truly is the lone exception on the record. Every other tune shows a band that plays tighter than tight, with a good tone and a great mix for both vocalist and instruments! In particular, I would recommend you hear the song (Thermoluminescence) as an example of a great sound on Searching For Savitre; a killer bass line/guitar work makes this one of my favorite tracks!
The artwork on the cover and liner notes of Searching For Savitre is just about as creative as the music it contains. The only disappointment for me was the lack of printed lyrics in the liner. There are lyrics that are published for a few of the songs on the band's website, so that is a concession, but I really wanted to be able to see more! In the future, perhaps more of the band's lyrics will be published online; until then, check out those that are on the web. On the whole, the band did a good job creating packaging worthy of the musical material it contains!
Favorite Tracks
Thermoluminescence
The Mission
Vanity's Trophy
Endeavor To Deserve
Much remains to be said with regard to the album Searching For Savitre; in fact, volumes could be written in an attempt to explain this unique Indie project. However, I am afraid the average music fan would tire quickly while trying to read my attempt at a description of music I find truly fascinating. Perhaps the best solution is for readers to take the opportunity to hear Savitre's stuff first-hand!
I love hearing bands that are able to take seemingly dissonant musical styles and combine them for a sound that is truly unique. Savitre seems to accomplish this, finding remarkable synergy in their music. Each member brings a valuable contribution to the project; in fact, I find it difficult to imagine the band's music without any of the four souls that brought their talent together to create it!
The music scene in Chicagoland is alive and well, providing music fans of all genres with great stuff! Savitre is no exception, as they bring their own unique sound to fans hungry to hear something new and brilliant! I definitely recommend Searching For Savitre as required listening to all of my readers! You will find it to be a captivating, spell-binding experience! - Mark Lush, Midwest Bands
" Savitre makes heavy-ish modern rock for the thinking man on Searching For Savitre. The band has a somber, brooding tone to their music, which is a usually progressive blend of influences such as Rush, Danzig, Primus and Jane's Addiction...
It is just one stop along the road of one band's music development. " - Mike O'Cull, Illinois Entertainer
Discography
2 Full-Length CD's Released:
1.) Searching For Savitre, 2004
2.) Prolepsis, 2007
Photos
Bio
EXPLORE...EXPAND...ASSIMILATE
That's our motto because we want people to open up and expand their musical interest. We want people to realize there are no boundaries to music. We like to think that people who listen to our music, and accept our music, connect with us. Music is more than just music, it's emotional and personal.
Influences: Tool, Type-O-Negative, Rush, The Doors, Primus, Stone Sour, Killswitch Engage, Soilwork, Soundgarden.
Individual Bio's:
Paul Krussell
Paul has been involved with music for more than half his life. Paul started playing guitar and moved on to vocals in his later years. He has played guitar for 15 years and has been a vocalist for 11 years. Paul has been involved in various musical projects including the bands Fossil, which independently released 1 full-length recording, and Four Worlds, which released 4 full-length records. The last of these recordings featured Matt Thomas playing drums on 5 tracks. Currently Paul performs with Savitre as well as an occasional solo acoustic spot called Pantheon and The Audio Hallucination. Paul has been a member of Savitre since 2002.
Bob Davidson
Bob began playing bass 20 years ago. He cut his teeth with a few local bands in the Atlanta, Georgia area before he helped form Usherhouse. Usherhouse relocated to the Chicago, Illinois area spurred on by Cleopatra Records. Usherhouse existed for about 8 years releasing 2 recordings globally. They have completed 3 U.S. tours and were well known in Europe. Bob and Sav worked together and it was through Sav that Bob met Matt. The mutual musical respect lead to the beginning of Bob’s 6 year tenure with Savitre.
Matt Thomas and Sav Balkissoon
Matt began with music at the age of 7 playing the cello and guitar. Eventually, he gravitated to the drums. Matt has been playing drums for 18 years. He has played in various “no named” garage bands developing his technique and finding his sound. Around 12 years ago, Matt and Sav met through a mutual friend. Up until then, Sav had spent a great deal of time with music as well. Classically trained on the piano and even some time on the drums, guitar is where she found her true musical instrument. Unconstrained by rules, Sav made herself. Sav and Matt’s love for music and similar musical vision has kept them together for over 10 years. In that time they have been able to independently release 3 demo CDs and 3 full-length CDs. All recordings have had Bob involved to them. With Paul coming on the most recent demo and full-length, the band, Savitre, is all the 2 of them know and wouldn’t want it any other way.
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