Local band The Say So is embracing the music scene with their powerful music and powerful attitudes
Artwork by Mateo Rocha
The Denver-based, heavy/indie rock band, The Say So, has been growing significantly in the Colorado music scene ever since its humble beginnings in Arvada, Colorado. By bringing a new and distinct sound and energy to its live performances and studio albums, Sean Palmer, Robbie Spradling, Christopher Beeble, and Noah Fisher are working their way up into musical recognition.
It’s obvious from their live performances that these individuals have a very strong relationship that draws them together and makes their musical masterpieces even more powerful. “Having strong relationships with the members in my band, I believe, has a lot to do with our success,” said Beeble. The line-up includes Sean Palmer on vocals/guitar, Noah Fisher on guitar, Chris Beeble on bass/keys, and Robbie Spradling on drums.
“Music, and especially writing music, can be extremely frustrating sometimes and things will get really heated. What separates us is our ability to step back afterward and say, ‘…man, I love you and I’m sorry about earlier. I was out of line.’ If it wasn’t for our strong and deep friendships I think it would be extremely easy to get frustrated in those situations and walk out on the band,” said Beeble.
Their set list includes the songs Call Me Out and We Were Strangers, which reverberate a loud and vibrant clash of stimulating sounds emitting from the deep bass, loud drums, and roaring guitars. Along with this aspect of their performance, the song meanings entail stories of deep, heavy emotions that tend to waken their audience and cause them to move with fervor.
Prior to being The Say So, the band went by En Plein Air. At this time, the band was composed of only Palmer, Spradling and Beeble. They experimented with countless different sounds and melodies, trying to refine it all down to a genre of music that worked for them. To this day, even though they are labeled as heavy-indie rock, The Say So has not limited their sounds to a certain genre of music.
The reasoning in the transition from the band name En Plein Air to The Say So entails an interesting motive from the original trio of En Plein Air. “There was a band in France named En Plein Air and they had just recently been signed, and another was that we found the name En Plein Air to be confusing for listeners due to the fact that it is a French word and spelled in that manner, but sounds as if it is in English. This band is what we are all trying to do as a career, and we really didn’t want to be stopped by a mere confusion with our name later down the road. Also we had just added Noah on guitar and felt as if it is was a new band and deserved a fresh start,” said Beeble.
The song Your Voice Replaced My Wind, written by En Plein Air, has a steady build up of emotion and mellow guitar, in which the melody eventually explodes with the build up of a heavy bass and loud, almost wailing, guitar.
“When I think of their performance it’s just stunning, the way they feed off the crowd is awesome,” states TJ Junior Ed Gloor, who has attended many of The Say So performances. “They completely indulge themselves in the crowd’s energy and then display it on stage.”
“Our main focus when we perform live is to make sure the audience has a good time at our shows, no matter what. We try and leave nothing on stage and make sure everyone knows how much we love what we are doing. Whether it be by music, our unusual stage presence, or our homemade light show, we want everyone to leave our show looking forward to when we’ll play next,” stated Beeble.
Not only do they perform with liveliness, they have incorporated a light show as they play their rhythmic melodies. The display is basically two big panels arrayed with light bulbs that are programmed in a certain pattern that blasts the audience with blinding white light “Their light show sets them apart from other local bands because even though it’s a very simple light show, it’s one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. The way they coordinate their performance with the overall energy, is fantastico,” stated Gloor.
The Say So’s main attributes don’t come from just a fancy display, however, but rather from the distinct backgrounds of the four members. “Each member really brings his own unique element and energy to the band. I’ve never met a more melodic person than Sean. Noah takes the role of peacemaker in the band when things get heated, as well as helping the band step outside the box creatively and explore new places to take our music. As for Robbie, I’ve been playing with him for five years now and he is really the foundation of The Say So. His drumming is just rock solid and he performs in an intense and meticulous manner that really defines our band’s sounds,” stated Beeble.
Most modern radio bands and generic musicians have the same feel and sound to their songs being produced; that is not the case with The Say So. “We focus really hard on separating our songs from the messages of most pop music and share our personal lives in order so people can relate their stories to ours. Nothing can be more comforting sometimes than simply hearing someone’s joy or pain and saying ‘me too’,” said Beeble.
The unique outlook of The Say So has set them on a successful path in the music scene, and with the constant efforts by each member of the band, they now have opportunities that not many other local bands have experienced. “The Say So has done real well in Denver. We are still very much new but we’ve headlined multiple shows at both The Hi-Dive and The Marquis Theater with success, as well as played The Bluebird Theater. We’ve yet to be noticed in a large way, but we’ve definitely been able to turn some heads in the local music scene.” said Beeble.
With a bright future ahead, The Say So will continue to play exhilarating live shows as well as push themselves to achieve their own musical goals. On December 3rd The Say So is gearing up for another epic performance with local band, Tickle Me Pink, at the Summit Music Hall in Denver, Colorado that neither their fans, nor you, will want to miss out on.
