Q&A: Saving Abel

Ever since they first formed in 2004, American post-grungers Saving Abel, have been steadily making their way to prominence. They landed a major label record deal, their self-titled debut went to Number 49 on the Billboard 200 charts and a single ”˜Addicted’ went into the Top 20. The band was in India for a multi-city tour this March and vocalist Jared Weeks spoke to us.

You’ve finally gotten your dues, by being signed onto Virgin EMI and your album is now gold. How does it feel to be out there and getting the airplay?

There are so many bands and musicians who work so hard and don’t get noticed, but are really good and need to be acknowledged. And for us, to have been doing this for a few years and then to get picked up is a pretty big deal. We’re lucky that we got signed and we’re even luckier that our album is doing so well, not just here in the States, but overseas as well. We’re really blessed to be given this opportunity and we have to thank Virgin EMI for all of this.

Your song ”˜Addicted’ has been heard everywhere and has been talked about a lot and it even went platinum. What inspired the song and did you really expect such a huge response for it?

I’ll give you the background on that song. I was working at a hospital, as a phlebotomist, which is someone who is trained to draw blood. And [guitarist] Jason [Null] and I were travelling between Corinth, Mississippi and Memphis, Tennessee, which was a two hour trip. We’d work our day jobs and then hop in the car and drive to Memphis. And I’d have to get all the blood work done by four in the morning, and all the paperwork filled out before the doctors got back in at eight o’clock. So I spent a lot of early mornings, drinking a lot of coffee, dreaming about what it would be like if I didn’t have to wake up at three every morning and get ready for work. And I was walking down the hallway and I stopped at the nurses’ station and that was when the song hit me. And the words (“I’m so addicted to all the things you do”) just started playing in my head. I didn’t know what it was about or anything, but I knew I had to write it down. So I used one of the prescription pads at the nurses’ station and wrote down the song. And probably about a month later, we were just sitting in the studio, listening to the song. And I remember looking at the other members and our jaws dropped, because we couldn’t believe that that was us. I did have a girlfriend at the time and I made her feel better by telling her that the song was about her. But it’s about whatever you want it to be about.

The band is relatively new to Indian audiences, so how would you describe your sound to a new listener? There have been a lot of comparisons between Saving Abel and 3 Doors Down and Nickelback. Do you think either of those comparisons are true?

I’m so glad you mentioned 3 Doors Down first, because they’re also a band from Mississippi, from a town called Escatawpa and we’re from Corinth, which is not too far. And I’ve looked up to those guys since the day they came out. Our producer, Skidd Mills, used to share a studio with their producer, Paul Ebersold, in Memphis, Tennessee. Paul was the one who did their first album. We’ve got the connection there, but I think that for my generation, that’s the music I grew up with. Paul McCoy (of 12 Stones) is actually a good friend of mine, because of the shows that we’ve done and we’ve gotten to hang out and he’s a really cool dude you know. And Nickelback took us on tour with them the last six months. They took us out and showed us the ropes and showed us how crazy things can get and good things can be. And we’ve never done any of that before, so we’re really grateful for that, because having someone like Nickelback show us how it’s done? That’s something that people only dream about. We’re just a Southern band, so yeah, I agree. Three Doors Down, 12 Stones and Nickelback are all very good comparisons. We’ve worked with them and been inspired by them, so it definitely does show.

What was it like opening for bands like Nickelback and Puddle of Mudd and being on tour with Seether?

It was crazy, man. Just crazy. Nickelback came out with their ”˜How You Remind Me’ album [Silver Side Up, 2001] and Puddle of Mudd came out with their album as did 3 Doors Down and they’re all from the same era. And I remember checking out of school on Fridays and going up to Escatawpa just to see 3 Doors Down shows. I remember throwing CDs onto the stage during their shows with Jason [Null, guitarist for Saving Abel]. I remember burning all the CDs and hiding them in the trunk of the car and going through security and I remember between songs throwing CDs onto the stage. And it wasn’t like Brad [Arnold of 3 Doors Down] was going to discover us and make us famous, but it just felt good to get the stuff out there. I know that if I had to, I’d still be throwing CDs onto the stage. You do what you gotta do to get by. And we’ve been blessed to work with some great producers and to meet some great bands and of course, touring with these guys is a dream come true. They are, in so many ways, inspirations and the reason we do what we do.

When working on this album, what were you focusing on? What were the lyrics inspired by?

This being our first album with a major label, they had their ideas and they were showing us the ropes and we didn’t really know which direction to go because we were all new at this. Because this was our first time and it hadn’t happened to any of us before this. Our main focus was and what we wanted to write songs about was things that anybody from the age of six to sixty ”“ except for maybe the little kids listening to our music ”“ could on some level relate to. We wanted to write songs that related to people. Everyday problems that people go through. Like ”˜Drowning Face Down’ and ’18 Days,’ I mean anybody can relate to those songs. They’re good songs and that was our main focus to write about what everyone else talks about, everyday.

You recently put up a song for free download, ”˜Sex Is Good.’ What has been the response to the song? And what is it about?

We were in between albums and we happened to do a lot of writing for our new album while we were on tour. It’s kinda hard to do that, because it takes a certain amount of time to transition from being on the road, to being at home, to being in the studio. You’re doing two out of three at the same time ”“ we were on the road and in the studio at the same time. And it brings a whole new set of problems. It’s hard transitioning from being at home to being on the road and doing interviews and television appearances and performances. So what we used to do was hang out in the back of the bus and just write our music and we’d have a computer and we’d get whatever we could to [producer] Skidd [Mills] and he’d be working in the studio while we were on the road. As for the song, it just came about when we were in the studio and we were trying to think of something that people say all the time, but it has never been put in a song. I mean, how many times have you said, “I’m not in love, but the sex is good?” I’ve said it a few times, whatever, call it what you will. So we took the song to the label and it’s a real laidback song and it’s acoustic, so it’s different. And I remember talking to our booking agent and he said, “I can’t believe nobody ever put that in a song.” And we’re going to go back in and re-record it, and make a better version of it. It’s kinda like a summer song on the album and it’s one of those songs that could mean anything to anyone really, it’s how you see it. And it’s got a catchy title. And even if the song sucks, I know that by seeing the name of the song, people are going to take a listen to it.

Did you ever think that you’d be touring in India promoting your album? And how does it feel to have your music being listened to people in different parts of the world?

We feel so blessed to be able to do this, because music has always been a part of our lives. We just didn’t think it would spread out to so many people and to so many different countries. This is our lives and we take all of this seriously, so being made aware of the fact that people outside of the States have heard of us, listen to our music and like us makes a huge difference to us. I’m still in shock about it all, because I always wanted to travel the world and see all these places, but now to be doing it with an album and promoting it? It’s a pretty fantastic moment for us. And now with this tour, it’s our first tour out of the country as a band and having the knowledge that people are listening to our music makes it that much more exciting. I don’t think I have all the right words to express how all of this feels, but we are truly very blessed to be able to do this.