Spring Break
Safe Haven appreciates college atmosphere
Neil Schneider/Verge Reporter
Issue date: 3/27/09 Section: The Verge
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The band was able to set up the show at Mad Hatters when they first played in Charleston at a house party a little less than a year ago.
Safe Haven bassist and vocalist Nick Stankus explained that a member of the band playing ahead of Safe Haven at the house party said he was putting some solo shows together and asked if Safe Haven was interested. The band quickly responded and from there the show began to be put together.
"In the college circuit, you get to feel the appreciation that a college town brings to the shows as opposed to a normal bar in your local area," Stankus said.
Safe Haven members include Stankus, Jerritt Ryndak on drums, Pat Lyons on guitar and vocals, with Scott Walker handling the percussion section and Mike Noonan on the keyboard.
The group draws its musical influences from bands such as The Allman Brothers and My Morning Jacket.
Lyons said that early on it was difficult for the band to get shows, because all the members were younger than 21, which eliminated a lot of show opportunities.
"When we started, we didn't know a lot of people that were over 21, so it made it difficult for us to get shows," Lyons said.
Safe Haven is based out of the south side of Chicago and originally formed in 2003, but the lineup the band currently performs with has only played for a year and a half together.
The band currently has two albums out which can be heard on its MySpace page, iTunes or on the band's Web site.
The band's debut, the "Orange" album, is more of a guitar driven album, while the newest album, "All That is Hidden," features a wider sound with both keyboards and percussion sections added.
Drummer Ryndak said Safe Haven's new album shows the progressions that everyone has made as musicians and within the band.
"We put a lot of extra time into the newest album," Ryndak said. "We made sure that the levels were in the right spot and that everybody had their parts down. The sound itself sounds more professionally produced and it reflects the growth we have all made."
Safe Haven predominately plays shows in the south side of Chicago, but it has also played shows in a few college towns including Illinois State University and Eastern.
Aside from touring, the band already has plans to begin work on another new album, which it hopes to have in the fall of 2009.
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