Safehaven dominates the stage

Anyone who went to Subway Sides Wednesday evening of October 1, witnessed a splendid performance by the band Safehaven. 

    Safehaven is a Christian Pop Punk Rock band hailing from Beckley, West Virginia. When it comes to all the bands that have performed here on campus this semester, Safehaven differed in terms of genre and performance. Safehaven’s sound contained elements of punk rock and pop that we hear in today’s music, yet they induced an element of their own. This is an essential characteristic that defines a band and makes it stand out from the others. 

    Needless to say, Safehaven is a band that has obviously got  potential. This was their very first time playing at Concord University.

    Their first song, “IGWST”, came on with a pleasant guitar intro and then the others members joined in. They jammed instrumentally for almost a minute, and then lead vocalist Kayla Saunders started singing. Her vocals and the powerful sound of the instruments had set the song into motion. Safehaven had begun to show the audience that they were not just students wanting to play rock stars, but they were a band very dedicated to their music. 

    Notably, one of their songs they played, “Falling Up”, happens to be their first single that is scheduled for release at the end of October. It will go out on iTunes for purchase. 

    They also performed covers of some modern acoustic hits. One of which that they covered was the Kings of Leon song “Use Somebody.” Others included “Red” by Taylor Swift and “Ho Hey” by The Lumineers. 

    During their last song “Can’t Get Enough,” all instruments ceased and so did Kayla to hear the drummer thump his bass pedal. Kayla contributed by picking up two big drumsticks and pounding a separate bass drum. The guitarist then cued the audience to chant along with her for the following lyrics. Guitarist Caleb Bolen then led the song out with a beautiful solo.

     Safehaven was founded by lead singer Kayla Saunders, Guitarist Caleb Bolen, and drummer Bryan Sexton, who were sports buddies back in high school and wanted to express their musical talents. Since February of this year, they’ve been officially signed over to the Verb Records label. Amazingly, all members of Safehaven, except for the bass player, are Concord students that go to the Beckley campus. Kayla also told the story of how her and Safehaven’s soon-to-be manager Steven Nicholson, met at a Paramore concert. Steven said that right now, Safehaven is undergoing the mixing process of their new album.

    Safehaven wants to release their single first, play some performances to build a bigger fanbase, and introduce the fans to some of the songs on their upcoming album. Their debut album is scheduled to be released at the beginning of November. Later on, Safehaven’s first EP will be released, which will be their song “Can’t Get Enough.”

    It’s a safe bet to say that anyone who came out and watched Safehaven perform will be prompted to purchase their single “Falling Up,” and quite possibly their debut album from iTunes. Then again, some may prefer to just go out and get the actual CD. Either way, listeners who buy Safehaven’s music are fans that will definitely help the band’s cause. 

    Safehaven is quickly rising to a remarkable level of fame with their music, and it’s only a matter of time before their music gets international attention.