Saetia
Saetia
American hardcore punk band
Saetia (pronounced SAY-shuh) is a New York City-based screamo band. While relatively unknown during their initial existence, the band is now seen as one of the most critically lauded bands of the late-1990s screamo scene. Stewart Mason of AllMusic described their music as an "essential document" for fans of screamo.[3]
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2007) |
Saetia | |
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| Origin | New York City, New York, United States |
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| Years active |
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| Labels |
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| Members | Billy Werner Adam Marino Colin Bartoldus Steve Roche Tom Schlatter |
| Past members | Greg Drudy Matt Smith Alex Madara Jamie Behar[2] |
1997–1999: Formation, Saetia and breakup
Saetia initially formed in February 1997 when each of its members were attending New York University.[4] Their name originates from a misspelling of the Miles Davis track "Saeta", from his album Sketches of Spain.[citation needed] The band had numerous members throughout its existence, with frequent changes in membership. The band's first bass player, Alex Madara, was affected by a severe allergic reaction which placed him into a coma for eight days, finally resulting in his death on December 14, 1998.[5]
Their drummer, Greg Drudy, was the original drummer of the band Interpol prior to their current popularity. He operated the record label Level Plane, which was initially started so Saetia could release a 7-inch single to sell at shows.[6] Other members of the band continued their musical careers in numerous outfits, some of them joining screamo bands such as Off Minor, Hot Cross and The Fiction, as well as the bands Errortype: Eleven and Instruction.[4][7]
The group would eventually break up in October 1999. Saetia's final, posthumous single, "Eronel" (also a title of a Thelonious Monk composition) was released under the Witching Hour label in 2000. The single contains three songs recorded by Steve Roche and mixed by Pat Kenneally. In 2001, Level Plane issued A Retrospective, a discography album that compiles every recording the band has made, including recordings taken from one of the last shows the band played at ABC No Rio.
2016: Posthumous releases
In 2016, Secret Voice, the label of Touché Amoré vocalist Jeremy Bolm, released Collected, a two-disc, 180 gram vinyl set that includes every studio recording by the group.[8][5] The tracks from the ABC No Rio also saw their own release in the form of a cassette titled Live At ABC No Rio Spring 1999, which was also released in 2016 through Secret Voice.[9]
2022: Reunion
In April 2022, Saetia, consisting of Billy Werner, Jamie Behar, Adam Marino, Colin Bartoldus, and Steve Roche, announced via Instagram that they rehearsed for the first time in 24 years.[10][11] In November 2022, they played live at four locations in New York and Pennsylvania.[12]
- Billy Werner – vocals on all
- Greg Drudy – drums on all
- Jamie Behar – guitar on all
- Adam Marino – guitar on Demo, Saetia 7", Saetia LP/CD
- Alex Madara (deceased) – bass on Demo, Saetia 7"
- Colin Bartoldus – bass on Saetia LP/CD, guitar on Eronel 7"
- Steve Roche – bass on Eronel 7", guitar at final live performance before disbandment, drums for reunion
- Matt Smith – bass at final live performance before disbandment
- Tom Schlatter - guitar for reunion
Studio albums
| Year | Album Details | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Saetia | 1,000 CD copies pressed, 1,000 LP copies pressed. 800 LPs were packaged in "standard" sleeves, 100 were packaged in the same sleeve but with the colors inverted, and 100 were tour editions that came in sleeves similar to the CD edition. |
Singles and EPs
| Year | Album Details | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Demo
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Includes two tracks (Venus and Bacchus, One Dying Wish) that would later re-appear on the band's 1997 self-titled 7". |
| 1997 | Saetia
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1,000 copies pressed, multiple different sleeve variations exist |
| 1999 | Eronel
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1,000 copies packaged in standard sleeves, 100 handnumbered copies packaged in a "paperback" manilla envelope, 10 handnumbered copies packaged in a manilla envelope with a picture of the band stuck on it, and 25 copies packaged in special "gravestone" sleeves that were sold as part of the Witching Hour Subscription Series. |
| 2016 | Live At ABC No Rio Spring 1999
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Features tracks previously released on A Retrospective. Unknown number of copies pressed, all copies purple. |
Compilation albums
| Year | Album Details | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | A Retrospective
|
Features entire recorded discography and live tracks recorded at a show at ABC No Rio in the spring of 1999 |
| 2016 | Collected
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Pressed on 180 gram black vinyl. Includes the band's entire studio discography |
- Band Profile at Level Plane Records Archived 2009-09-21 at the Wayback Machine
- Home page at Level Plane Records
- Saetia at AllMusic
- Ryan Buege (June 15, 2008). "Circle Takes the Square is in the Studio". Metal Injection. Retrieved June 17, 2008.
- Mason, Stewart. "Saetia - A Retrospective". allmusic.com. Allmusic. Retrieved 2017-06-20.
- n/a. "No Such Thing As A Stupid Question #2: Billy Werner (Saetia, Hot Cross)". formundleere.blogspot.com. Blogspot. Retrieved 2017-06-20.
- Heisel (2016-01-12), Scott. "Saetia discography to be reissued by Touché Amoré frontman's label". substreammagazine.com. Sub Stream. Retrieved 2017-06-20.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - Davenport (2017-05-30), Joe. "Interview with Greg Drudy". adequacy.net. Delusions of Adequacy. Retrieved 2017-06-20.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - n/a. "Interview with Steve Roche". zegemabeachrecords.com. Zegema Beach Records. Retrieved 2017-06-20.
- Anthony (2016-06-15), David (13 June 2016). "Take an exclusive look at Saetia's double LP retrospective, Collected". The A.V. Club. The AV Club. Retrieved 2017-06-20.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - Ozzi (2016-01-12), Dan (12 January 2016). "Listen to a Live Cassette from Screamo Legends, Saetia". noisy.vice.com. Vice. Retrieved 2017-06-20.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - Sacher, Andrew (3 April 2022). "Saetia just rehearsed for the first time in 24 years (watch)". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
- "Like riding a bike…that you haven't been on in 24 years". Instagram. Retrieved April 4, 2022.