No you can’t go

It’s always something, seeing a band that’s made a name for itself in underground circles make the jump to a major label. It’s equal parts built-in excitement courtesy of the hype-pushers and a morbid curiosity at seeing them either sprout or wilt under the stage lights.

Saves the Day has recently stepped up from the über-emo Vagrant Records to the real big time of DreamWorks, and this Saturday it’ll be showing off its new clothes at Chico State’s BMU Auditorium. But catching a glimpse of the next-big-thing rising up MTV’s emo escalator is something only Chico State students will get to experience. The reason, we’re told, is to enable AS Presents to better control the large crowd expected.

Signed to a record deal while they were still in high school, the New Jersey punkers cut their rock teeth opening for no less than Weezer, Blink-182 and Dashboard Confessional. As kinetic and hyper as their contemporaries, STD will spread the pop hooks generously and deliver them in fairly straightforward blasts of punk intensity that at times will even veer into slightly math-rockish pit stops. Mostly, though, lead singer/guitarist Chris Conley will spill his guts with lyrics like, "If you’ve got a quarter / you can stick it in my neck / and I’ll sing whatever song you want / for whatever mood you’re in," and you can bet that there will be a hundred girls getting ready to go to the show, packing their pockets with plenty of change.