Unsigned Spotlight: Sages
Sacramento, Ca.’s Sages unique and infectious sound coupled with powerful song writing has garnered the utmost respect from their peers while gathering immediate and loyal fans.
Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.
Dino - vocals & guitar
Chris - drums
Matt - bass
Ryan - guitar
For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Sages? How long has the band been around?
(Dino): Well, Chris played drums in Far and in Crosses, and is currently the drummer in Black Map. Matt was the vocalist for Simon Says and Key To Arson. I played guitar in a band called Track Fighter and various other local bands and Ryan was also in various local bands. As an entity, Sages has been around since 2014 or 2015 but the band as it is now has only been around for a couple years.
What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?
(Dino): When we first started, we were calling it something else. We didn't fully decide on a name yet when we were already out playing shows, but we decided on Sages as the official name shortly thereafter, maybe three or four shows in. At the time, I liked band names that were one word. Ironically, one of the band names I remember coming to mind was, Crosses, so the fact that one of the guys from Crosses is actually in the band now is still a pretty trippy thing to have occured.
Anyway, I liked names like that, and at the time I was deep down the rabbit hole of philosophy and spirituality and ancient history--things of that nature--and because I was researching the work of actual sages, the word was kind of floating around in my world, I liked what it stood for, I liked how it sounded, it sort of met that one-word criteria, and so I told the guys that I kind of want to call the project Sages, and they were down.
Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?
(Dino): Usually, not always, but usually I'll just track a demo of a song I wrote and send it to the guys, and if they dig it, we’ll go to rehearsal and feel it out, change some things, fine-tune other things, and a lot of the time just keep it as it is. There isn't any set way of songwriting though. Everyone is down to write and contribute and everyone's ideas are welcomed by everyone else.
I think the topics of the songs will change as sources of inspiration and perspectives change with time. The first record was focused a lot on existential themes, that’s just where my mind was at during that time, and the newer songs are focused more on relationships and just everyday life experiences.
What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?
(Dino): Aside from the inherent inspiration I've gotten from the bands I grew up listening to and all the doom and stoner rock bands I love, I’m really digging the most recent Starset album, “Horizons”. It’s heavy with massive riffs and modern tones, amazing production, relatable lyrics, and to me, it just sounds a little more mature and a step-up in comparison to a lot of the bands that exist in that world today.
Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?
(Dino): Well, I started playing guitar when I was a young kid and I think it’s just sort of an inevitable thing to want to eventually go from a solitary bedroom guitarist to collaborating with others. I remember one day in my junior year of high school a kid randomly came up to me and asked me if I wanted to jam with him and one of his buddies.
I guess he heard I played guitar and they were looking for a guitarist to jam with. That was basically it. That band would eventually turn into a touring band I was in for over a decade, and I’ve been in bands ever since.
What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, ect …
(Dino): I think the extent of preparation is just using my voice as little as possible and getting plenty of rest. That’s about it.
What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?
(Dino): One of the biggest highlights from my perspective was when we were recording this most recent batch of songs. When we were talking about recording a new record, Chris brought up the idea of maybe going to do the record with the same producer that recorded Black Map's last record, and since all of us are fans of Black Map and the way their record sounded, we were obviously down for that idea. Then, casually, Chris was like, "yeah, he's also in this band, Saosin...."
Chris didn't know at the time, but Saosin is literally one of my all-time favorite bands and they rarely left the CD player in my car during a very impressionable and memorable period in my life. All the bands I was friends with in the music scene at that time were all Saosin fans, basically all my friends were Saosin fans, we'd always have Saosin blasting on the stereo at our crazy scene parties, like, they were the soundtrack to my life during some of the best years. So, needless to say, when I was told the producer we're about to work with is also the guitarist in Saosin, I was blown away. Definitely a career highlight for me.
If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?
(Dino): Well, I'd definitely love to tour with any of the bands I mentioned in this interview so far. Also, I just have to say, when I was on tour last year with Black Map (I was their stage manager/tech), we were out with 10 Years and Vrsty, and I have to say that the entire group of folks on that tour, all the 10 Years boys, the Vrsty boys, and obviously the Black map boys, as well as everyone's crew, every single person on that tour was so cool and so much fun to tour with, I would love to tour with any and all of them again someday. Watching 10 Years every night was such a treat. They are true veterans in the game and I have the utmost respect for all of them.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
(Dino): Sure! Don't forget to connect with us on the socials. We're all on Instagram pretty often so if you're on there, let's connect: @wearesages