Off the Record

DJ Sharkbite 0:00
What's up? Guys? Welcome to WKNC. I'm DJ shark bite, and today I'm joined by Alex Rossiter and Nat Esten from Saved by the 90s, just ahead of their performance headlining at Packapalooza. Let's get to know this band a little better together. Hey guys, welcome and thanks for talking to me today,

Alex Rossiter 0:16
of course. Thank you for having us. Thank you. Yeah.

DJ Sharkbite 0:19
So where are you guys from originally?

Alex Rossiter 0:25
So we're based out of New York City, where we have been for, wow, about 15 years at this point, and we're this, I think this is going to be our first time down in Raleigh. So we're pretty excited.

DJ Sharkbite 0:37
Oh, wow. What brings you guys down to North Carolina?

Nat Esten 0:41
Packapalooza. That's what we've heard so much about this, this crazy, fun event, and so this will be our first time in town.

DJ Sharkbite 0:49
That's awesome. How familiar are you guys with NC State?

Alex Rossiter 0:55
You know, I have some family that actually live in Wake Forest, so I'm excited to see all them too, and otherwise not super familiar though, with NC State, so we're looking forward to seeing the community and get to know everyone

DJ Sharkbite 1:10
that's awesome. Well, I'm looking forward to Packapalooza as well. It should be a lot of fun. How long have you guys been making music?

Nat Esten 1:21
We've been together, actually, as a as a group, since 2010 Oh, wow, and yeah. So we were a group of friends. Most of us met in college at Berkeley College of Music, and when we moved to New York, we started this band as sort of a lark, and we were playing in bars, and then those bars turned into clubs, and those clubs turned into theaters, and so now we have a touring operation with different bands based in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Austin and Columbus, Ohio, and we travel the whole country performing our favorite songs from the 1990s

DJ Sharkbite 1:59
That's incredible. Have you guys done many other projects, or is saved by the 90s? Kind of, your focus, saved

Alex Rossiter 2:06
by the 90s is definitely the focus. We've tried a few other things, but, you know, there's something about the 90 that has just really clicked with our demographic. You know, people sort of between the ages of 25 and 45 or so, there seems to be, like a lot of nostalgia for that kind of music, and we personally all just kind of grew up with that and loved that style of music. So really saving the 90s is the focus

DJ Sharkbite 2:27
that makes sense. So you guys grew up with this music. It's kind of what made you start making music.

Alex Rossiter 2:38
Yeah, these are the these are the albums that I was going to my local record store and buying, and that's still some of the same music that we're playing to this day. And, you know, conversely, playing in this band has has allowed me to appreciate a lot of music that maybe that came out when I was a kid, that I didn't listen to. It's really kind of painted a more broad picture of what was coming out in the 90s, and the different styles and different ways to appreciate it.

DJ Sharkbite 3:10
So who would you say are some of your favorite bands from the 90s? Well, we

Nat Esten 3:16
don't want to spoil too much we got coming up in the set list, but you know, we try and perform all different styles of the 90s. So I would say some of my personal favorites that we play are just to give you, like a sampling. Or would be Third Eye Blind, the Spice Girls, spin doctors, and let's say collective soul, Oh, wow, it's a good sampling. Like, you know, we try and, do you know, we try and cast a pretty wide net. Yeah, that's quite

DJ Sharkbite 3:52
a variety. Exactly. I heard somewhere that at some of your shows, dressing up like it's the 90s. Is encouraged. Is that true? And do a lot of people do it?

Alex Rossiter 4:04
Absolutely, yeah, I think it helps make a more inclusive kind of environment for everyone. You know, it's a fun sort of style to dress up in sort of bright colors from the 90s. And, you know, the whole band will be dressed up. And we would really encourage anyone and everyone to come dressed up, you know, in your favorite 90s gear.

DJ Sharkbite 4:25
That's awesome. You guys have performed a lot of places all over the United States. What is one of the most memorable venues that you've played at?

Nat Esten 4:37
I think I would say that one of our favorite places to play, and we've played this place all over the country, is the House of Blues. Oh, wow. And the day before, we're playing at pocket Palooza, we're playing in Myrtle Beach at the House of Blues. And that will be the final House of Blues we've played in all that we will have played in all of the house of. Losing the whole country once we play that show.

DJ Sharkbite 5:01
Wow, that is incredible. Traveling around. Sounds like an interesting time. Are there any cities that you got to see for the first time because of your band?

Alex Rossiter 5:13
Oh my gosh, yeah. So many, so many. I mean, we've been so fortunate to fly down to, you know, we've got to play in Universal Studios. We've gotten to play down in down in Mexico. In the past, we've played in the Bahamas. I mean, we're going to, in a couple weeks, to Bismarck, North Dakota, and

Nat Esten 5:34
yeah, this Saturday, yeah. Oh, wow, yeah. So did. We did Hawaii a few years ago in Paris, France.

DJ Sharkbite 5:43
That's incredible.

Nat Esten 5:45
We're very fortunate.

DJ Sharkbite 5:47
So out of those, all of this traveling, Is there someplace that stands out to you as, like very interesting and maybe not what you thought it was when you first traveled there?

Alex Rossiter 6:00
Well, I can't think of a specific but sort of in general, I think what this allows us to do is to go and visit places that maybe we wouldn't have thought to visit before, and we end up loving these communities. Like, I remember the first time we went to Akron, Ohio, I was thinking like, I don't know if I would ever have chosen to plan a trip to this lovely town. And now, you know, we love places like that, you know, and we're always welcomed with open arms. And we find that there are just like, lovely people all over this country that are just sort of really willing to meet new people and try new things. And it's been a blast. Yeah,

DJ Sharkbite 6:41
that's sounds incredible. In addition to all of this travel, you guys have gotten to work with a lot of really interesting, famous artists who were making music in the 90s, who have been some of your favorite to work with.

Nat Esten 6:58
I think our all time favorite is Mark McGrath from Sugar Ray. Oh, wow. We've gotten a chance to play with him a few times, and he's just a real gem of a person, incredibly kind and gracious and sweet. And so we've played with him a few times. We're actually getting to performing him again in January on the 90s cruise, which is a cruise that's leaving from Tampa. We're really looking forward to that.

DJ Sharkbite 7:23
That sounds like a great time. Do you guys still get star struck every time you meet someone who was making music in the 90s?

Alex Rossiter 7:33
It's funny, because these are folks that we would see on our television sets when we grew up, right? People that were on MTV. And, you know, I remember when we met the from the first time we met Coolio, and I was so star struck. And a lot of these guys, they couldn't be more humble. They're just so really excited to be there and be a part of what we're doing and celebrate that music. And this is music that they put out, you know, 2030, years ago, and people to this day are still consuming and enjoying music that they wrote. So, you know, it's, it's always a pleasure to to to meet and hang out with these people and find that they're just like so down to earth and cool to work with.

DJ Sharkbite 8:14
Wow, that sounds so incredible. I'm wondering what kinds of concerts were you able to go to when you were younger and when you were growing up in the 90s and sort of first consuming this music? Are there any standouts in terms of shows you got to go see?

Nat Esten 8:34
Yeah, Alex and I were actually long before we met. We were at the same concert in Massachusetts in 1999 it was a local radio show called loco bazooka, and it was, it was slipknot and System of a Down and machine head. And who else was there? I said, I'm forgetting somebody. I think Primus was the headline. Yeah, Primus was, yeah. And so we, you know, like that was, you know, that was, like a, you know, a real time capsule. And Alex and I, when we met many years later, realized we had done the same exact show in 1999

DJ Sharkbite 9:08
that's so funny. And that is an insane lineup. I know, I know it's crazy, yeah, no, that's, that is quite a lineup. What sort of got you started with doing music? You said that you went to college for it. What led you there?

Alex Rossiter 9:31
I mean, I was playing trumpet. I still play trumpet occasionally, but in my like school band, and I remember my parents said, Hey, if you play trumpet in school for a couple years, you can then pick an instrument, you know about rock instrument or something. And so I chose the bass guitar, because everybody needs a bassist, right? And true. So I'm playing in high so I just ended up being obsessed with with a with the bass. Guitar and in high school, so much so that it led me to Berkeley, where, you know, I then, thankfully, met some of my best buds in that and Danny, who was our partner over on the West Coast, and, and, yeah, we just took it from there.

DJ Sharkbite 10:14
That's yeah. I mean, a love of music is how you get there. What? What is one of the favorite, your favorite songs that you've gotten to perform that really stands out to you as like, wow, I got to do this song.

Nat Esten 10:34
I think, I think that, you know, we try and mix it up a lot. We've played over 300 songs throughout our time together. But I think that, you know, some of the coolest experiences have been performing some of these songs with their writers. And I think one of the coolest ones we ever did was with Dolores O'Riordan, the singer, the late singer of cranberries. We performed with her an event A few years ago, and it ended up being her final performance. So that was like a true honor to be able to play with someone so legendary. Wow. You know that? Yeah, that became like a real memory for all of us.

DJ Sharkbite 11:11
Yeah, I can imagine, yeah. Have you been ever given advice or even stories from any of these artists that you might not have heard otherwise.

Alex Rossiter 11:29
Oh, man, advice. Advice, maybe not so much, but the stories are always really great to hear again. While I can't pinpoint one, we've played a couple shows with with Paulie Shor, and I could listen to that guy talk for hours. I mean, he's just done this so much and seen so many, so many people and so many things, and during his career that, you know, it's just, it just pours out of them. And it's always just such a, such a pleasure to listen to him speak and tell the story. So true, so true.

DJ Sharkbite 11:57
Yeah, people have lived some really interesting lives. If you could work with anyone at all, is there a dream person to collaborate with that you haven't gotten to yet? Good question.

Nat Esten 12:19
I'm not sure, you know, I think that there are a number of people who are, you know, there are people who, who we've worked with, and we hope to work with them again. Like I said, we're really, really looking forward to being on the cruise again with the likes of figure a and with Smash Mouth, which who we open for, and TLC who we open for. But it's, yeah, it's hard to say, if we have a specific person in mind that would be like a dream collaborator, because it's always sort of just like, you know, who's been available when we meet them. You know what? I mean?

DJ Sharkbite 12:56
Yeah, absolutely. What would you say the normal demographic or crowd at your shows is, do you find that there are mostly just people who grew up in the 90s there, or are there also people who are younger, who just admire the 90s, who show up?

Nat Esten 13:15
Yeah? It's definitely no Yeah. Yeah. There's definitely no normal customers. See all kinds of people, young and old or not, you know, not old, but, you know, like, it's very diverse group. You know, sometimes we're playing for colleges, you know, like this weekend or like next weekend. But also sometimes we're playing, you know, for people who are our age, which is like, you know, our mid 30s. And it sort of like runs the gamut.

DJ Sharkbite 13:39
Yeah, absolutely. I have heard that you guys have done a lot of different like festivals and things like that, so I imagine that the crowds there get pretty interesting and diverse as well.

Nat Esten 13:53
Yeah, it's

Alex Rossiter 13:54
just funny because, like, sometimes we'll play, you know, at a small bar that's packed with people, or, like, a wedding after party, and like, the energy is just really, really high, and it's small and contained. And sometimes we'll play in a county fair, and most people in front of us are in lawn chairs, you know. So we bring the same energy to every single performance, no matter what it is. And we just kind of hope that everyone, however they want to have a good time with us, whether they're sitting in a lawn chair or they're packed in a small bar.

DJ Sharkbite 14:24
Yeah, absolutely. So obviously, you guys really like 90s music and take a lot of inspiration from 90s music, but are there any modern artists that you find yourself listening to a lot right now?

Alex Rossiter 14:40
Yeah. I mean, I, you know, I think we're, you know, I think Nat and I are both music lovers at heart, which is why we do this. And I'm always listening to new music. I mean, right now I'm really liking an artist called Ethel Kane. I think they're amazing. I listen to this sort of avant garde, heart. Core band called The armed Alex G is one of my favorite artists. You know, bands like wet leg and hotline, TNT and lifeguard, I don't know, all that kind of stuff, lots of indie rock, I feel like I gravitate towards, Yeah, same

DJ Sharkbite 15:17
that's awesome. That is quite a variety of musicians that you just listed, so it sounds like your taste sort of covers everything.

Alex Rossiter 15:28
Yeah, I think it's important. It's important for me to sort of stay on top and, you know, I'm usually listening to, you know, college radio up here in Boston, where I'm based. So that's always a huge help. I think people need to listen to the radio more.

DJ Sharkbite 15:45
Yeah, I definitely can get behind that message. So what? What is your like? Dream crowd, atmosphere. I know you said that you bring the same energy to every show, but if you could have any energy brought back towards you, what are you looking for?

Nat Esten 16:10
I think, you know, I think a crowd that brings a lot of energy is going to get a lot of energy back from us, you know, like a loud crowd, a rowdy crowd, you know, a crowd that's engaged is always going to, you know, whether it's us or any other artist, you'll see, the more engaged the crowd is, the more fun the band is going to be, because the band is going to be feeling that and giving it back. You know what? I mean, it's a symbiotic relationship. So we've got a crowd that's like, moving around and making noise, that's that's always the dream,

DJ Sharkbite 16:40
yeah, absolutely. It's give and take. You guys travel a lot. Is there any downsides to that? How do you normally travel? Do you tend to fly? Do you tend to how do you get around? I think

Alex Rossiter 16:54
it kind of depends on the events where we're going again, most of us are based in New York, while we have bands sort of all around the country. But, you know, we'll, we'll travel in vans if the trip deems that to be the most appropriate method of travel. So we're pretty used to, you know, like a like most bands, packing all of our gear into a into a van, and then driving eight plus hours to the show. But you know, we're thankful that we're also allowed to, you know, get, get on a plane and fly to a show and have back lines set up for us and everything. So it kind of depends on the event, where we're going, where we're all coming from. I think we're really lucky that we get kind of the best of both worlds of that sort of pouring mentality, of packing into a van, but also being able to, you know, have a few luxuries of staying in hotels and flight shows.

DJ Sharkbite 17:49
Yeah, so it's not so much living out of a suitcase as maybe some other people do, hopefully, anyway, what was the last show that you guys did Myrtle Beach, right?

Nat Esten 18:03
No. Myrtle Beach will be the day before we come to pack a palooza. Oh, yes, yeah. I was just in the Hamptons, in Long Island on Saturday. We played this legendary club called the Steven talk house out there. And I was out there on Saturday night. It was a very raucous and loud night. That's

DJ Sharkbite 18:23
awesome. So you guys said that you have other bands, sort of, what's that like? Just other bands inspired by save by the 90s? Or who are offshoots?

Alex Rossiter 18:37
Well, there are actually other there are other branches, I guess you can call them, of saved by the 90s, essentially, one of our our other partner, who I mentioned before, Danny, who also went to be called gym music with us. He he left New York for San Francisco, and when he did that, he said, You know, I really want to keep doing this. I want to stay in this business with you guys. I'm going to put together a band out in California, and it's going to be save in the 90s, and we're going to play over there. And so we worked on it for six months to a year with him, and that was kind of how it started, where we would have different bands that were all saved by the 90s based in different areas of the country that would tour regionally. So all of these bands will, you know, get in their vans with their stuff and play the save by the 90s show in markets that we couldn't necessarily get to easily from New York. Yeah, and it's been great because now see the 90s can happen simultaneously around the country, you know, two or three or four times over on the same exact date, at the same time.

DJ Sharkbite 19:46
Wow, that's really cool. I've never really heard about a project that's like that. Do you guys sort of manage that, or does each branch do its own thing? How does that work? Yeah.

Nat Esten 19:59
A little bit of both. You know, we Alex and I manage it with Danny and so, you know, when it comes to marketing and when it comes to big picture stuff, we'll all be in touch. But when it comes to, just like boots on the ground, you know, the show happening, they'll run it pretty independently.

DJ Sharkbite 20:15
Wow, so saved by the 90s is more like a mission to spread cool 90s music than an individual band. I

Nat Esten 20:24
couldn't have said it better myself,

DJ Sharkbite 20:27
that's so that's really awesome. Are there any rituals that you have that you do before shows? Do you guys ever get stage fright still after however many shows Does that still happen to you?

Alex Rossiter 20:44
Every once in a while, you'll get a queasy feeling in your stomach, depending on how your day is going or what we're about to walk out to. But you know, I think as far as a pre show ritual, yeah, we typically all get together right before we walk on stage, and we put our hands in and we do a little chant. And so a long time ago, before we adopted the main save of the Maggie's, we called ourselves the bayside tigers, which was the sports team from save by the Bell and the football team, sorry. And so what we do is we say, Go Bayside with all of our hands in like a like a football chant before we walk onto the field. You know, which is always fun. It's a nice way again, no matter what kind of a day you're having for that you get in, you clear your head, you realize that you're in this with a team, and you walk out together and you put on the best show you can

DJ Sharkbite 21:31
wow. That sounds like a really good ritual. And it's cool that you guys were named after something so specific at one point in time, yeah. What are some of the other things that you guys are into outside of music? Do you guys do a lot of other things when you're not performing?

Nat Esten 21:54
Yeah, I'm a big reader. I actually own a bookstore in New York City, so that's my day job when I'm not playing music with these goofballs.

DJ Sharkbite 22:02
Wow. What is your bookstore called?

Nat Esten 22:06
It's called Book Club bar. It's a bookstore and a bar, and it's in the East Village of

DJ Sharkbite 22:12
Manhattan. Wow, that's a really interesting concept. Thank you. Is there anything? Oh, I'm so sorry. Go ahead.

Alex Rossiter 22:19
I was just gonna say I actually work in the music industry up in Boston, I am a talent buyer, so I book shows at a music venue for a living. But I mean, really, I spend my time. I've got a one and a half year old at home, and he eats up all my time, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

DJ Sharkbite 22:38
Oh, yeah, that's definitely a full time job. Is there anything else that you guys wanted to talk about today?

Nat Esten 22:48
I think just that we're so excited to play, you know, we're so excited to play in a new city and for such a prestigious and amazing university. So we're really excited. We

DJ Sharkbite 22:58
are sure excited to have you, and hopefully that you enjoy Raleigh, let the listeners know where they can find your socials.

Alex Rossiter 23:10
Yeah, we're, we're at the same event. I mean, on everything. It's our website, www, dot save the nineties.com, if you go there, you can find, you know, a lot of the songs that we regularly play. You can see all of the special guests that we've typically performed with, some of which were we mentioned on this call. Like net said, We're appreciative, and we cannot wait to get down to NC State. It's going to be a lot of

DJ Sharkbite 23:32
fun. Absolutely, it's been such a pleasure for talking to talking talking to you guys. Thanks so much for calling in today. Thank you. Have a good one. You too. All right, that was saved by the 90s. Thank you so much for listening. And I have been DJ shark bite, and this has been an interview by WKNC. Thank you so much. You.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai