Spotlight on: Save Our City, local band

With two years so far in the making, Save Our City, a local unsigned Downey alternative rock band, is attempting to make a breakthrough in the music industry.Save Our City got their name originally from a close friend and decided to keep it, as they saw it as a reflection of what they think of society. The band consists of Jesse Salcido as the lead guitarist, Steven Torres on vocals, Renzo Penaherrera on rhythm guitar and vocals, Evan Walker as their drummer, and Oscar Morales as their bass player. Like most bands Save Our City's band members all met at their school, Warren High. It took some problem solving and the right mixture of people to make this band complete. "Since the beginning of the band there have been lots of dropped members," said various band members. "Finding the right mix of people to give us our sound [was a big obstacle]." Of course each and every band member was inspired to become a musician which has led them to this band. Inspiration flocked from either their father in Walker's case, a famous musician in Salcido's and Morales' case, or just from the love they have for music in Torres' case, but Penaherrera says his story is a little different and entertaining. "Well my story is pretty funny," he said. "There was a girl that I told I could play guitar, when I really couldn't, so I picked up the guitar just to play for her. From there on I basically realized it was pretty fun and kept going with it." The guys shared that Social Distortion, Audio Karate, My Chemical Romance, Nirvana, Dream Theatre, and many other bands are what influence them in their process of music making and what they want their music to sound like. Save Our City is not new to all the commotion of getting ready for shows and performing their music to different faces. "The Epic Lounge [was one of my favorite places] because it was in the heart of my hometown." said Walker. They have played at a variety of places such as local Downey back yards, along with music stores, The Alley in Fullerton, and at Chain Reaction which is located in Anaheim. In addition to all the places where they have performed, they have also played along side Chump Change, New Season Pilot, and Eyes Break, all are local bands, and many others. A year ago they even got to open for Tempe, Ariz.'s band Eyes Set to Kill. To do things one could not think of accomplishing and challenging one's self is what Save our City is about. "We want our fans to really just follow their passions in life." said the band. Being in a band is a long and hard commitment to uphold, but there are many positive things to get out of it in return. "The friendship we all share, and of course being able to play amazing music is awesome," said Salcido. While friendship and putting out music are perks, releasing stress and hanging out with the guys were two others according to Walker. With New Years here the band hopes to book new shows and come up with new music for their fans to enjoy. They have demos on their Myspace page which you can go visit and listen to. Information about booking can also be found at http://www.myspace.com/saveourcityband. ********** Published: January 2, 2009 - Volume 7 - Issue 37