Say Anything is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. The band was formed in 2000 by Max Bemis and his friends, and within two years, they had self-released two EPs and a full-length album.
In 2003, the band signed with their first label, Doghouse Records. A year later, they released their second album, ...Is a Real Boy. To support the album, they picked up new members and began touring; however, despite rapidly growing critical and fan acclaim, Bemis' health problems, including bipolar disorder and drug addictions, sidelined the band in 2005 as five band members left during the year.
Say Anything signed with J Records in 2005 and, following Bemis' successful rehabilitation, re-released ...Is a Real Boy with their new label. They went on co-headlining tours with Saves the Day in 2006 and Hellogoodbye in 2007. In 2008, Say Anything went on a headlining tour across the US and UK and appeared on every date of Warped Tour.
Bemis announced Say Anything’s disbandment in 2018, months before the 2019 release of their eighth LP, Oliver Appropriate. The band reunited in 2022.
History
Early years (2000–2004) The band was formed in 2000 by Max Bemis and four of his friends as Sayanything. Within two years, they self-released two EPs, Junior Varsity and In Your Dreams, and the full-length Baseball: An Album by Sayanything.
In 2002, Sayanything added a space to their name to become Say Anything. In late 2002, Bemis and Linder recorded the Menorah/Majora EP and released the album online. By this point, Say Anything's releases had generated "a major bidding war". Drive-Thru Records pursued the band and called Max Bemis "the next Bob Dylan." Brett Gurewitz of Epitaph Records recorded "A Boston Peace," one of the dorm-room demos, with the band. In early 2003, Say Anything signed with Doghouse Records stating sarcastically that Doghouse "put out such obscure, borderline D.I.Y. records as The All-American Rejects."
After signing with the label, Bemis began writing songs for his band's Doghouse debut. Bemis went into the studio with Florida producer Paul Trust. They recorded 3 songs that were not released although one of the songs entitled "Spider Song" would later appear on a Doghouse compilation. With tremendous self-created pressure, he threw himself into pushing the sonic boundaries of the band and maturing their sound, incorporating elements of math-rock, indie-pop and theatrical pomp. He and Linder also started the search for a producer. The two met several producers but eventually decided on Tim O'Heir and Stephen Trask. Bemis struggled with different ideas for the record and decided the album should focus on "the artistic struggle, the fact that every creative person has this sick ambition to affect some sort of change in society with their art, to be more than just a guy in a band or a poet or a sculptor." Bemis originally intended the album to be a rock opera with a full script, narration, and a cast of characters. It was tentatively titled Zona! Zona! However, Bemis became overwhelmed by the entire process of writing and playing most of the instruments and had a breakdown.
"I literally lost my mind while we were recording," stated Bemis regarding the breakdown. The breakdown was precipitated by a mockumentary discussed by Bemis and O'Heir. Bemis' condition led him to believe he was being secretly filmed for the mockumentary; the situation culminated in him walking the streets of Brooklyn thinking he was being filmed while encountering friends (who were actually strangers). After recovering, Bemis decided to focus solely on the music and dropped the idea of a script. Around July 2003, the band began recording ...Is a Real Boy, their first album with Doghouse Records. Bemis said the two people he wanted to "outdo with ...Is a Real Boy were Andy Warhol and Jesus." In addition to working with O'Heir and Trask, Say Anything worked with Forrest Kline (of power pop band Hellogoodbye) to record the For Sale... EP, released in 2004. The band also worked with ECA Records to record a promotional album that was never released.
...Is a Real Boy was released August 3, 2004. The album featured Linder on drums and Bemis on vocals, guitar, bass guitar, and keyboard. ...Is a Real Boy received positive reviews, including a 99% from AbsolutePunk.net and four and a half stars (out of five) from AllMusic. When the band began touring in support of ...Is a Real Boy, they picked up Dan DeLauro, Casper Adams, and Kevin Seaton.