Saliva is an American rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1996. Saliva released their self-titled debut album in 1997 through Rockingchair Records, a label owned and operated by Mark Yoshida. The release was recorded and produced by Bill Pappas at Rockingchair Studios.
They were signed to Island Def Jam Records and went on to release their second studio album Every Six Seconds. Saliva later released their third studio album titled Back into Your System in 2002, which reached No. 19 on the Billboard 200. Back into Your System launched one of Saliva's most successful songs, "Always", reaching No. 51 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Modern Rock Chart. Three years after Survival of the Sickest, Saliva released Blood Stained Love Story in 2007, repeating Back into Your Systems chart performance at No. 19 on the Billboard 200. Its first single, "Ladies and Gentlemen", peaked at No. 2 on the Mainstream Rock Chart. Their most well known lineup, which lasted from 2000-2005, consisted of Josey Scott, Wayne Swinny, Chris D'Abaldo, Dave Novotny, and Paul Crosby.
History
Formation and Saliva (1996–1999) Saliva was founded in Bartlett, Tennessee (a suburb of Memphis, Tennessee) in September 1996 by former members of local bands Roxy Blue, Blackbone and Gemini Clan. The original line-up featured vocalist Josey Scott Sappington, drummer Todd Poole, bassist Dave Novotny and guitarists Chris D'Abaldo and Wayne Swinny. The band played their first show on Halloween, October 31, 1996 with Sappington dressed in a nun costume and Novotny dressed in a voodoo costume.
In December 1996, only four months after forming, the band hastily recorded a demo tape, on the basis of which they were selected, out of 117 local bands, to perform at the second annual Grammy Showcase National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences' local competition. The band barely had time to finish mixing the tracks of their demo tape at Rockingchair Recording Studios in order to submit their application before the deadline. The local showcase had Saliva perform alongside four other Tennessee and Arkansas bands (DDT Big Band, Mash-o-Matic, Straight Up Buzz and Ashtray Babyhead) on January 24, 1997 at Memphis' New Daisy Tavern. Saliva ranked first place at the local showcase and advanced to the regional showcase held in Austin, Texas on February 7, 1997. Their demo tape had since been re-mixed with a better production and the song "Suffocate" was included on the 1997 Grammy Showcase Various Artists compact disc compilation, released through Grammy Recordings, alongside the eleven other bands with whom they would be competing in the regional showcases.
Saliva again won first place in the regional showcase and they advanced to the national finals, held in New York City on February 22, 1997, competing against the other two regional finalists: folk trio Maggi, Pierce, and EJ and rock band Save Ferris. Saliva came in second behind Save Ferris, but still received worthy consolation prizes including money, equipment and tickets to 1997's 39th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony. By this point, Saliva had only played a total of six concerts, but they began to be courted by major record label A&R scouts.
The band was nominated for Best Newcomer at the 12th Annual Premier Player Awards, the local Memphis edition of the Grammy Awards, held at The Peabody's Memphis Ballroom on April 16, 1997. Saliva also appeared at Memphis' Crossroads '97 music exhibition as part of Memphis in May's Beale Street Music Festival showcase on May 2, 1997.
In the spring and summer of 1997, Saliva returned to Rockingchair Recording Studios in Memphis to record additional songs with producers Bill Pappas and Mark Yoshida, which were combined with the re-mixed songs from their demo tape into their self-titled debut album . Saliva was released on compact disc in mid-August 1997 through producer Yoshida's own independent record label Rockingchair Records. A CD-release party was held at Club 616 in Memphis on Friday, August 15, 1997. The album went on to sell over 10,000 copies within two years, prompting Island Records A&R representatives to again take notice of the band. The band's debut album was repressed following Saliva's major label success through a licensing deal between Rockingchair Records and hip hop record label Diamond Productions. The reissue was distributed by RED Distribution imprint RUMM (RED Urban Music Marketing) and featured an updated artwork designed by Brandon Seavers at AudioGraphic MasterWorks.