| Saturday Looks Good to Me began in late 1999 when Fred Thomas of Flashpapr and Lovesick began to assemble a supergroup of musicians from Michigan's indie rock scene to create a festive Beach Boys-inspired pop band. Inspired by the experimental pop sounds of Godzuki's Chris Fachini and his Teach Me Tiger project, Thomas began to record a series of four-track recordings. The songs were substantially different than Thomas' work in the punky Lovesick and the subdued Flashpapr. The band's debut, 2000's Saturday Looks Good to Me, was released in May 2000 on Here Forever Always, a label owned by Thomas and Flashpapr's Ben Bracken. The album's nine songs included vocals by Erika Hoffmann of Godzuki, Risa Buburniak and Brooke Rossi of the Sparklers, and Chad Gilchrist of Outrageous Cherry and His Name Is Alive. That first release quickly sold out, and was later re-released on Ypsilanti Records with bonus tracks in February 2002 on CD.
Released in 2001, I Take a Chance Every Time stepped back from the sound of the first record's joyful sound, which was closer to the band's live sound. The new record's somber tones were closer to Thomas' work in Flashpapr. Thomas continued to be influenced by the pop sounds of the Beach Boys, Belle & Sebastian, and the Magnetic Fields. Saturday Looks Good to Me quickly gained attention for their live performances, which usually featured eight to ten members. Regular live members of the band included Grace Thorson (bass), Jacob Danziger (violin), Juan Garcia (xylophone, tambourine), Steve Middlekauf (drums), Brett Lymann (drums), Dave Shettler (drums), Erika Hoffmann (singing), Ben Bracken (guitar, bells), Aidan Dysart (keyboards), Brian Lipson (trumpet), Elliot Bergman (saxophone), Ashley Miller (viola), and Brooke Rossi (singing). Thomas then collaborated with musicians for the band's next album, recruiting Jodi Buonanno of the Secret Stars and Tara Jane O'Neil of Retsin. The finishing touches were still being made to the new album when Michigan's Whistletap Records released a disc of the band's songs in May 2002. The following year, the band made the jump to Polyvinyl for All Your Summer Songs; they returned the following year with a new vocalist, Betty Marie Barnes, and a new album, Every Night. Early 2006 saw the release of the singles collection Sound on Sound. The Cold Colors EP was the band's last Polyvinyl release before they moved to venerable indie label K Records for that fall's Fill Up the Room. ~ Stephen Cramer, All Music Guide |
