 Southern California's very own ska-pop special Save Ferris are serving up a fine little dish of finger-snapping frenzies. Featuring guitarist Brian Mashburn, saxophonist Eric Zamora, bassist Bill Uechi and trumpeter Jose Castellanos, Save Ferris formed in 1995, later adding drummer Marc Harismendy, trombone whiz-kid T-Bone Willy and vocalist Monique Powell. Before adding Mo Powell to the lineup, the boys had whipped up an impressive collection of songs and played a couple of local gigs. By the time the roster was complete, they recorded and mixed seven songs in 30 hours. The result, a self-released EP called Introducing Save Ferris, quickly sold out at shows and was a hit at local record stores, selling more than 12,000 copies. In 1996 the band was one of 6,000 chosen to compete in the NARAS Foundation Grammy Showcase, which ranked them the best local and regional band and sent them to New York for the final round. Their performance caught the eye of an Epic Records senior vice president and by the time they returned home they had not only won the contest but had landed a contract with a major record label. Save Ferris recorded their first full-length, It Means Everything, a few months later. Epic also re-released the band's EP which featured the popular radio single "The World is New." The album, produced by Peter Collins (Suicidal Tendencies/Jewel), features a re-make of the Dexys Midnight Runners' hit "Come On Eileen."
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