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Saraya Saturday

YEAH! IT’S SARAYA SATURDAY!

1 min read

Just when you thought Tony Martin Tuesday wasn’t enough, I now present you with SARAYA SATURDAY!

The New Jersey hard rock band Saraya never really broke big but they earned a die-hard cult following because of the release of two fantastic albums, their 1989 self-titled debut and 1991’s underrated classic, When the Blackbird Sings.  Saraya was a sadly underrated and overlooked band but after re-discovering the band in 2021, it’s become my goal to make sure that all fans of great hard rock music know about Saraya!

“When the Blackbird Sings” is not just in my top 5 favorite Saraya songs but it’s one of the best songs of the ’90s hard rock era, in my opinion.  Chockful of Led Zeppelin influence, this song just never ceases to blow mind.  So here it is… from me to you… on Saraya Saturday!

About The Author

Don

I have been running this blog since 2009. AKA as the Great Southern Brainfart, Southeast of Heaven is my baby now and forever. I’ve had my ups and downs with bands over the years but they are all great experiences and memories. My Swedish friend Charlie said once, “Don is known for being one of the meanest bastards in American rock journalism.” It’s nice to be loved.

I also once took a shit in Anthrax’s dressing room toilet and didn’t flush.

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4 Responses

  1. Thanks a lot for your reply! By the way, I must say you were onto something when you came up with these Saraya Saturday posts, especially since this year the date of December 31st… is on a Saturday. Therefore, it could be cool if you were able to kick off another season of these posts that exact same day with something special to celebrate this occasion. Something like a top 5 list (or even top 10/11, provided you have enough material to work with) of your all-time favourite Saraya songs. If you ask me, that could be a worthwhile tribute to Sandi’s (as well as the band’s) overlooked and underrated legacy as songwriters, performers and musicians in general.
    Additionally, it could also work as a neat homage to Sandi herself due to the post’s appropriate timing. What do you think of this suggestion?

    P.S.: Sorry for the repeated comments, there were a few typos in the previous versions and I couldn’t remove or edit them for correction purposes.

    Reply

    1. I LOVE your passion for Saraya and I got a big kick out of you wanting to see this feature. So just for you (and anyone else who cares), I will re-instate SARAYA SATURDAY on the first and third Saturday of each month starting on December 31 where I will feature my Top 10 Saraya songs. Thanks again and please spread the word to everyone you know! 2023 will be a great year!

      Reply

  2. It really sucks that this Saraya Saturday thing ended after only a few posts (especially since we’re in December now, which just HAPPENS to be when Sandi’s own birthday happens, on the very last fucking day of the year no fucking less). I would’ve loved to see posts on other material from their discography, such as their bootlegged demos from their Alsace Lorraine days and live material, as well as on songs like Fire to Burn, St. Christopher’s Medal, Queen of Sheba, New World (or on pretty much the entirety of the Blackbird album period), and even on my personal faves like Hitchin’ a Ride, Lion’s Den and the B-side exclusive track Chainsmokin’ (only available via a low-quality rip on YouTube unfortunately). I would especially love to know your thoughts in the latter two tracks in particular, since I’ve noted a subtle (or probably not) influence from the Funk Metal/Rock movement (which was causing quite the buzz around the time this release came out) in their overall sound and feel. It would also be really cool if you shared these posts in that unofficial Saraya band page on Facebook, as they could potentially attract more interest in this criminally overlooked and severely underrated outfit. Since that particular page has been dormant for quite a while now, that could be an interesting way to spread more awareness on Saraya and potentially increase YouTube statistics and Spotify streaming statistics on all their songs. Hope you take this into consideration, and great job on your articles!

    P.S.: I apologize for this being an overlong text wall, I got balls deep into Saraya recently and this topic has given me more to talk about than pretty much any other musical artist I’ve ever gotten into this far.

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much for your enthusiasm. I really do appreciate it and I had no idea that Saraya Saturdays was making an impact. Hang tight as it will be returning after the new year for sure!

      Reply

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