BIO

Popular rock band Superior Olive has been filling dance floors and concert halls at hotspots from San Diego to Olympia, performing everywhere from original showcases to dance rock clubs to charity concerts for the likes of Toys for Tots.  Combining danceable pop rock with progressive influences, Superior Olive succeeds in blending orchestral tenderness with raw primal rock energy, as if the spirit of Mozart inhabited Ozzie Osbourne and became the front man for Pink Floyd.

Delivering lyrics with power and emotion, Superior Olive front man and 2008 New Artist of the Year Tom Savell captivates and charms his audience through his unmistakable voice, and then surprises and delights when he switches mid-song from rocking guitar to a fiery violin solo then back.  The award winning singer, songwriter, guitarist and violinist’s 2007 debut solo album You Just Gotta Love It received extensive radio airplay with two #1 radio hits in 2008.  Radio industry executives honored Tom by naming him Adult Contemporary New Artist of the Year at the 2008 New Music Awards in Hollywood, CA.  And it’s not just radio singing praises:

`Any new artist that starts off their CD with two covers of Moody Blues founder Mike Pinder has got to be worth a listen.  A cover apiece of Pinder’s 1968 Moodies b-side “A Simple Game” and “So Deep Within You” from 1969 are two of his best and Tom Savell does them both justice…’

Robert Silverstein, 20th Century Guitar Magazine, May 2008

`…one need only listen to the solo present during “Play Me” to see the beauty of the act.’

Neufutur Magazine, Jan. 2008

Tom Savell received "Best Local Musician" in the Santa Cruz Metro Goldie Awards for the second straight year in 2008 and the You Just Gotta Love It CD was “Album of the Week” on music journalist John Shelton Ivany’s influential website.  The accomplished guitarist and violinist, who regularly performs violin with Bay Area psychedelic rockers “It’s A Beautiful Day”, is working on a new album with Superior Olive slated for release in 2010.

Superior Olive bass player and singer Joel Savell was recently featured along with his brother and band leader Tom Savell on the latest album Mutiny from legendary drummer Aynsley Dunbar, known for his work with Journey, Frank Zappa, Jefferson Starship, and many others.  In addition to being featured performers on the album, Joel and Tom contributed their songwriting skills to the new release.  Joel co-wrote the lamenting rock ballad “Mourning” and Tom wrote the progressive blues-rock tune “Tough To Beat”.   Mutiny was released in Europe in November 2008 and in the US in January 2009 on SPV Records.  Besides his work with Superior Olive and Aynsley Dunbar, Joel has released an album of his surf-alternative music entitled Fetal Pigs In Brine..


March 2007

The crowd-pleasing rock group Superior Olive plays a spectrum of music including danceable rock from the 1960’s to present day, concert rock, and progressive-jam music influenced by Pink Floyd, Genesis, and Frank Zappa.  Beyond their extensive list of cover songs, they have also released three CD’s of original music.  The band frequently tours the West Coast and has a strong sense of goodwill and charity, performing for worthwhile causes such as Toys for Tots and Valley Churches United Missions.  The members of Superior Olive are Tom Savell (vocals/guitar/violin), Joel Savell (vocals/bass), Keith Graves (drums), Chad Leachman (guitar), and Eric Sanford (keyboards), with management and production support from Jacob Savell.

Frontman/singer and violinist/guitarist Tom Savell started his music career as a ten year-old at the School for Creative and Performing Arts in Cincinnati, OH.   He quickly moved on to a 2-year stint with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra - Youth Division, eventually earning a Bachelors Degree in Music from UC San Diego, where he learned that Superior Olive’s are brain centers that process spatial and directional information from the ears.   Tom has numerous album and independent film recording credits, having recorded with Aynsley Dunbar (Frank Zappa, Journey), Jorge Bermudez (Crowded House, Santana), and was a featured soloist on Gregory Page’s "The Romantic Adventures of Harry" (Bizarre/Planet Records).

Multi-talented drummer Keith Graves is well known in the Bay Area as a sought after session musician and has logged hundreds of hours in the studio and on the road, both on drums and bass guitar.  Keith has recorded with the likes of Rico Reyes (Carlos Santana), David Lowery (Cracker), and Greg Camp (Smash Mouth), and has worked with many others including Jerry Miller (Moby Grape).

Bassist/vocalist Joel Savell received his first bass guitar at a young age as a gift from Jacob Savell, and began performing with the group very soon afterward.  In addition to his work with Superior Olive, Joel has released his own CD of surf music with his band Fetal Pigs in Brine.

Guitarist Chad Leachman started with Joel’s band and was tapped for work with Superior Olive after successful shows in San Francisco.

Keyboardist Eric Sanford has been playing since he was eight years old, and has provided piano lessons to children in the Santa Cruz area for several years.

 

 

July, 2001

Superior Olive blends pop rock with classical and world music influences using a traditional guitar-bass-keyboards-drums lineup. They also throw in an occasional violin or sitar. Bandleader Tom Savell sings vocals and plays guitar, violin, and keyboards. With producer Jacob Save, Tom has released three Superior Olive albums on the Still Fumin' Records label, It’s All In The Mind (1989), Farewell To The Illusion (1991), and Ziggurat (2001).

Tom began his music career playing violin in orchestras at an early age and was earning union-scale by the age of 13. He has recorded on numerous albums including Gregory Page’s Romantic Adventures of Harry (1994, Bizzare/Planet), and has recorded with drummer Aynsley Dunbar. Tom has “a powerful voice” according to radio personality Sleepy John of KPIG in Freedom, CA. He is also an audio chip architect, a published author in the field of digital audio, and holds patents in digital audio processing. His background led to the interesting origin of the band name, Superior Olive. Jacob asked Tom if he knew anything in the brain that had to do with music or sound. Tom recalled that Superior Olives are the complexes in the brain that decode stereo hearing – the parts of the brain that tell if sound is coming from the left or the right. Thus was born the name.

NEW SUPERIOR OLIVE CD RELEASED WITH DRUMMER AYNSLEY DUNBAR

July 14,2001

Superior Olive has joined with drummer Aynsley Dunbar for their latest album, entitled Ziggurat, released on the Santa Cruz-based Still Fumin' Records label. The CD comes packaged inside a comic book that narrates the music, telling a twisted tale of ancient history and the human condition. The music integrates pop rock with classical music and Gregorian chant using a traditional rock lineup, sprinkled with world instruments such as sitar, conga, and djembe.

Bandleader Tom Savell sings vocals and plays guitar, violin, and keyboards on the album. Joining him are his brother Joel Savell (bass, vocals, artwork), Aynsley Dunbar (drums), Carl Wakeland (grand piano), Anup Patel (sitar), Jacob Save (vocals, percussion, producer), and Jorge Bermudez (percussion).
Aynsley Dunbar has recorded on a number of top hit albums. He recorded and toured with Frank Zappa for many years. He was an original member of Journey with whom he recorded their first 4 albums. Among others, he has also recorded with David Bowie, Starship, and Whitesnake.

Carl Wakeland is a classically trained pianist with a passion for jazz. He has performed with artists as varied as Don Ho and Freddie Hubbard.

Jorge Bermudez has recorded with Malo and Crowded House, and performed with Pablo Cruise and Santana.

Superior Olive held a CD Release Party for Ziggurat on July 14, at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz, CA. They are currently planning a West Coast tour. Ziggurat is available through our online music store, by calling (831) 465-9474, and at all Superior Olive performances.