Born from the ashes of two of New York City’s most exciting bands, the Saints and Lovers story begins with the auspicious meeting of Dennis Cahlo, formerly of the Realistics, and guitarist Scott Meola. Sharing a love of noise, minimalism, and a music-as-art aesthetic, the two musicians bonded immediately. Meola’s ghostly, layered guitar was the perfect complement to Cahlo’s supernal voice. After an initial exchange of ideas, Cahlo and Meola began rehearsing for their residency at Pianos in New York. The duo stood out from the pack with their unearthly sound. After an amazing reception throughout the month, the next step was the addition of a drummer. Scott’s brother Doug joined the fold and rehearsals began in preparation for their first full-band show at Mercury Lounge.
With the addition of Doug’s Sturm und Drang drumming, the Saints sound bloomed. The original ambient echoes of Brian Eno, U2, and Jeff Buckley took a new form. Now there were mentions of The Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, Sigur Rós, Spiritualized, David Bowie, The Cure, Slowdive, and Joy Division. Cahlo’s beautiful falsetto drifted over a dense fog of noise that left audiences in disbelief that three
musicians could create such a mammoth sound.
The band continues to perform in New York, opening for great acts like The Raveonettes, The Bravery, The Dears, and Morningwood. Marrying the seemingly disparate elements of the three-and-a-half minute pop song with dissonance, volume, and bombast, Saints and Lovers has created an incredibly unique sound. Sarah Lewitinn of Spin wrote, “In about one year’s time this will be your absolutely favorite band of all time.†In increasing numbers, fans all over New York and beyond agree that they’ve stumbled onto a band that is truly original—one that truly matters.
