Sacramento was the capital of my world in my teenage and college years. Most (if not all) of the bands that got me into the music I loved, came from Sac. Obviously, the Deftones seemed to lead the way, but they were hardly the only band there that made a huge impact on my life.

Far, Simon Says, Tinfed, Quitter, Leisure, Anguish Unsaid, Silence Broken, and others, were bands I spent a considerable amount of time going to see and listening to. However, the one band that has really stuck with me through the years was Will Haven.  Will Haven was different on a fundamental level. They were friends with nearly every other band in Sac (and the scene), super well respected by everyone they toured with and tuned WAY the hell down.  Led by Grady on vocals and Jeff (Guitar) and Mike (Bass), Will Haven was like a mix of Bloodlet meets Crue’. When they were slow, they were heavier than everyone else and when they were fast they shredded. Grady sounded like a demon and was by far and away the guy who embodied being a lead singer. He didn’t talk much, he seemed aloof most of the time, and he never was one to mince words. But when he hit the stage, he exploded and for those 25-45 minutes, he was like the sun, just beaming with light.

They never got the recognition they deserved. A bit off in terms of timing for popularity, I think they could have been huge. But who cares, they always produced solid records (even now) that were awesome and still get a ton of listens by me. In particular, Carpe Diem was a record that just crushes on every level, in particular, the namesake of the album.  Even 17 years later, the song just crushes.  See if you can catch the cameos of Chino and Jaworksi.