Springfield's Own Pop Rock Fern

Jan 27, 1999

Tim Brouk
Southwest Standard



Brian Snadon, bass player for the Springfield power pop/ rock band Fern, had always been fascinated by rock music growing up.

I really enjoyed it, and I would make cardboard guitars when I was younger," Snadon said. "I would turn up the music real loud and pretend I was them [part of the band]."

Several years later, Snadon and the rest of Fern, Jason Gaylor, rhythm guitar and lead vocals; Brian Pierson, lead guitar and backing vocals; and Jay Sandidge, drums, now have several record labels' interests and numerous gigs under their belts, both in Springfield and across America. Snadon eventually did get a real bass guitar in sixth grade.

On March 5, Fern will be headlining at the Magic Bean, 940 S. National, and showcasing their talents for 550 Records, a sub-label to Sony Records. The label has signed alternative radio favorites Fuel and Ben Folds Five and alternative radio's not-so-favorite Celine Dion.

Fern began in August of 1995 when they met at a church function when Gaylor and Sandidge's band played with Snadon and Pierson's band. Both bands were having trouble so they decided to have the bands merge.

"I just watched them, and we were having some trouble with our band," Gaylor said. Both bands decided to get together to see what would happen and the group has been together ever since.

They began playing live in January of 1996 when they opened for Gotee recording artists and Springfield's own Johnny Q. Public at the now closed Regency Showcase, 307 Park Central. Fern played only six songs and they were pretty nervous.

To play at the Regency back then, Gaylor said, that it was a pretty big deal.

During the past three years, Fern has played in Springfield mostly at the Regency Showcase and the Magic Bean. They did play at the Juke Joint, 221 South, a few times until one fateful evening.

"We were supposed to open for a band," Gaylor said. "And we showed up, unloaded all of our stuff and they ended up canceling our show right at the last minute."

Fern packed up their stuff, went out front and told fans that they had been taken off of the bill. In response to this, the Juke Joint told the band never to come back.

On the road, however, Fern feels that they are more successful and popular. Having played packed houses at such noteworthy regional clubs like Kansas City's the Hurricane and St. Louis' Cicero's and Mississippi Nights, they are quickly branching out and getting attention from quite a few music fans and moguls in the industry.

"At this point, we're trying to build a regional thing," Gaylor said. "If you go to another town, a lot of people will come to see you just because you're from a different town."

Fern has also played gigs in Texas, Louisiana, Nebraska, Tennessee, Illinois and at the Mercury Lounge in New York City. They were flown in by TVT Records and were offered an eight record deal from the label who also has the industrial Gravity Kills from St. Louis, ska/ punks Buck-O-Nine and hardcore/ metal's Sevendust under contract. The combo deliberated and pondered the thought of signing, but they eventually declined.

"We didn't feel like it was the right place for us to be," Snadon said. "We just didn't feel the right vibe when we went and met them."

Since 1997, Fern has also played in front of representatives from Columbia, Atlantic and Universal Records, but nothing more than a nibble has come from those shows.

"We would always get some stupid comment like: 'Your guitar player doesn't face the audience as much as I would like him to.'" Gaylor said.

"I think we've really started to focus on making our live shows show," Snadon said. Sony may find their next new band, now that Fern has worked on producing a product that is sellable not only on tape but also on stage.

Gaylor said there is a pretty good balance of personalities in the band and they are all really good friends. He said the three guys in the band are his best friends. Gaylor thinks the band has good, open minds and that they listen to people who have been signed or have been successful. They have payed attention to those things and have learned from them.

Gaylor also said the band steers away from philosophies and theories about music and concentrates on writing good songs.

"We all take being in a band seriously," Pierson said. "It's not just a hobby for us."