Saturday Grim: “Midnight Fun” – soaring choruses and euphoric verses!

Singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Saturday Grim, survived a brain tumor that threatened his hearing and facial paralysis that galvanized him into actualizing his ambitious musical aspirations. “When I got the diagnosis of the tumor, it turned my world upside down. I had to quit school and stop making music. It was frustrating, scary, and overwhelming. I felt like everything was being taken from me,” Saturday recalls. “But I remember, when I woke up from surgery, I could hear, and I just broke down and cried. I still had my life; it wasn’t altered the way I previously thought. I had a second chance and I had to go for it.”

Now Saturday Grim has released his 12-track debut album, “Midnight Fun”. Midnight Fun based on his own genre, aptly titled Pop-Horror, and which was created as a reflection of one of his biggest childhood passions – staying up late on Saturday nights watching grim horror movies. How well is punk-rock, as a genre, holding up, as its patron saints careen headlong into middle age?

Well, It’s hard for me to describe how exciting “Midnight Fun” is, and I think that anyone who truly appreciates pop tinged, punk-rock music will be able to relate and I don’t mean that in any condescending way. It’s not just the songs, it’s the whole theme if you will, as Saturday Grim has this mood creation approach which intertwines with the album’s soaring choruses and euphoric verses.

This is catchy, punk-rock and pop that have some unique elements. The differing crossover influences, the consummate song writing, and cohesive feel, all make this a true album. “11:11” gets the record off to a spectacularly spirited start, showcasing salvos of penetrating riffs in between outbursts of expressive singing.

“28 Days” enlivens again in its wake with piercing over-driven, but playful guitars that captivate across a collection of catchy verses and choruses, resulting in a delightfully melodic effort that feels simultaneously fresh and familiar.

“Midnight Fun” acts as a characterful commentary on the effects of late night romance, adopting a tongue-in-cheek tone that keeps it captivating as it trots cheerily towards the speedway introduction of “Crazy Lady”. This awesomely uplifting anthem is guaranteed to get the crowds crying out enthusiastically at concerts with its incredibly infectious refrains.

The melodic, hard-hitting and harmony-filled affair that follows on “My Girlfriend’s a Vampire” create an incredibly powerful piece that lingers in the mind long after it’s over. “Family Matters” is a slightly softer and stirring offering that washes warmly across the senses with its string arrangements before the brief but buoyant “The Babysitter” bounces in, to bridge the gap brilliantly with its horn and Latino interludes.

There’s something inexplicably soothing about the atypical and upbeat love-song “Dear Beth” which references Beth Greene from the Walking Dead,” despite its loud and lively delivery.

“Run Away” is a quick and cordial rocking composition made up of emotional music and a melody that mesmerizes until the urgent instrumentation of “The Plague” takes over to cut deep underneath volleys of vigorous vocals. “Doomsday” turns things up a notch further with crunchy guitar riffs and rattling drums before the banging beat of “Sure Damn Thing” puts a passionate cap on the proceedings. It’s probably one of the best album closer’s, I’ve heard in a while.

With “Midnight Fun”, Saturday Grim has managed to make a record that exhibits a magnificently mature and optimistic outlook, notwithstanding the albums apparent ‘dark’ song themes, and the fact that he had to overcome the prognosis of likely deafness and partial facial paralysis to make this recording.

To inspire others in the good fight, Saturday Grim remains an active member of Acoustic Neuroma Association, a support group for those enduring the struggles with that tumor and its effects, and is outspoken as an advocate for ear safety.

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