Band playing locally gains national notice

Before Saving Jane performs Sunday in Columbia County, lead singer Marti Dodson explains to fans just what type of band they are.

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"We just like to have a good time," Dodson said. "It's a good, old-fashioned rock show. We kick back, let our hair down, tell jokes, play songs. It's just a good time."

Dodson said she has always loved music, and in college, she met the band's guitarist, Pat Buzzard.

"I've loved music since I was a little kid," she said. "I used to sing in church and at school.

"When I got to college, I sort of fell in with a group of musicians around campus at Ohio State, and I met my guitarist at a campfire party. He and I hit it off, and we've been playing together ever since."

Saving Jane's debut single, Girl Next Door , made its way to the Billboard charts. The band's most recent album, One Girl Revolution , was released in 2007.

After spending six week on the Billboard charts, the band's current single, SuperGirl , is listed at No. 87 on the Pop 100 chart, according to www.billboard.com.

As of last Saturday, the band's MySpace page had received nearly 5.5 million views.

Though she describes the band's music as "pop rock," Dodson said she and her bandmates have different musical backgrounds and interests."

"I don't intentionally do this, but it seems to have a sort of girl-empowerment theme a lot of times," she said.

As for her inspiration, Dodson said a lot of it is personal.

"I write songs about whatever is going on in my life or what's going on around me," she said, "and people seem to be able to relate to it."

Saving Jane tours frequently in the Midwest and the South, Dodson said, and summer is a particularly busy time for the band.

"We haven't been down there in a couple of years, so we're excited," Dodson said, "I hope that people come out and check us out, because I think if they do, they'll leave a fan of the band."

Ace Young, who performed on season five of American Idol, and the South Carolina band Everything After, will join Saving Jane on stage at the Columbia County Amphitheater behind the library in Evans. The concert is part of the Music Evolution Series.

The concert will begin at 5:30 p.m. Gates open at 4:30 p.m.

Tickets cost $20 at the gate, but can be purchased for $15 in advance at Wild Wing Cafe, Columbia County Community Events in Building B of the Government Complex, Merle Norman Studios in the Augusta area, and at www.etix.com and www.forthefansentertainment.com.