Ryan Mielke, in the forefront, is trying to build a new Oh Savanna. His former band mates, in the background, have moved on.

By Will James

Nassau-based pop-punk/emo quartet Oh Savanna is in dire straights after three members left at the end of this summer. Currently, lead singer Ryan Mielke is picking up the pieces, looking for local musicians to fill in the band behind him.

Former guitarist Benjamin Silberberg said things started to go downhill when drummer Jordan Schatz left the band in early August after fighting with Mielke. Despite reports of tension between Schatz and Mielke, an Aug. 6 blog post on Oh Savanna’s Myspace says, “…everything is good between all of us and we are all still great of friends.” Dan Carey, the drummer for local rockers Welwyn, filled in for Oh Savanna’s three final shows in August.

Since then, Silverberg has left to begin his pursuit of a business degree at SUNY Ithaca with a possible minor in music and bassist Lee Kreindel transferred from Nassau Community College, where he studied for a year, to SUNY Buffalo. Silverberg and Kriendel founded Oh Savanna while they attended Plainview High School – an influential art teacher introduced the pair to Schatz, now a junior at Syosset High School, and they met Mielke, now a senior at Oyster Bay High School, through a mutual friend in the local powerpop outfit Stereo Skyline. Their first show was a Permanent Me CD release show at the beginning of 2007. “We were just ready to conquer the world,” Silverberg said.

Throughout their brief history, Oh Savanna wrote a total of six songs and performed at numerous local shows. Silverberg implies that Oh Savanna dissolved at an artistic high point – one of their newest songs, “The Assembly Line,” inspired by Brand New’s “Jesus” and the film, “The Illusionist,” represents the most thought they ever put into a song. “That’s probably the first song not written about a girl,” Silverberg said.

“Every band on Long Island right now – they all sound the same,” said Silverberg, shortly before leaving for Ithaca. He views his departure from Long Island as a sort of escape from a dying scene – “Kids don’t go to shows anymore to support local music,” he said. “That’s why I need to get out of here – I need something new.”

In the end, taking things too seriously brought Oh Savanna down. Pressure to succeed mounted and caused tension as local acts grew nationally famous – namely, Envy on the Coast and Permanent Me. Silverberg recalls the bizarre experience of seeing an airplane flying above the 2007 Warped Tour towing an advertisement for Envy on the Coast’s debut album, “Lucy Gray.” “It’s like ‘No’,” he said. “I grew up with those bands.”

Right now, it looks like Mielke is going to push to keep the Oh Savanna brand alive. On the band’s Myspace, a bold chunk of text reads: “Attention. If you play guitar, sing or play bass and would like to play in Oh Savanna please send me a message.”

Review the history of Oh Savannah and sample their music at http://www.purevolume.com/ohsavanna.

Check on the band’s progress or inquire about joining at http://www.myspace.com/ohsavannarock.

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