Saliva, the Memphis Tennessee based rockers, have been around since the release of their self titled debut album all the way back in 1997. Saliva often gets lumped in with the rap-rock style that became such a fad in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, but for me they were always a standout in this genre for a lot less rap and a lot more rock. On a Thursday evening, December 14, 2007 at Count’s Vamp’d in Las Vegas Nevada, they proved once again why.
Saliva will always be known for the sharp turn they took at the end of 2011, when popular lead vocalist Josey Scott left the band and was replaced by Bobby Amura. While it can be extremely hard for fans to accept the replacement of such an iconic front-man, if you happened to see one of Josey Scott’s last performances, you would understand why the time had come. As much as I admired his work, his weight issues had made it nearly impossible for the star to continue on. As said, finind a replacement can be hard, but Saliva found a gem in Bobby Amaru. The first couple of times I saw Saliva with Amaru, I admired his voice, flair, and passion for the music, but thought it may take a while to adjust to a different singer doing those iconic songs. I knew he had the ability, but on this night I was blown away by how well the band had jelled since only 5 years with Amaru out front. The current line-up of original guitarist Wayne Swinny, Amaru, drummer Paul Crsby and former Shinedown bassist Brad Stewart have not only jelled, but appear to have taken Saliva up a notch!
