We've come to really treasure the very natural and responsive relationship of our playing with each other”

– Rich Nourie, lead singer and primary guitarist

"Who doesn't love a sappy pop ballad?" This was the question posed to the audience by Rich Nourie, lead singer and primary guitarist of The Saturdays, at their record release party and concert at The Fallser Club in East Falls on Feb. 22. The event was held to promote their first full-length album, One Afternoon in April, available soon on Spotify and all streaming services.

The Saturdays are a Northwest Philadelphia-based trio with a love of classic singer-songwriters, and melodic pop songs. In addition to Nourie, who wrote the original songs in the performance, the band features bassist David Arms, and percussionist Buck Buchanan, who also sings harmony vocals.

The album was recorded live in Nourie's living room, on a day in April, hence the title. It was recorded and produced by Chris Arms, David's twin brother. Chris and the band added harmonies and instrumental tracks and mixed the final recording. At the show, Chris joined the band to add tasteful, snaky, electric guitar parts and additional harmonies.

The Saturdays have been playing together for more than eight years. They chose their name because they meet most Saturday mornings at Nourie's house in Germantown, playing for three or four hours. All the band members have played in larger, louder bands for most of their lives, and they have come to love the quiet trio format.

"We love the wide-open spaces of being a three-piece, where each player has their own place. The quieter setting allows us to really listen closely to each other as players and we've come to really treasure the very natural and responsive relationship of our playing with each other. It's made us tune in closely to the quality of sound as well, to the dynamics and arrangements of our songs,"says Nourie.

"Our repertoire is a mix of my songs and cover songs we choose not for their popularity, but rather for their melodic and harmonic interest, varied textures and tempos and great lyrics. If we do cover a well-known song, it's usually with a creative arrangement that takes the song in a new direction."

Nourie and percussionist Buchanan met as neighbors and fellow musicians in Northwest Philadelphia and had been playing together for over twenty-five years. While attending a birthday party for a mutual friend, Nourie was playing and improvising with other musicians. David Arms was there and liked what he heard.

He joined in, backing up Nourie and the other musicians, and the musical chemistry between the players became evident.

"It was immediately clear that he was an incredible musician, with beautiful phrasing and tasteful ideas on the bass. Not long after, I broached the idea of a singer-songwriter trio with both of them and we've been playing together ever since," Nourie said.

David Arms is a lifelong professional bassist who, along with his brother Chris, has been performing and recording professionally since the mid-1970s. Most recently, Chris has produced, and David has played on, recordings by Philadelphia blues singer Deb Callahan.

Buck Buchanan has played drums and percussion for 50 years, including with local Brazilian music groups Minas and Banda Bacana. Currently, he plays drums in the Humbleman Band as well as playing old-time guitar at local sessions and summer music festivals.

The performance at the Fallser Club was an evening of beautiful, cheery, guitar-driven folk-pop music. Nourie's clear tenor voice and warm demeanor invited the audience to join the journey, as the band brought the songs to life. The ace musicianship and excellent harmonies allowed everyone to enjoy the ride.

Responding to the needs of each song, Nourie's acoustic guitar playing was orchestral, jangly, or a display of finger-picking precision. David Arms provided the bottom end, playing a five-string electric bass. His playing was melodically fluid while maintaining the groove of each song. Buchanan's percussion was complex yet subtle, and provided the rhythmic bed for the evening.

The set-list included well known gems by Jackson Browne, The Band, and Fountains of Wayne. Highlights included a stunning version of Bruce Cockburn's "Pacing the Cage," and an inventive version of James Taylor's "Fire and Rain." However, most of the material was by lesser-known writers, such as Josh Rouse, David Mead, Ron Sexsmith and David Rawlings. Nourie's original songs held their own amongst these songwriting heavyweights.

The Fallser Club proved to be a great location for this concert. Once a movie theater, the space became a grocery store and found other uses before being reinvented as a nonprofit community arts space in 2022. It provides a stage with a high-quality sound system, lighting, and a warm "bohemian" vibe. 

This was a concert of delightful, catchy songs. No doubt the album would provide an excellent listening experience or be perfect background music for driving around on a Saturday afternoon. 

The Saturdays may be contacted at rnourie@gmail.com.