Maybe you’ve never heard the term ERM (electronic rock music) before, but Savoy, a trio from Brooklyn via Colorado, consider themselves pioneers of the genre. Producer Gray Smith, guitarist Ben Eberdt and drummer Mike Kelly fuse rock & roll with dance elements to produce a sound that has house, drum & bass and trance elements but feels organic at the same time. Live, they play their instruments (plus vocals from Grammy-nominated artist Heather Bright) to a sick laser light show. On their latest EP, 1000 Years, the trio are breaking down even more musical boundaries, having enlisted Chali 2na of Jurassic 5 to rap over the single “Love Is Killing Me.” How did that happen? “Chali 2na heard it backstage at a show and we both knew it would be an amazing collaboration. Chali just adds that smooth vibe that makes you feel like, 'we got this.'" Kelly and Eberdt talk to Myspace about their beginnings, comparing their light show to Phish, and how they became the first dance act to be sponsored by Gibson guitars.

Hometown: Savoy was born in Boulder, Colorado but the three members came from Durham, New York, and Chicago.

Homebase: Brooklyn, New York. But we also have a studio in Denver.

What’s your story? How did you all meet?

Mike Kelly: The three of us met while attending University of Colorado, Boulder around 2004-2005. A lot of kids went to Boulder for the music scene so there were a bunch of talented musicians out there. But we found that very few of them were putting in the time and energy necessary to make something special happen. The three of us had similar musical ambitions and styles but more importantly we were all committed to putting in the time and effort it took to really making something happen. Sacrifices have to be made while starting any business but music is so competitive that we knew we had to go all in.

Why are you called Savoy?

Mike Kelly: We named our band after the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem, NY. It was a block-long dance club during the swing era and it was THE place for music and dance to come together. Not only did it have the best musicians and dancers in the world, it was also a progressive place that interrogated blacks and whites. We really respect the spirit of a place that prided itself on tearing down every musical and cultural barrier it could find.

That’s a pretty sick collab with Chali 2na. What was it like working with him? Were you Jurassic 5 fans before you worked with him?

Ben Eberdt: We have been huge J5 fans forever, those dudes are legends! Working with Chali was awesome- he’s such a pro. Our manager turned him on to the track backstage at a show, he was into it, and from there the process was pretty streamlined. It was awesome having him out to Red Rocks to premier the track in April, the feeling of having him on stage live with us is something we think about all the time. The collaboration felt natural the whole way through, and we couldn’t be more pumped about the end result.

Aside from Chali 2na, who else would you love to collaborate with?

Ben Eberdt: We are always looking for cool singers and writers to work with. We have a bunch of killer collabs in the works now, some with familiar faces, some with new people. As for artists out right now, a dream collab would definitely be with Tame Impala, or the Strokes. We love those guys because they keep the indie rock vibe, yet are so catchy and danceable in their writing. Oh, and after being on tour with Crywolf for a week, we’re definitely wanting to cook something up with him, he’s got a killer voice!

How do you describe your music to someone who's never heard you before? .

Mike Kelly: To us, the most important aspect to being an artist is having your own distinct style and with ERM we are really zoning in on that essential ingredient. Our shows have rattling bass and airplane hanger sized drops but also have the stage presence and musical sensibility of a classic rock show. DJs are great and all but what’s cooler than rock & roll? These DJs and producers put a lot of time into their sound design but sometimes their shows lack the musical, human, experience that a band like Queen had. You gotta ask yourself, why can't there be guitars, drums, vocals and high energy drops in the same show? Bringing rock and roll back into the modern dance scene turns out to be pretty awesome and we are happy that ERM is something unique to us.

Why is your new EP called 1000 Years?

Ben Eberdt: 1000 years means a few different things to us. The main concept is we want to reach back 1000 years into the past for inspiration, yet push the boundaries 1000 years into the future. It’s all about pulling from the past and present to touch on the classics, yet take our sound to a new level. We also are always striving to make music that is more timeless than just following trends in dance music. We hope that our music will last for 1000 years and be relevant for a long period of time.

What were your influences growing up? Do they play a part in Savoy’s musc today?

Mike Kelly: Music was a big part of all our childhoods. The music that our parents listened to has a big effect on the Savoy sound today. Savoy's core sounds are derived from all the critical synthetic sounds of electronic music but the layers, structure, and grit really stems from growing up around Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Steely Dan, and Little Feat. If we are making a bass line we don't reference other electronic music acts. We ask, "What would John Paul Jones do here?” Coming from that classic rock approach we are able to deliver something unique yet familiar in a world where most DJ's sound the same. We pioneered ERM (electronic rock music) and its all about taking our rock influences and making them exciting and relevant in today's dance culture.

What's the craziest thing that a fan has ever done for you?

Ben Eberdt Hmm, there are certainly a lot to choose from. It’s always crazy and humbling to see fans with tattoos. It’s amazing that we have such dedicated fans and we love them so much. We have had fans give us rides to catch last minute flights when our ride was late too… we have such a good crowd of people, no real bad stories, just a really cool community that seems to get along with each other, it’s awesome.

How did you end up being sponsored by Gibson? That's really unusual for an EDM band, right?

Ben Eberdt: The Gibson relationship is so cool, it’s really like a dream come true. Although it might seem like an unusual pairing, it actually makes a ton of sense. I have always played Gibson guitars, so I knew that was the company I felt a connection with. Once we revamped the live show to go rock forward, it made sense to reach out to Gibson. Being that we’re pretty much the only electronic rock music band to use live guitars, we both thought it would be cool to feature lots of different guitars for the live show. The showroom in NYC is amazing, and it’s such a privilege to have pick of the litter of these beautiful instruments!

Your light shows are pretty famous. How do they come together? And how did you decide to make them an integral part of your shows?

Ben Eberdt: The light show is so much fun for us to work on, and its become such a staple for Savoy shows, so you could say they really do work together. The focus first is the music, and then we work with our lighting designers and laser operators to start dialing in the looks and feels that we want. After that, they lighting guys really become like a member of the band, because everything is done live and on the fly – nothing is preprogrammed. This is great for a lot of reasons, one being that we can change the show however we want, whenever we want, and we’re not held to a timed performance. Also, the show ends up being very unique each night which always keeps it fresh for us and the fans.

What do you feel about Phish? They have legendary light shows too.

Ben Eberdt: We definitely jammed to some Phish in our high school days, they were an influence to us because of their creative improvisation - both musically and lighting wise. Any rock band that can fill an arena is a show worth checking out in our opinion.

What's the best thing about the EDM scene these days?

Ben Eberdt: The best thing is that we feel that fans are always growing in their tastes and comfort levels. For a while it felt a little stagnant to us – it was only DJs playing songs that sounded just like other DJs playing the same songs. We feel that the scene is more open to pushing the limits. We love seeing more live musicians in the scene, and we love that people are actively seeking out unique music that is actually musical and not just noises thrown together to make the dance floor react. Obviously there’s a time and place for everything, and we’re excited to do our part to bring our vision of a rock band that can still make the place dance like crazy. The hybrid of scenes and sounds will always spawn new things, and we’re just happy to be in the position to do that everyday.