???? Savin? Faith?s mission statement as a band is to play songs that people can relate to and to keep striving for their goal of making it big. Despite its lofty goals, the group did not expect to achieve such a feat as making it to second place in the finals for the Long Island Music Festival. ?It was the day before [the deadline] that we entered,? said Dave Quatarone, the band?s bassist. ?I picked up Good Times and thought, ?hey, this is something we could do.? And we came all the way to second.? Drummer Mike Bonacera stresses the importance of having faith in yourself and being motivated to chase your dreams. ?It?s very significant,? Bonacera said. ?We?re not a Christian band. We have that name because we?re so determined to make it.? ?A lot of our stuff is spiritual,? Quatarone said. ?We say don?t give up, don?t lose the faith. We?re very big on the charity aspect. We also did a show for breast cancer. Getting a positive message across is a big thing for us.? The members of the band have played instruments since they were teens. Bonacera grew up with music shaking his house, allowing him to have a creative outlet. ?My father was a music teacher for 36 years,? he said. ?I?ve played [drums] my whole life.? Savin? Faith formed about two years ago when the members of the band were in college. They began playing together when all members were home on winter and spring breaks from school. ?Slowly, James and I started as an acoustic act,? said Bonacera. ?Then, we met Chris ? another Smithtown [High School] graduate. Ironically, we were all within one mile of each other.? Slowly, Savin? Faith started to get exposure and began to play gigs at local venues. ?We played all over Long Island, going from The Lion?s Den and Kenny?s Castaways,? said Quatarone. ?We also played at the Heritage Festival. We did the Nesconset Fair. Our first gig was in St. James at Shamrock?s. We went there not for the money. We just wanted to play.? The band is big on a group effort as they all discuss all creative decisions that are made regarding their music and shows. ?Me and James do the majority of the writing,? said Bonacera. ?We present it to the band and we collaborate. I think that?s where we get our unique sound, that collaboration.? Making it to the finals at the Long Island Music Festival and releasing their demo during this year have proved that their efforts have come to fruition. ?It?s like that analogy of the home,? said Quatarone. ?A home needs to be furnished. We go and furnish it. That?s like our music. Everything just blossoms.? ?When we see the crowd singing along to our songs, it gives us hope,? said Bonacera. ?We feel very blessed.? Savin? Faith?s next performance will be on Saturday, October 27 at the Vintage Lounge in Levittown with LIMF winner Verbal Sideshow on the bill as well for a special Halloween show. For more information on this fast-rising band, log on to their MySpace area.