by Corey Apar What started out as simply a campfire song between strangers soon turned into a musical connection in the form of the Columbus, OH-based alternative pop/rock group Saving Jane. It was at this bonfire that vocalist Marti Dodson (then a junior at Ohio State University) and rhythm guitarist Pat Buzzard first met and subsequently became friends. The pair began writing songs together and when the time came to record their work, local drummer Dak Goodman was recruited to help. The trio found something in each other, and the decision was made to form an actual band. Booking their first show, they took the name Saving Jane from a cartoon Dodson had been doodling one late night at the studio. As the band slowly began making a name for itself around Columbus, an additional lead guitarist, Kris Misevski, and a borrowed bass player from Goodman's cover band rounded out the group. About a year later, tensions within the band lead to the departure of their borrowed bassist, and Jeremy Martin replaced him in 2002. Two years later, as Saving Jane found their style shifting more from acoustic roots to alternative rock, their manager insisted that Dodson's be emphasized over the rest of the band; these changes eventually led to the exit of their lead guitarist. Mike Unger filled in the guitar gap, while keyboardist Joe Cochran completed the lineup later on. Saving Jane's full-length debut, Girl Next Door, was issued in October 2005 on Toucan Cove, and the title track found the band making their debut on the Billboard charts. Next signing to Universal, the band recorded a few additional tracks for an April 2006 re-release of their debut album on Republic/Universal. The early months of 2006 also saw guitarist Unger stepping down from the band for personal reasons; Brandon Hagan joined on in his place.