Greetings! This installment of our Band Spotlight series features Arizona's own BLACK SUN. BLACK SUN plays a unique brand of darkly melodic alternative/rock and have been actively playing shows for roughly a year. I typically don't like bands who play this genre but BLACK SUN blew me away with their first recording and I've been a fan since. This is a great song to check out if you are unfamiliar:
Over the past few months they have shared the stage with HAVE MERCY, SILVER SNAKES, GOLDENGOAT, and more. These shows in combination with their recordings have garnered them a loyal following for being such a new band. I reached out to their bassist/vocalist Christopher White and he kindly answered some questions. Without further adieu:
When did the idea for Black Sun come about?
After my last band had come to an end in 2013, I got this intense wave of motivation and inspiration. I was writing music every day, and needed to do something with it. One night I got an invite to a bonfire, where I was introduced to Tyler by a mutual friend, and things took off from there. He introduced me to Logan, and we clicked immediately. When we started writing, our sounds came together really well.
When did Black Sun form and who is in the lineup?
We formed in Spring of 2014. Tyler and Logan play guitar, Zack plays drums, I sing and play bass guitar.
How long did it take for you guys to starting playing shows?
It took us a while to get to that point. We didn't play our first show
until January 2016. We are very particular about our sound, and took
almost a year to experiment and dial in the sound we were looking for.
It also didn't help that I was deployed
to the Middle East for most of 2015. That set us back a bit, and I am
thankful the guys were willing to put things on hold until I returned.
Black Sun is a musical departure from your guy's previous bands. What are some of the influences?
We all came into this band with an open mindset, and tried not to corner ourselves sonically. That is probably my favorite thing about the way we operate. We all come from different musical backgrounds, and are down to entertain a new element or wild idea. Nothing is off limits. The flip side of that is reigning it in and keeping our sound focused. We draw a lot of inspiration from bands like Failure, Hum, O'Brother, as well as our friends in Cloakroom and Silver Snakes.
What is the writing process like for Black Sun?
Oh man. I don't know where to start. First of all, Tyler writes
more music than any human I've ever met. He is a walking riff factory.
He's constantly sending me song ideas or guitar parts to work with.
Tyler and Logan both have a knack for writing
profound guitar parts, which I struggle to do. I enjoy taking their
initial idea and helping develop it into a song. I try to write vocal
parts while guitars are being written. It feels more organic and honest
that way.
We cut more songs than we keep. I'd say we've scrapped at least 30
viable songs to this point. We try to filter out all the bullshit before
we bring songs to Zack. When we are in a rut, or stuck on something, he
has a way of taking an okay song and make
it a banger. He is definitely the filter we run all of our ideas
through. The voice of reason in our band, so to speak. It's actually
nice not having one primary songwriter. We all pull our own weight, and
work our ass off to make it work. Everyone brings
a unique element to our sound, and it definitely takes all four of us
to get song to where we want it.
Some of you guys have been in other bands. Does that experience play a role in how you guys approach Black Sun?
Absolutely. All of us have played in other bands, with extremely
talented people. I think as we've grown older, we all got to a point
where we wanted to make things as simple as possible. To cut the
bullshit and make music we enjoy, regardless of what
anyone else thinks of it. We spend very little energy concerning
ourselves with who wrote what, how it will be received, or being
distracted by a new wave or trend that comes and goes.
You are currently active duty military. Has this affected Black Sun? If so, how?
That has been a huge challenge for us. I think they would agree that the
year I was deployed was the most difficult time for us as a band. I
left on a few days notice, and it threw a huge wrench in our plans. We
were in the studio when I received the
call telling me I fly out in 3 days. I had just finished tracking bass,
and had to wait until I came back to lay down vocals for the EP. The
distance and time created some uncertainty and tension, at least in my
mind. But the guys were understanding and supportive.
I'm insanely thankful for them. Balancing fatherhood, military life,
and music is challenging. I'm sure you can relate, as a father and
former military member. It's hard work to keep a band active, even
without those additional factors. My wife is the most
supportive and selfless person I know. She does so much to enable me to
do what I love.
What are some future plans for Black Sun?
We just finished tracking our next album. Now we wait! The goal is to release early this summer, but there's no solid date yet.
What are some other bands we should check out?
I'm really upset right now, because my favorite Arizona band called it
quits (RIP SUNSHOWER). It's a shame that band didn't receive the
attention they deserve. Goldengoat is doing cool things, super talented
guys. I'm a big fan of their music. Also check out our friends in
Woundvac, Cloakroom, Silver Snakes and UGLY.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
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