For this specific show, I was going for a carnival on acid with a light frosting of thought-provoking wonder…a whimsical exploration of the soul, with sound, fire, movement, sparkles, and raffle tickets. – Kelly McMorris
If you haven’t already heard of Champaign-Urbana local act Sun Stereo, now is the time to check them out. Their EP release party for “Give It All Away” on Friday, July 17 packed the cozy Mike N’ Molly’s bar in Champaign to maximum capacity, spilling out onto the sidewalk and in front of the gate to the courtyard where Sun Stereo played. Despite the shoulder to shoulder crowd, I found myself grooving along to my favorite songs and sharing an awesome night with tons of familiar faces and new friends.
Sun Stereo, part high-energy musical performance, part theatrical show, didn’t hold back as member Christine Janak “lit shit on fire,” with fire hoops, fans and sticks. Her facial expressions were wild and over the top (as usual) and I caught myself laughing and smiling as she twirled around her roped off section to the left of the small stage.
Kelly McMorris took the time to talk with me about their new EP “Give It All Away,” and about the release party they had Friday. Need a little background music to get into the mood? Give the EP a listen now!
Camp Counselor JoJo: The Facebook event page mentioned that all proceeds from the EP “Give It All Away” and the raffle will be going towards a fund in memory of Bart Tredway. That being said, how did you know Bart and what did he mean to you/the band?
Kelly McMorris of Sun Stereo: He was a solid co-worker and friend, and a fantastic husband and father. I became friends with Bart while working at Volition. He was a solid co-worker and friend, and a fantastic husband and father. He was an Eagle Scout who was absolutely nuts about Legos and Star Wars. After he passed in April, a group of friends from Volition started thinking about doing something in his honor, and decided on planting a tree with a plaque for him at a Champaign Park. I was starting to formulate ideas for this show at the time, and since the new EP is called Give It All Away, I thought I’d offer to donate all of the EP proceeds to the fund to help pay for it. The group and Bart’s wife Christina thought it was a great idea, and that was that. Then I thought we should have a raffle too, because why the hell not? Everyone loves raffles. I found out yesterday, that with the group of friends’ contributions plus what we donated, the goal was met for the tree and plaque.
Was his wife, Christina, in attendance at the celebration/show at Mike n’ Molly’s?
She said she was planning on attending, but since the show sold out, and it was a little chaotic with all the people in a confined space, I never actually got a chance to see her and say hello.
Is this the band’s first hard copy EP release? Why did you decide to only release 100 copies?
We released
Rogue Satellite as an EP, and then later added tunes to it and made it a full length, and will do the same for this one. I only released 100 copies, because we will release a full length version this Fall.
Who all was a part of making this EP happen?
The process of creating
“Give It All Away” was a bit of a different experience than I’ve had with any other record I’ve been a part of. With the help of Bill Demkov, Frank Horger, and Kevin Bourassa, we tracked drums, bass, horns, and a string ensemble, then took it back to my studio to sort it out and put it all together. After everything was cleaned up and ready to go, we sent it to Manny Sanchez (IV Lab Studios, Umphrey’s Mcgee, Billy Corgan (Zwan), Fall Out Boy, YMSB, Rod Stewart) to finish up mixing the final product.
Getting the opportunity to work with Manny was/is fantastic. It was somewhat of a leap of faith and kind of scary to send off tunes with countless hours invested in them to a total stranger, but Manny is a sonic wizard, a true professional, and incredibly down-to-earth. He has an unbelievable knack for understanding the vision of each song, staying true to that vision, and then making it sound better than you could have imagined. I’m really looking forward to continuing to work with him on the full-length album over the next few months.
https://soundcloud.com/sun-stereo/sets/give-it-all-away-ep
Getting the opportunity to work with Manny [Sanchez] was/is fantastic… He has an unbelievable knack for understanding the vision of each song, staying true to that vision, and then making it sound better than you could have imagined.
Who is the new drummer and how did you find them/they find you? How long have they been with the band now?
Last April, our drummer took off to Oregon looking for answers. So we’ve added two new dashing drummers who will share the throne. Aaron Bouslog (June) and Andy Wheelock (May). I found them on
Farmersonly.com.
What does it mean to be able to play such a big show in your home of Champaign-Urbana? Is it different playing in C-U as opposed to other festivals, events outside of the area?
When I heard the show had sold out a few minutes after we started the first set, I was incredibly humbled, excited, and inspired by the support.
Every show is different, but it is always special to get to play in your home town. You’ve got home court advantage. When I heard the show had sold out a few minutes after we started the first set, I was incredibly humbled, excited, and inspired by the support. I was blown away by the number of people who drove from hours away to attend. I let a handful of people we met at SCamp this last year park their pop-up camper in our yard.
Who in the band is responsible for the theatrical part of the performance? Sun Stereo is well known for the high-energy live performances – and the Mike n’ Molly’s event with fire spinning and live artwork sounds like a huge party – is that a big undertaking for everyone in the band?
Years ago, I was a Theater Major at U of I, which is probably partially responsible for creating the theatrical nature of our live performances. I plan out every show, usually months in advance, and spend a lot of time to create a unique atmosphere where the show goer can feel safe to express themselves, while being as visually and aurally stimulating as possible. For this specific show, I was going for a carnival on acid with a light frosting of thought-provoking wonder,…a whimsical exploration of the soul, with sound, fire, movement, sparkles, and raffle tickets…We debuted new tunes, had fire performance, live painting, theatrical shenanigans,…art and glass pieces were on display and for sale, a raffle, free shit, new stickers, new t-shirts, new posters, salvation for some, intoxication for most, and a lot of shoes. After hearing feedback from people in attendance, I think it was spot on….except for the shoes…not as many shoes as I thought.
In your opinion, what do you think has contributed the most to the band’s success over the past three years?
I write music to help me process the experience of existing. Therefore, I believe in the music I write as strongly as I believe in my own existence. I think ultimately people like music they can relate to. A sound track for the immensely wide spectrum of moods we experience day in and day out. What speaks to you…and when? I write music to help me process the experience of existing. Therefore, I believe in the music I write as strongly as I believe in my own existence. The fact that others relate to this music, and it makes them feel anything is amazing to me. As a result, I feel a great sense of responsibility to hone my craft as a songwriter, be a reflection of the times, let my voice be heard, and share with everyone. You have to share. 🙂
How did you all enjoy Summer Camp? Did you camp all weekend?
We always have a blast!! …and of course we camped all weekend!!
Side question – how many sparkly tuxedo jackets do you own? I’ve always wondered.
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If you haven’t already gotten a chance to check out Sun Stereo live, I highly suggest you do so. They’re a Summer Camp favorite of mine that I love going to see – click here to peruse their upcoming tour stops.
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