BeatRoute Magazine B.C. print e-edition - June 2016

SONNY & THE SUNSETS
the future might not be so bright after all
It may be the most pertinent question of our
times: how to deal with living in a culture
where we are relentlessly inundated with
information? For San Francisco’s Sonny
Smith, the natural response was to make
a rock album about it with his band, the
Sunsets. Their sixth LP, Moods Baby Moods
(released May 27th) sounds groovy overall,
but some of the material sure is heavy. The
album’s funkier sound is a departure from the
Sunsets’ previous albums but an unsurprising
one considering they encapsulate a wide
range of genres from country to experimental.
The tracklist itself aptly swings from the
goofy “Well But Strangely Hung Man” to the
commentary on consumerism, “Needs.” When
asked what one lesson listeners should take
away, Smith’s response is simple: “Life is
screwy.”
“The world is going down like the Titanic:
Sonny & The Sunets are experiencing major mood swings on new album, Moods Baby Moods.
fires, deserts, diseases, wars, refugees, extinction,
world slavery, nations disappearing,
etc.,” Smith continues. “Who cares about rock
and roll, really, or any other genre, I hope
it dies and new forms begin. I’ll be making
some kind of shit till I die I’m sure, no idea
what it will be....”
Smith has more than a few creative outlets
which occasionally mutate into something
suited to Sonny & the Sunsets, the project
which is his first and foremost passion. However,
there’s very little calculation involved in
that process. “Death Cream” for instance is a
catchy narrative about an ominous substance
that began on 2009’s debut Tomorrow is
Alright. More recently, Smith was inspired
to continue the story in comic panels which
morphed into lyrics for the opening track on
Moods Baby Moods, “Death Cream Part 2
‘Watch Out for the Cream.’” The comic book
idea hasn’t been shelved entirely, but Smith
says that it will have to wait until the trilogy is
complete.
Along with a series of drawings of Caucasian
policemen on trial – an allusion to
the track “White Cops on Trial” - a vaguely
autobiographical cartoon character named
“Mr. Sensitive” recently popped up on Sonny
& the Sunsets’ Instagram feed. The idea came
about because the band’s rehearsal space
is situated in San Francisco’s Tenderloin
district. “We’re always just...complaining
about how disastrous it is. I mean it’s really
disgusting and sad and messed up...just people
with syringes hanging out of their arms,
human feces everywhere...It’s just one of the
most unhealthiest neighbourhoods I’ve ever
experienced and of course it’s, ya know, due
to some weird urban-planning and exploitation
of resources and stuff but ya know we’re
always kind of like, ‘Oh, Mr. Sensitive can’t
handle human shit on the ground,’” he laughs.
“Whatever. So it just kind of went from
there...”
From comics to lyrics, Smith is a prolific
writer who always has a notebook and pen
handy. “I just write in the gaps of my busy
life...I’m just one of those types...I always
have my notebook. If I’m early to pick up my
son at school I’ll just write in my notebook. If
I am at something boring I’ll just write in my
notebook, ya know? I just have my notebook
all the time and I always have.”
It’s doubtful that Smith will ever give up his
pen, but for Moods Baby Moods he did cede
his role as producer for the first time, instead
enlisting the Tune-Yards’ Merrill Garbus for
the role who he plans on working with in
the future...although with Smith’s predictions,
who knows what post-rock’n’roll or
post-apocalyptic form that will take.
Sonny & the Sunsets play FAR OUT at
the Biltmore (Vancouver) on June 15.
by Thalia Stopa
LOW LEVELS
veteran punks are smart, efficient, and givin’er
If you’ve ever seen Al Boyle perform
live, you know he does not do anything
half-assed. The veteran of the Vancouver
music scene has displayed his frenetic
guitar and vocal chops in Hard Feelings,
Shitty Neighbors, NEEDS, and played drums
in Chains of Love and The WPP. Boyle does
not sit still for long, and with more than 15
years of performing behind him, his sights
are firmly focused forward with his new
band Low Levels.
Emily Jayne (Devil Eyes, Learners)
and Byron Slack (Invasives) complete the
veteran lineup, and produce a sound that
is a cohesive distillation of the members’
collective influences and history. Boyle and
Jayne frequently trade off vocal duties, the
vocal juxtaposition providing rich texture to
the densely crafted songs.
Their collective years of experience has
the members of Low Levels approaching
this new project with a level of focus that is
often lacking when a new band gets together.
Despite their varying levels of personal
familiarity (Jayne had never met Slack until
their first practice), the band quickly reached
a consensus with regard to their objectives.
“Giv’er as much as possible without
quitting our jobs!” laughs Boyle. “Like we’re
going to tour, but we’re going to be smart
about it and not waste our time.” Efficiency
6 MUSIC
comes up frequently in the conversation, and
it’s obvious that the band is into getting the
most out of every show.
“We played a show in Edmonton and it was
one of the best ones we’ve ever played. The
promoter loved it and we were able to tell
them exactly when we’d be back,” explains
Boyle. Each member acknowledges that they
have better access to promoters through the
network they’ve built up over the years, so
while Low Levels might be a new name, they
are able to draw an appreciative audience
right out of the gate.
All three members are visibly excited
about making music together, perhaps none
as much as Slack. “I played in my last band
for sixteen years. With each new album,
people more or less knew what to expect.
This is the first time I’ve been in a new band
and it’s a lot of fun!” His enthusiasm is infectious,
and it’s impossible to miss the smiles
on Boyle and Jayne’s faces when he makes
the comment.
So what can people expect to hear? The
band is as efficient with their songwriting as
they are in matters of business. Most songs
on their self-titled EP clock in at under three
minutes, and each one packs in enough
riffs and ideas for a song twice as long. The
chord progressions and time signatures feel
intuitive, but new levels of complexity reveal
themselves with each listen.
While they shy away from labels like
“math rock,” the band members agree that
the technicality is no accident. “We want to
chase things that are difficult,” Slack explains.
“To chip away…and leave our mark by
making something challenging and different.”
The result is a collection of songs that are
melodic and deceptively dense. Boyle and
With several bands under their belts, Low Levels have high aspriations.
Jayne trade vocals and the whole package
is, in Jayne’s words, “Heavy and aggressive,
but not angry. People can still dance to it.”
The crowd will have to work up a serious
sweat if they want to keep up with Boyle’s
frenzied onstage persona.
Low Levels performs at Pat’s Pub on
June 10 and The Emerald on June 24.
by Justin Penney
June 2016