Avian Sunrise

“He was wearing an Underoath T-shirt. I thought we could be friends.”

A friend in college, or a bandmate for life. Members of Avian Sunrise, who began six years ago at the University of South Dakota are now set to release their third EP, “Little Visits,” on Sept. 4.

Formed in the latter part of 2008, lead vocalist of Avian Sunrise Bryan Wehrkamp gave the band an initial start when he began writing a song for his sister, who later lost her battle with depression. In talking to a fellow classmate and bass musician Corey Gross, they were able to assemble a group including current guitarists Luke Volden and Matt Bump, and a drummer who was later replaced by Paige VanderWeide in 2010.

“That first time it just felt like we were on to something, like it wasn’t just a jam session,” said Wehrkamp. “It was productive and pointed in the direction of starting a song and finishing it.”

“It’s like that event was kind of a catalyst almost. I feel like that was when we decided to take it more serious in a way that we weren’t just going to write songs,” said Volden. “We established that we wanted to write songs that would affect people positively, whether it be to help them fall in love or to battle depression, anything to make our songs super relatable so that people can be met at eye level.”

After graduating from college in 2010, the group decided to continue on in the music industry, establishing themselves as Avian Sunrise. The name implied the freedom to create, and the band has been busy doing just that. They first released “Your Broken Fail” EP in 2009 and “A Noisy World” EP in 2010. The group released their first full-length album “Silence in the Sound” in early May of 2011.

Avian has gained recognition around the region, opening for national acts such as Owl City, Remedy Drive, Lydia, Silverstein, Quietdrive, and The Dangerous Summer.

In the spring of 2011, Avian Sunrise’s songs “What You Deserve” and “A Noisy World” received placement on MTV’s “Real World: Las

Vegas,” and their songs have appeared on the movie trailers for “The Vow” and “The Words.”

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http://605magazine.com/article/a-little-visit-with-avian-sunrise/
- 605 Magazine

Avian Sunrise’s modern dreamy pop music has roots in variety of genres, gathering influence from ambient, rock and pop. The opener song “A Noisy World” is a minimal piece with shimmering guitar chords layered with a graceful melody. The track is fluently followed by a faster song “Fear No More”, where the dialogue between the vocalist and the band turns into a thoughtful conversation of different ideas. It shows the band’s ability not to only write pretty pop melodies, but to also tie them with a meaning, giving them a purpose and a destination. The listener should thus focus on what he sings. Words are clever little things, and it’s good to see a band taking advantage of that. Fourth track “Set You Free” is also a song with a bit more rock in it, where guitars are used to bring out ambiance and also to distort the choruses. The album ends with “Brightest Day”, which summarizes the material, combining beautiful and powerful, offering a hopeful glance of the near future. (Follow link for the rest of the review) - Ahti Arumetsa

Nearly everything about five-piece rock band Avian Sunrise suggests positivity. First, there’s the name, which evokes images of uplift and renewal. Then, there are the tunes, characterized by soaring melodies and hopeful, heartfelt lyrics. You could also apply these themes to their current upward trajectory in popularity. Just a year and a half after forming, the self-described “piano rock” group has already opened for national acts like Owl City, charmed listeners at the region’s major summer festivals and licensed music to some of the most popular television networks. (Read the rest by following the link) - USD Alumni Association

Avian Sunrise debut ep “Your Broken Fall” can be described as a sentimental cry to the audience. It’s both intimate and personal, but suprises you when you find out that it manages not to be particularly sad. The ep is extremely raw while maintining it’s delicate shape and not turning into something agressive like most work by youngsters. It’s quite special and rare when you start to think about how ones life can be so influential, that her close ones start a band (in this case a sister who struggled with depression).
But the best way to describe Avian Sunrise is by their song “Your Broken Fall”. It’s piano-driven pop-rock tune, which makes it’s way out with lyrics. Also I think it’s the best song on the ep and it’s the first song you should listen to.
For some reason it reminds me a bit of Damien Rice. And I think if you have an idea which reminds you of Damien Rice, you should take it and run with it. Piano and guitar are doing extremely good job. It’s a decent mixture of modern rock and slight ambiance.
Also, another song i felt the need to point out was “Difficulty In Distance”. The beginning of this song is pulling itself a bit farther from rest of the songs. In the chorus they put some more effort on the vocals, and they did a very good job on that.
Avian Sunrise is so fresh and young that you can hear it straight through from their music, but the strange thing is that the effect is enjoyable. This piano-rock with some influences from atmospheric music was an extreme delight for me in the rough mornings when I had to get up very early. The music is comforting. As I mentioned earlier, it’s so delicate and raw you find yourself helplessly relating to this album. The fact is i’m very interested in hearing full-length release from these five young men from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. - Ahti Arumetsa

From the beginning, members of Avian Sunrise have wanted the band's music to be inspirational.

Vocalist and pianist Bryan Wehrkamp formed the band with four other musicians after he wrote a song in July 2008 to encourage his sister Lyndsey, who was battling depression.

The Vermillion-based rock-alternative band stayed together, even after Lyndsey died in November 2008. The music on Avian Sunrise's first EP, "A Broken Fall," was an expression of their emotions.

Wehrkamp, 22, wrote that EP in what he says was a dark time for him. The music helped him through.

"Rather than wallow in that, it was important to me to start writing songs that have that oomph, that drive, that inspiration," Wehrkamp says.
Now, a six-song follow-up EP, "A Noisy World," still has those echoes of raw, heartfelt emotions and shows how Wehrkamp has progressed. He stresses that "A Noisy World" is about emotional highs and lows.

"In hindsight, stepping away from what we've done, this album ("A Noisy World") really exposes emotionally a lot of the things I've dealt with in the last couple of years or so," Wehrkamp says.

"A Noisy World" is meant to be more of an escapist album. Wehrkamp got the idea for the title track after reading Psalm 77.
"It basically says what we're going for with this album - trying to create a song that was a breath of fresh air in what we perceive as a noisy world," Wehrkamp says. "For me, the Bible is an escape. I would like our music to be an escape."

The album was released Tuesday, and Avian Sunrise will play a CD release show Saturday. The band doesn't label itself specifically a Christian band, but it did play the Souled Out Stage at the LifeLight music festival last summer.
"We're Christian men in a band that deals with those emotions. ... A lot of what we write about is the ups and downs of life," Wehrkamp says.

Band members are Wehrkamp (vocals/piano), Luke Volden (guitars/ vocals), Corey Gross (bass), Brock Schardin (drums) and Matt Bump (guitar).

Wehrkamp and Volden co-wrote the single "Brightest Day." "(It) was written based on struggle and being at odds with a person," he says.
Band members in January recorded the album at Black Lodge Studio in Eudora, Kan. The band decided to record there after Nick Thomas of The Spill Canvas recommended the studio. "I ask him if I have questions about the music industry," Wehrkamp says.

Four band members will graduate from the University of South Dakota this spring, and Bump will have a year of school left. The band plans to tour this fall to support the EP.

http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20104080330 - Argus Leader

Few themes in music reach wide as love and loss.

For Bryan Wehrkamp, the connection began as a piano song.

The effort was to help his sister Lyndsey from the depths of depression.

After framing the song’s structure, Wehrkamp filled out the sound with parts played by friends.

“It just meshed, it came together so nicely,” he recalled of the process in fall 2008.

They planned to perform Lyndsey’s song during a charity event at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion.

But on a hunting trip before the concert, the 15-year-old ended her life.

Stricken with grief, Wehrkamp kept writing. He found support among the bandmates — his closest friends.

Several months later in 2009, the five USD students released a disc under the name Avian Sunrise. Titled “Your Broken Fall,” the EP was reflective of Wehrkamp’s grieving.

“That was the initial push — to continue to write meaningful songs that can affect people and change them, make their hearts skip a beat,” Wehrkamp said with candid resolve. “Music has been my No. 1 therapy.”

Others have taken notice.

Avian Sunrise has attracted a loyal following among university students in Vermillion and branched out regionally with shows in Des Moines, Minneapolis, Omaha and Sioux Falls.

The performances have bolstered confidence to pursue more dates and bigger venues, said Luke Volden (guitar, vocals).

Now as four of the group’s members prepare to graduate college this spring, hopes to further an emerging reputation hang on a second EP.

“We’re going to be doing this for as long as we can because it’s so much fun,” Wehrkamp said.

This Saturday, the group drops “A Noisy World” with a release show in Vermillion. The seven-song EP builds on their simple formula: Turn gravity into levity.

“A Noisy World” represents a more upbeat and sophisticated stride for Avian Sunrise. Piano/alternative rock and ambient veins return with new attention to dynamics and layering.

The group, which also includes Matt Bump (guitar), Corey Gross (bass) and Brock Schardin (drums), found guidance in producing and engineering while recording the tracks at Blacklodge Recording Studio in Eudora, Kan.

The experience shows. Voices — vocal and instrumental parts — ring crisp and bright. The weight of the album seems to fluctuate in the breaths of musical conversation.

“Each instrument has a personality,” Volden said. “We’ve all found our niche, where the personality fits in the character of the song.”

They hope to tour the disc this summer, either booking shows themselves or joining up with another band.

But the goal remains the same: Spread music to help people.

“About the time we start writing music we can’t feel, that’s when we would throw in the towel,” Wehrkamp said.

– Sam Burrish

http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/app/blogs/heard_mentality/?p=782 - Sioux City Journal

Released on April 6, A Noisy World marks Avian Sunrise’s second EP. The five-piece settled in to Black Lodge Studios in Eudora, Kan., to record a stunning piece of work that sets a new high for the band.

The album begins with the title track, a minute-long intro filled with slow instruments and one simple line: “Sleep’s not coming so easily; it’s been so hard to find in such a noisy world.” It’s a perfect beginning and a calm foreword to “Fear No More”, a more up-tempo yet smooth track.

“What You Deserve” is a lullaby-esque track with emotional lyrics and soft rhythms. It exemplifies the powerful movement behind the entire album and moves gently in to “Set You Free”, a standout track on the record. Though still offering the piano element that sets the band apart, the track also lets the drum and guitar aspects of the group shine through.

The fifth track, titled “The Loved,” presents a more personal look into the band’s music, and more specifically, their relationship with God. I wouldn’t go as far to say that this album is a “worship” type of album, but it’s evident that religion has an affect on the members’ attitudes and influences. The middle of the track offers a great example of the musicians’ ability to create solid music together as it contains two minutes of intricate instrumentals, which continue throughout the rest of the track with very little vocals.

“Alive” starts as one of the slower tracks on the album, but picks up pace and energy towards the chorus. Though it doesn’t offer a standout moment on the record, it’s in a great position before “Brightest Day”, another prominent track. Offering an energetic end to the EP, the track illustrates a classic Avian Sunrise sound. It leaves a very tasty end to a great album.

The total running time of the album is less than 30 minutes but offers a solid amount of piano-driven, pop-rock perfection. The Vermillion-locals clearly know how to write inspiring music that appeals to fans of bands like Quietdrive, Switchfoot and Brighten. A Noisy World is only Avian’s second EP, making it evident that these guys not only know how to make excellent music, but they’ll be doing it for a very long time.

Avian Sunrise will be hosting an 18+ album release party at the Eagles Club in Vermillion on Saturday at 8 pm. The $5 show will also feature openers From Paris With Love and Samestate.

http://thepostsd.com/2010/04/09/avian-sunrise-sets-new-standard-with-second-ep/ - The PostSD, Lucinda Albers

Avian Sunrise is a four-month-old band of five college students who practice in the basement of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. They make time in the middle of classes, track practices and relationships to write lyrics based on life experiences and work a good sound out of five or six different instruments.

Their bass guitarist, junior Corey Gross, had never picked up an instrument until they started playing together last November at a friend’s basement.

“We were running microphones through guitar amps, just trying it out and it all just worked really well,” said junior Bryan Wehrkamp, pianist and lead vocalist.

But now, after only months and just four concerts, they are attracting crowds that reach fire-code limits and can sing along to their original lyrics.

Junior Maggie Jacobsen heard Avian Sunrise play for the first time at The Eagles Club last Saturday and said she is interested in the band’s background and enjoyed the atmosphere.

“They’re different. I expected something like a cover band. That’s what you usually get around here,” she said at the concert.

When Avian Sunrise first played last November, though, they didn’t exactly plan on taking things this far.

“The first song that we threw together was a song I was writing for my sister who was kind of battling depression through the last few years,” Wehrkamp said.

They decided to play the song for Wehrkamp’s sister Lyndsey in hopes that maybe it would turn her around.

“We never actually got a chance to play it for her because she lost the battle to depression and committed suicide in early November,” Wehrkamp said.

“Your Broken Fall,” the song for Lyndsey, encompasses everything they have done from that point on. Before creating the song for Lyndsey, the guys had met, but never imagined they had a future in music, let alone together.

“We were all kind of loosely connected before and then, because of this, we’re all like five brothers,” said junior drummer Brock Schardin.

Avian Sunrise recorded their first demo CD on Monday, a disc that will have two to three songs and can be handed out at concerts. The new tracks are available at their MySpace page, where upcoming concerts are also posted.

Avian Sunrise isn’t easy to tie to a mainstream sound, but when they tossed names around, the group wanted to find a name that would define them.

Their name, taken into the context of the band, the group says, describes how they are free to draw on the canvas that is their music.

“The first word, ‘Avian,’ is the ability to be free, like free as a bird,” Wehrkamp said. “It’s kind of cliché – to have your wings – to be able to do whatever you want.”

“And then ‘Sunrise,’ meaning the start of something new. It’s essentially a clean slate to fill whatever you want to do with it,” finished Schardin.

Their sound is a “melting pot” of all their different musical tastes, including Coldplay, The Fray, Augustana and Death Cab for Cutie, Wehrkamp said.

“We have a really unique sound because we take the time to make it such,” Schardin said. “We don’t want to just blend in with the crowd and be another Blink 182 cover band.”

After they had started calling themselves Avian Sunrise, they discovered a drawing Lyndsey had done about her character and future for a class. It included caring hands and music bar lines swirling up to a sunrise at the top of a staircase.

“It was really surreal to come up with that name and then see that picture and be like wow,” Wehrkamp said about its connection to the band’s name.

“It solidified it,” Schardin said. “Her influence for ‘Your Broken Fall’ is what really made us start playing and taking things seriously.”

The band wants to reach people with their music, and having a CD will reinforce their purpose, they said, giving people a chance to soak in the meaning of a song they may miss in the rush of a concert. The recording will document all the trials they have been through, Schardin said.

Playing live concerts has been a satisfying experience, they say, especially when someone tells them a song they wrote is one of their favorite songs.

“It makes all those struggles and those little pains and the little fights that we get into worth it,” Schardin said.

During shows, they want to control the emotions of the audience, taking them on an “emotional roller coaster” with their music, Schardin said. They mix happy, hopeful, sad and frustrated songs, much like structuring an essay for class, Wehrkamp said.

Wehrkamp said he doesn’t consciously remember most of what happens on stage, he just gets lost in the music. With every show, he becomes more cognitively aware of what’s going on, and it’s becoming something he longs for, he said.

Wehrkamp says he writes lyrics from personal experiences and the reality that no one leads a perfect life.

“When I sit down to write lyrics, I try to write them not to the point where they’re so distinct that it is only a certain type of feeling,” - The Volante