Punch The Sun
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Punch The Sun

Astoria, New York, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2014 | SELF

Astoria, New York, United States | SELF
Established on Jan, 2014
Band Alternative Rock

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"SHANNON SÖDERLUND’S EP RELEASE SHOW WAS MAGIC"

Shannon Söderlund dropped her newest EP last week titled The Magic, and celebrated the release at the LES’s friendliest multi-stage venue, Rockwood Music Hall. Getting to the venue early to take some portraits was an easy task considering the quality of the album and the nice weather. Shannon was excited for the show and in good spirits so we snapped a few photos before the gig.

In the dimly-lit Stage 2, the 4 piece (sometimes 5) band including Andrew Söderlund on guitar, Adi Meyerson on the bass, and drummer Campbell Youngblood-Petersen unassumingly took to the stage and immediately jumped into “Tomorrow’s Only Tuesday,” which is the first tune on the EP. The overall sound quality right off the bat, was as good as I’ve heard that room and was immediately enthralled with the rhythmic tune. Söderlund has a powerful and smoky voice, reminiscent of famous Jazz performers of the past, but brings a NYC edge we know and love.

In middle of the set, “Addicted,” nearly floored me with its sincerity, bellowing bass, flowing storyline, guitar-work and harmonies with backup vocalist Pamela Vachon. The show continued with “Tell Me What It’s Like,” a tune that easily could of been a hit in the mid-90’s, and the title track of the album, “The Magic,” which closed the gig with calls for an encore from the crowd.

Buy The Magic EP on iTunes, Amazon and Bandcamp


Article: Shayne Hanley - Shayne Hanley, Pancakes & Whiskey


"Quality Not Quantity: Shannon Söderlund - The smallest Creature - Rachel Mason"

Shannon Söderlund - Tomorrow's Only Tuesday.

Background bio - A fresh musical force on the NYC scene, Shannon Söderlund is serving up catchy pop-rock anthems to a hungry city. With driving guitar riffs and punchy rhythms reminiscent of the late 90’s, Shannon’s anthemic music is influenced by the soulfulness of gospel music and the spontaneity of jazz, resulting in a sound that is at once bright, clear, and deep. Her songwriting and performances capture the complexities of life — the highs, the lows, the trials and the joys — while indulging in head-bobbing grooves and infectious lyrics that get lips smiling and toes tapping.

Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Shannon’s childhood was steeped in music. She spent the entirety of her youth playing and singing with her siblings and parents, who served as musical missionaries in Washington State and beyond. They toured internationally from the late ‘80s to the early 2000s, wandering over the continental United States, Mexico, Great Britain, and Europe, singing in 5-part harmony and generally rocking out.

While Shannon has written songs since the tender age of 7, it wasn’t until her college years that she began to pursue the craft of songwriting in earnest. Studying jazz in Washington and Montana, Shannon’s writing began to draw from the diverse history of american music. In 2012 she moved to New York, where she continued honing her craft while performing around the city. She released her first EP of original music in 2014, the demo Innocent Heart. Her follow-up EP, The Magic, is set to be released in the summer of 2016.

Shannon now lives in the delightful borough of Queens, writing and singing wherever and whenever she can. She spends her free time watching the flow of the East River, drinking local beer, and listening to the beautiful music the city has to offer.

From the four song EP The Magic released a short while ago, we feature the first song in the collection 'Tomorrow's Only Tuesday'. What a refreshing set of songs these are, pop/rock by nature, there is energy and depth within each song. Whether it's the stompy power of the featured track, or the more sultry blues feel within 'Addicted' the quality is constant, and always delivered with real feeling, and superb vocals. - Beehive Candy


"SONG PREMIERE: “THE MAGIC” BY SHANNON SÖDERLUND"

The second single called “The Magic,” off Shannon Söderlund’s upcoming EP by the same name, is instantly catchy with its jazzy beats and off-kilter lyrical delivery. Chronicling a relationship and its demise and then putting it into song form is never an easy feat, but Shannon Söderlund does it effortlessly in less than four minutes in this quirky breakup song.

Highlighted by a ridiculously catchy chorus, jangly guitars and intermitent time changes, this is the perfect song to get over your ex and start the summer fresh with a new outlook on life. While the heartbreak of loving and losing someone is usually never a good thing, Söderlund takes a worldly and mature approach to it all, and we can all learn a lesson from these lyrics “Oh, the magic just left one day – It sensed the mood and it got a little afraid – Decided to pack it’s bags – And find a friendlier place to stay.”

On its face, The Magic is a breakup song – but to me, it’s more a coming-of-age story. It’s the wisdom and experience that comes with getting older; living through and getting to the other side of heartbreak, learning to read people and their intentions, identifying facades and dissecting the fairy tales we tell ourselves. The honesty you encounter in yourself when you learn things the hard way is empowering, but is also importantly a quiet part of growing up. I tried to tease some of that out in this song. – Shannon Söderlund



Pre-order The Magic EP here and don’t miss out on Shannon Söderlund’s release party at Rockwood Music Hall, Stage 2 on July 21st at 7pm. - Shayne Hanley, Pancakes and Whiskey


"Tiny Desk Concert Contest Feature"

Featured on NPR's Tiny Desk Contest Tumblr page

Tiny Desk Entrant: Shannon Söderlund, Andrew Söderlund and Pamela Vachon
City: Astoria, N.Y.
Song: “Secretary”
A song about a tiny desk, and a bonus Tiny Desk Concert jingle! - Kate - NPR Tiny Desk Concert Contest Tumblr


"‘Innocent Heart’: Shannon Soderlund frees up jazz into pop territory with new EP"

Shannon Söderlund’s new record is a pop star’s dream. The Queens, NY-based singer/songwriter broke free from her jazz origins covering standards — brilliantly — to write and record four “cute and fuzzy” songs from her Innocent Heart EP, which dropped October 7.

Nothing’s over four minutes long, or at all ego-spastic (she’s a jazz singer, after all). But the short track list showcases quite a range of emotions, from a light and quirky ditty about fluffy little kitties in “The Kitty Song” — a surefire hit, to a somber, blues-soaked moment of “Low.”

Armed with a patchwork of guitar, bass, drums, piano/organ, trumpet, and a little melodica, Söderlund and her septet (Andrew Söderlund, Javi Santiago, Michael Brownell, Campbell Youngblood-Petersen, Ryan Messina, Phil Servati) recorded the EP this past summer in New York. They’ve been shipping the cute and fuzzy soundtrack in a few gigs on the East Coast, with more to come, including a TV show on Staten Island and a free Goodbye Blue Monday blowout November 7, 10 p.m., in chic little Brooklyn dive on 1087 Broadway.

The songs go over very well with mainstream audiences on the strength of Söderlund’s bottomless, shape-shifting vocals, and an endearing way of looking at things through her fully condensed lyrics and catchy musical timing.

See? “Kitties are cute and fuzzy. Oh, kittens are cute and fuzzy, with tempting little tummies. That are fuzzier than any other thing. [‘The Kitty Song’]”

Originally from the Northwest, Söderlund grew up with musical missionaries for parents. They traveled the world with her, writing and singing songs. When she grew up, she didn’t think she’d follow in their footsteps — until she did, surrounding herself with a healthy appreciation of pop, indie music, classical, and jazz to guide her. The young singer has been compared to Ingrid Michaelson and Adele, depending on her mood.

But Shannon Söderlund doesn’t really sound like anyone else out there. She sounds like herself, with a vibrant-girl-next-door voice that seems to go on forever, singing as if she’s dancing around the room, inviting everyone else to join in. It’s embraceable, endearing music you can’t help mentally playing in a loop.

This past Tuesday, she shared her hopes and dreams, as well as explained the meaning behind, “But on the other hand, jazz is pretty easy to hide behind.”

Just listened to your new four-track EP, Innocent Heart. Wow, your voice and your songs are truly original! Your previous two records, Lush Life, and Vanguard, are more in line with jazz standards, but this new one is all you. Give me the genesis of Innocent Heart. The idea for an EP of my own stuff had been kicking around in my head for at least a few years. I mean, I’ve been writing songs since I was about seven years old. (My first song was about Christmas, and how you can’t find it in your shoe. I was obviously a prodigy.) Innocent Heart kind of worked its way out of me after I kept playing shows that incorporated fewer and fewer jazz standards and more and more originals. I eventually convinced myself (along with my band’s help) that I should get my own music into a recorded form. So, here we are.

“The Kitty Song” is definitely a valid hit single, cute and fuzzy indeed. There’s that 1970s melodic pop sound of the Partridge Family, and a lot of Sara Bareilles earnestness in the narrative for young women. What have been your influences as a songwriter and, who have been your inspirations as a singer? Oh, gosh! The list is endless. My parents were definitely the instigators in all this, since they wrote their own music — so writing seemed pretty natural from the get-go. I’d say they were the biggest influence for me. But I really love the writing styles of Fiona Apple, Becca Stevens, and Colin Malloy, to name a few. I like the way they all make weird words and ideas fit perfectly into the music they're making. Singers I’m in love with include Sarah Vaughan, Julie London (her simplicity is killer), Feist, and John Mayer, among many, many others. I adore modern jazz singers too, like Sara Gazarek, Gretchen Parlato, Cyrille Aimée, and Cécile McLoran Salvant. What’s impressed me most about all those singers and songwriters, though, is how fully each one of them encapsulates their own individual vision. That’s really the biggest inspiration, and is what pushes me to find what I love and find valuable about my own music.

How are you planning to promote this new EP? There’s a Goodbye Blue Monday gig going on next month in Brooklyn. What else? Well, we’ll be performing on Staten Island’s RAW TV show in December. That will stream at 10 p.m. on December 11th on Staten Island’s channel 79 (a local channel) and will be available on YouTube after the show. Beyond that, we’re working on lining up a couple more shows in New York City and the surrounding area! We’re hoping to pop on over to Philly and Boston in the near future, too. I love the intricacies and surprises of playing live, and I’m super excited to share that experience with as many people as we can.

Your previous two albums are in the jazz category. Talk about what went into Vanguard and The Lush Life. Vanguard was the result of an awesome year spent with an awesome collection of musicians in Missoula, Montana. We were the “top” combo at the University of Montana, and we just gelled as a group. Vanguard was actually the name our instructor assigned us, as that year, all the combos were named after legendary NYC venues. We recorded that album over two days at Daly Jazz, a wonderful place (a house, really, owned by Bruce Anderson) that brings in top-notch jazz from NYC, L.A., etc., to play for the jazz lovers in Montana. The music we recorded was a collection of tunes we’d been playing all year, and tunes we’d only played once before. It was so much fun, and I’m pretty darn proud of that album. (If anyone’s wondering, it will be available in slightly condensed form at shows, as a CD, sometime over the next few months.)

The Lush Life was a weekend spent with friends in our apartment in Queens. I had been playing with Devin Starks and Javi Santiago for a couple months at a brunch gig, and since my husband does production work, we thought, “Why not record our sound sometime?” Ironically, the brunch gig ended a couple days before we recorded — but I’m so happy we have a memento of those few months. I adored playing with Javi and Devin. We just picked a couple songs and went for it. “Bewitched” wasn’t even written out in 7/8, but they tackled it anyway. I’m still blown away by how amazing they sound.

After recording two jazz records, you went with something totally different, totally original, and more mainstream. Why? Is this more your style, do you incorporate any jazz elements in the new EP, are you wanting to break away to become more of a cross-over artist? Well… it’s complicated. I love jazz. I’ve been in love with jazz for the last several years, in fact, and singing standards is really what pulled me into doing music as “a life thing” — so in a sense, I felt a bit beholden to that type of music, like I had to make it up to the legacy of Louis Armstrong or something. Or, maybe more like I had to express my gratitude to the music for convincing me that it’s worth it to be a musician. But on the other hand, jazz is pretty easy to hide behind. You can’t blame the singer when the lyrics are super-schmaltzy if it’s something Irving Berlin wrote! So it took some guts for me to make my way into something more expressive, something that’s totally me — not just me improvising over “All Of Me.” It was much more intimidating, at first. But it’s morphed, somehow, into this great freedom where I feel much more comfortable pointing and saying, “Look, this is me, this is what I do.” So, yes, I’d say this is more my style. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to — and I don’t want to — get totally away from jazz in my writing and the way I think about music. I gaze, shiny-eyed, at folks like Mark Guiliana and Brad Mehldau and Chris Morrissey and Gretchen Parlato, who make their own music — which is influenced by jazz, because that music is part of who they are. But that’s not the whole story. If that counts as cross-over, then that’s where I’d like to be. Innocent Heart is my first crack at that.

The song selections, your choice of titles, your website, everything about your public profile says you’re a clever, thoughtful, and open artist. How much thought do you place in the promotional aspects, versus the performance? I admittedly have a complex about people liking me. I blame this on the fact that I was home-schooled until I got to college and desperately wanted everyone I met to think I was totally normal and cool 100 percent of the time. That being said, I think I’ve gotten over the desperate attempts at acceptance and am more interested in engaging with the world in a healthy and honest way. I genuinely like liking other people. And I do like it when other people like me. But I want them to like me for me.

I’m not really interested in being someone I’m not. I've had quite a few people tell me I need to be “more of a diva.” Um, thanks, no. It’s just not who I am. But, I like to think I’m the kind of person who takes a look at what someone’s trying to say when they tell me to be a diva, and attempt to extrapolate what they think I’m lacking as a performer (or a human, or whatever) when they make that statement. So maybe I need to be more assertive about leading the band. Okay, I can do that in my own way, without pulling out the big hair and big jewels and more-diva-than-thou attitude. Advice = taken.

So… I guess that translates into both promotion and performance. I want any promotion I do to be honest, personal, and engaging. I want my performance to be those things, too.

You have to know becoming a musician by trade is a thankless (but artful) pursuit. What keeps you going? Honestly, the knowledge that this is all I want to do. All, and only. I want all of my life to be music, because it’s the best. Besides that, the encouragement I get from my family means the world to me. Words from musicians I respect. The perspective of other artists, in other fields, about what it means to live a fulfilled life. Those all help to nudge me along. Oh, and hugs. Hugs help, too.

With so much competition in this industry, never mind jazz alone, how do you stand out? Describe your personality and how aspects leak into your music to make it approachable and memorable? I’m of the mind that it’s not so much a competition as… a combined effort, I suppose. I don’t see myself as pitted against other artists in a bid for peoples’ time and attention. The thing is, I make my music — and no one else can make my music the way I do. That, I think, is how I stand out. My personality is all over the music I make. It can’t not be.

I think the most important thing about music is communication — about connecting with people. I think all art is about that, really. Heck, all of life is about that — about making yourself understood to the people around you. So, my music is an intrinsic part of my conversation. In a way, I’m saying, “Hey world, I like this,” or “This is important to me,” or “I think this is funny.” And when someone else agrees, well. That’s love, right there.

How has your upbringing in the Pacific Northwest and with musical missionary parents affected the course of your life as a singer/songwriter in New York? It’s funny — I never even thought about being a musician in my youth. Which is ironic, since I’d been onstage and performing with my family since I was about three years old. But I had this idea in my head that musicians weren’t serious people and that no one in their right mind would be a musician by choice! (An especially odd line of thought, given that my parents were musicians.) I definitely didn’t identify as a singer, because, well, singers don’t know anything about music! And I knew lots about music. But regardless, I was above all that. These things I thought to myself as I sang my way through my adolescence with my family as we toured America and Europe, as I played clarinet in the wind ensemble in college, as I joined jazz combo class as a singer.

It was the most ridiculous thing.

I suppose it’s due to all of those musically infused experiences I had throughout my life that made me feel like doing music, especially in New York, was the totally natural thing to do. This is really, really my “normal.” Once I finally got my head around the fact that I wouldn’t be satisfied doing anything but music, it has consistently seemed like the only option that makes any sense.

What brought you to New York City, and Queens no less? That must’ve been quite a culture shock from Tacoma. What has living in the city so close to so much live music done for your career, your musical dreams? I had never really imagined myself as a person who would go to New York to pursue their dreams of being a musician. As I mentioned before, those kinds of aspirations seemed utterly ridiculous to me for a long while. But one night in Montana, shortly after I had my game-changing epiphany that I should pursue the musician’s life, I got the chance to hear an amazing pianist from Brooklyn play an absolutely stunning set of music. And the next morning, I said to my husband, “…what do you think of moving to New York?” His response was something like, “I didn’t want to say anything, but I’ve been waiting for you to have that idea on your own, so you wouldn’t think I planted it in your head.” We were both finishing up with school and were in need of a game plan, anyway. So off we went (after a couple months of prep) to realize our dreams and face our fears. We found a place in Queens that we adore, I started going to shows and jam sessions and meeting musicians, and… there you go.

We’re closer to my husband’s family now, since he grew up upstate. So it wasn’t a complete dive into the unknown — which I think has been helpful. The East Coast is certainly different from my beloved Pacific Northwest, but it has worked its way into my heart, as well. The music here is incredible, and I love that I get to see such fabulous musicians on a constant basis. And I do think it’s helped with the whole “doing music is normal” feeling. A life in music feels possible here in ways that it doesn’t in the other places I’ve lived.

Describe your ultimate musical dream… Singing harmony with John Mayer. Hands. Down.

Besides that, though… I would love to be on tour. Like, all the time. I love hopping around the country, seeing new places, rolling over the road with people I love (and grow to hate and grow to love again). I would happily live 90 percent of my life on a tour bus. - Carol Banks Weber


"SHANNON SODERLUND BOWLS OVER THE ROCKWOOD MUSIC HALL CROWD"

Shannon Soderlund, the Queens, NY based jazz-pop singer graced Rockwood Music Hall with her presence on Wednesday night and did not disappoint. While small in stature, Shannon bowled the crowd over with her powerful voice. She sang her songs mostly with eyes closed, but that didn’t affect her connection with the rapt audience. What starts out as a seemingly “girl next door” vibe quickly morphed into what I likened to a jazzy version of Christina Aguilera, but with far less bravado… which is a good thing.

Singing selections from her short but sweet EP, “Innocent Heart,” my favorite was “Secretary,” a song about a tiny desk, which also was entered into NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert Contest. Another song that got the crowd riled up was an unsual choice of “Que Sera Sera,” which Shannon noted it was “sung in the style of Sly & The Family Stone.” This was an important distinction because this could have gone left quickly, but with a few soulful flourishes and impressive restraint kept it from leaning into its inherently campy, “sing-songy” nature. Shannon belted out the chorus with confidence, earning applause and cheers from the crowd.

Her set was short, lasting a little over a half hour, but the time was used wisely. She had a wonderful rapport with her band as well, as everyone appeared to be great spirits and smiled throughout their entire performance. The only thing I wished was different was that the talkative people at the bar would have quieted down to hear some of the softer moments that were quite beautiful, and I was lucky enough to hear at my spot at the foot of the stage. - Lesley Keller, Pancakes and Whiskey


"Quality Not Quantity: Shannon Söderlund - The smallest Creature - Rachel Mason"

From the four song EP The Magic released a short while ago, we feature the first song in the collection 'Tomorrow's Only Tuesday'. What a refreshing set of songs these are, pop/rock by nature, there is energy and depth within each song. Whether it's the stompy power of the featured track, or the more sultry blues feel within 'Addicted' the quality is constant, and always delivered with real feeling, and superb vocals. -


"Four Queens musicians and bands to add to your 2017 playlist"

BY MARIE GRILLO AND LORA GRILLO

The beginning of a new year is a great reminder to try new things, from fitness routines to hobbies. Your iTunes library could probably use an update, and the start of 2017 is a great excuse to discover some new music. Here are four local musicians and bands that you should check out.

Doris Cellar

Doris Cellar is an Astoria songstress whose mix of R&B, electronica and indie rock melds together, becoming a unique pop creation that reminds us of early Robyn and makes us want to lace up our roller skates and get moving. Growing up in the neighborhood definitely influenced Cellar’s sound.

“Since Astoria has always been multicultural, I grew up listening to R&B, rock, soul and whatever else neighbors would blast out of their windows: Greek, Indian, salsa, Hot 97, KRock, Z100 and SOU [death metal],” she said. “We grew up listening to all the sounds of the world because that’s what Astoria is — we are every culture combined into one.”

Each track of love and loss takes complex instrumentation and renders them raw again. Cellar remembers the analog waves of yesterday fondly.

“I grew up in a time and place before the internet when we were lucky to have it all on our radios,” she said. “I would sit there with a tape and wait for my jam to come on so I could hit record on my cassette player.”

In 2017, Cellar will embark on her first European tour as a solo artist to promote her new album, which she mixed at home.

In this New Year filled with uncertainty, we asked Doris what her thoughts were on the current political climate.

“I tend to think positive because I think fear is a beautiful thing,” she told us. “Fear can make us change so fast we wouldn’t even know what hit us. It’s not great to be motivated by it all the time, but when it strikes, our instincts drive us in the right direction. It’s a great time for real change. Change is good and necessary.”

WHERE TO CATCH THEM NEXT:
– Pete’s Candy Store (petescandystore.com) at 709 Lorimer St. (Feb. 3, 10 p.m.)

Doriscellar.com
doriscellar.bandcamp.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/doriscellar

Shannon Soderlund

A five-piece band chock-full of playful and soulful harmonies driven by a steady rock ‘n’ roll beat, Shannon Söderlund is local band worth checking out.

“We toe the line of gospel, jazz and blues, but lean most heavily toward rock,” lead singer Shannon Söderlund said. “A lot of people describe it as having a ‘90s vibe.”

Currently residing in Astoria, Söderlund has found herself “reveling” in the local music scene.

“My primary songwriting ‘studio’ is the streets of Queens — the path between my apartment and the train, as well as the East River and walks in Astoria Park, fuel my songwriting muse regularly.”

Like the upbeat, optimistic music they make, the band is hopeful for the future.

“There is so much to look forward to, so much to rejoice in,” Söderlund said.

Söderlund has found that current social issues have influenced their music: “This has manifested itself somewhat in my lyrics, but has also shaped my thoughts about my team, who I want to work with, and what I want to do as I manage my band.”

Shannon_Portraits-15

Shannon Söderlund and their polished pop sound play regularly at The Queens Kickshaw, The Quays and a few other places around the neighborhood.

WHERE TO CATCH THEM NEXT:
– The Queens Kickshaw (thequeenskickshaw.com) at 40-17 Broadway in Astoria (Jan. 13, 9 to 11 p.m.)
– The Quays at 4502 30th Ave. in Astoria (Jan. 21, 9:30 p.m.)

shannonsoderlund.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shannonsoderlund/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shannonsoderlund/

Evening Darling

With a lot of bands bringing shades of ‘90s emo and pop back to the forefront, Evening Darling and their straight-forward, guitar-driven sound is heavily inspired by a different decade.

“Our sound is coastal folk-rock, influenced by ‘70s AM radio and our own drives up and down Interstate 95,” explained lead guitarist and sometimes singer Nick Lerangis.

The band practices beneath Bakeway Bakery and The Strand Smokehouse in Astoria.

“There is an insistent, dogged and working person’s sense of forward motion in Astoria and that shapes our lyrics and our own ability to limit pretentiousness,” Lerangis said.

Baffled by the current political climate, Evening Darling’s music “both empathizes with and envisions a way forward for this slice of America.”

The band has big goals for 2017, like “One: to release our self-titled debut album and get it to every blog and radio station we can. We are so excited about it. It sounds great and the album art looks incredible. Two: to tour twice — once in the spring, and again in the fall/winter.”

We are certain that they will accomplish both of the above and much more.

WHERE TO CATCH THEM NEXT:
– An Beal Bocht (anbealbochtcafe.com) at 445 W 238th St. in the Bronx (Feb. 3)
– Muchmore’s (muchmoresnyc.com) at 2 Havemeyer St. in Brooklyn (Feb. 4)
– Cafe Nine (cafenine.com) at 250 State St. in New Haven (March 2)

www.eveningdarling.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eveningdarling
Instagram: @evening_darling
Twitter: @evening_darling

J.D. Patch

It’s not J.D. Patch’s first time at the rodeo (forgive us, we have been wanting to use that one). The Astoria-based musician who plays around town with The Hell Dwellers has concocted his own brand of “outlaw” country music that is gaining popularity in an unlikely home.

“This is a melting pot, and I get people coming up to me from Texas, Georgia, South Carolina. I mean, NYC is the epicenter of everywhere. People escape their small town and come to NYC. I’ll get someone who is like, ‘Thank you so much for jamming some country music; it reminds me of back home.’”

Patch has called Astoria home since 2006.

“I think being in Astoria and NYC gives certain energy to the music,” Patch said. “New York in general has a lot of energy. I think being in a city subconsciously gives you that outlet of go, go, go, go.”

About his traditionalist country style, Patch explained, “This whole new wave of outlaw country is about going against the system about writing what you feel and being who you are. Jonnie Paycheck. All those guys!”

Referencing the infamous “Take this Job and Shove It” songwriter certainly paints a picture of a guy who doesn’t take much from anyone.

“I am paving my own way kind of thing,” Patch said. “Writing my own songs. Writing what I feel. Let it be what it is. You like it or you don’t. To each their own.”

J.D. Patch released his fifth record in 2016 called “Reckless on Excess.” You can catch him and The Hell Dwellers doing their thing around the neighborhood.

WHERE TO CATCH THEM NEXT:
– Bar Chord (barchordnyc.com) at 1008 Cortelyou Rd. in Brooklyn (Jan. 18)
– LIC Beer Project (licbeerproject.com) at 39-28 23rd St. in Long Island City (Feb. 10)

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/jdpatch20/
Instagram: @jdpatch
Twitter: @patchjd - Boro Magazine/QNS.com


Discography

Innocent Heart (2014)
The Lush Life (2014)
Vanguard (2012)

Photos

Bio

Punch The Sun is an alt-rock band based in Astoria, Queens - a neighborhood of NYC that has the grit and relevance of Manhattan, minus the pretense and sprinkled with a dose of neighborly chit-chat. Therein lies the metaphor, and indeed the particular charm and energy of a band whose sound has been described as “Lady Weezer.” PTS is equal parts noise and sensitivity, with introspective lyrics and irreverent shout choruses, revelling in dancy anti-man-splaining anthems, dreamy thunderstorm ballads, and yellin’ about guys named Steve.

The idiosyncratic pop songs of PTS are steeped in self-reflection and sarcasm, yearning for the answers from life more than love, underlining what our daily experiences feel like rather than simply telling what they are. Easy, catchy hooks are underscored with the kind of complex chord progressions that only a recovering jazz musician could dream up.

Punch The Sun is a high five wrapped in a debate wrapped in a comforter. (Wrapped in a tortilla. We eat a lot of burritos.) Always busy, PTS plays live shows in-and-out of NYC regularly, with on-going production of recorded tracks and constant, constant songwriting. Life affords much inspiration. Coming soon to a venue in your neighborhood.

Band Members