Sound From Earth

http://vimeo.com/32653457 - Stereo of the Insane

Wednesday night, July 27, in a little underground musical alcove known to us as the Basement, Sons of Summer found a way to say that summer is more than just an endless string of days with a 120-degree heat index. With every guitar strum, a breeze passed through the room and the lights became brighter as if the Sun were shining through cracks in the ceiling. Sand felt like it was forming where the floor should be and the brick walls evaporated revealing the incoming tide. Neon signs grew into palm trees while overhead concert posters melted into a solid blue.

The trio – comprised of members Clint Crighton, Jules Crighton and Luke Dolahenty - have written a set of perfectly crafted summer anthems that, in the mind of the listener, capture the oranges, reds and blues of a sun-drenched summer road trip through 1960s Southern California with your best friend and a beautiful girl you just met, hitting the surf at 5:30 a.m., or a late-night campfire burning in the fall. Armed with these simply beautiful songs sung in a three-part harmony, Sons of Summer are able to direct their music to the listener as if to say, “we wrote this one for you – do you mind if we play it?” Of course you don’t.

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Amazingly, Sons of Summer have only been functioning as a group now for roughly a year. All three members originated in New South Wales, Australia, but the story of Sons of Summer really doesn’t begin there. The idea of becoming a band arrived somewhere in New York City, where the three reunited after two years apart. The trio jetted to Shenzhen, China, where they played six nights a week for six months. When they realized it was time to make an album, they also realized it was time to change geography again, so, after much deliberation, they chose Nashville over New York and L.A., which (in a nutshell) brings the story to today.

Their signature combination of dynamic energy and subtle intimacy make Sons of Summer’s live performance impossible to forget (or overlook) as it draws a hungry audience back for more each time they play and sends them off with a partially-quenched thirst for this particular brand of goodness - ensuring they will be back.

If you have never heard of Sons of Summer, well, now you have. If you have never seen them live, be sure you are at the Basement on August 23rd for their next show. Come be a part of what this group is about and sway the human-to-breathable-air ratio in the room toward the human persuasion. They are a band that should not be missed as there is no ceiling on where these guys will go next.

For more information about the band, go to www.sonsofsummer.com.



Continue reading on Examiner.com The shining Sons of Summer - Nashville Local Bands | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/local-bands-in-nashville/the-shining-sons-of-summer#ixzz1eZhi4T21 - Cameron Duke

Sons of Summer
Article by: Cameron Duke; Photos by Donnie Hedden
Posted: 09/02/2011
Monday, August 29, Australia-to-Nashville transplants Sons of Summer sweetly serenaded an eager and excited 12th & Porter crowd.
Members Clint Crighton, Jules Crighton and Luke Dolahenty have crafted a sound that is equally reminiscent of The Mamas & the Papas and Bob Dylan. Their three-part harmonies, paired with dreamy lyrics, are as chill-inducing as they are addictive.
While fairly new to the scene (the band is a little more than a year old), they’ve been able to attract a very loyal audience with their heartfelt, soothing, road-worn sound that they perfected over six months in China playing almost every night.
“I think the main thing with our band is that we just focus on getting the song across with as little gimmick as possible,” says Clint. “Just sing it, play it organically from the writing stage to the listener hearing it. We want as little interference as possible.”
Sons of Summer’s music is as organic as can be. Nothing seems forced, and both their songs and onstage personalities are completely honest. Clint seems introspective as he plays, not moving much but conveying a sense of emotion that always lends itself to the performance.
Jules dances between Clint and Luke in a very freeform way like a tree swaying gently in the breeze – highlighting the band’s late 60s era folk sound. Luke is fun to watch as he headbangs enthusiastically to their faster songs and always looks like he’s having fun.
The band’s 12th & Porter set began with “Unborn,” a song from their upcoming debut album. The lyrics are so natural that it’s impossible not to feel every word as if your own soul is the source from which these songs flow. Couple that with floating, at times abstract, melodies that massage your brain, and you have some truly powerful and potentially timeless songs.
Sons of Summer’s tunes varied in mood from the reflective “Sunhill Drive” to the energetic “Damage” to the folky “Fields of Flowers” to the poppy “You’re the One I Love the Most” and then to “Summer is a Part of You” with it’s ever-intensifying build.

“The songs take a bit of a journey,” says Clint. “You write them, you record them, but nothing really matters until you play them on stage and people react to them.”

Even for a band that stands up as well acoustically as Sons of Summer, it obviously doesn’t hurt to have as solid a foundation as drummer Matt Sherrod and David LaBruyere on bass to round out the sound and provide added energy and experience to the group.
Their ability to go with the flow was evident when the set finished and the crowd demanded an encore. Clint called a good friend out of the audience to play guitar on a cover of “Goodbye” by the Australian band Cold Chisel. The band was completely unrehearsed, but caught on so quickly you would never have known. - Brite