Sugar On the Dashboard

Your new favorite band?

Rock, alternative, fun and catchy! All words that could describe Atlanta's own 'Sugar on the Dashboard.' Young, and ready to take over, they have already carved out a name for themselves in the ATL. They have headlined their own shows, as well as opened for touring bands. And, they are all in. This is the dream, and they are accepting nothing less than success in the music business, and they bill themselves as "your new favorite band." And, with the talent shown, they very well could be.


They have just completed an EP called Discovery is Dead, and the quality of not only the music, but the recording as well, they are on their way.


Sugar on the Dashboard are:
Brayden Gomer- Vocals/Guitar
Britt Spurka- Lead Guitar
Austin McEwen- Bass
Ryan Calatayud- Drums

They are in their late teens,but their music is mature. They have the positive vibe of The Foo Fighters, and the groove of Social Distortion. However, a wide variety of influences is present in their music that creates a style all their own. From the EP, Mr. Role Model is a defiant statement to false role models who do not live up to their titles..Like athletes and actors maybe? All the songs seem to be a testament of a young man as he emerges into adulthood. Somebody Else for example is exactly that. But, don't think for one minute that these are songs about rebellion and young angst. They are not. The lyrical content shows a level of maturity that is missing in certain bands that are 10+ years older than them.

But, don't just take my words for it. Keep your eyes open for the band to play in your area. They are planning a tour soon, and as is the case with any young and talented band, they are going to evolve. I expect good things from them in the future, as long as they keep it up, and don't get distracted. I'm not sure what their album title, Discovery is Dead means, but that doesn't matter. Its a cool title, and now that I've mentioned it, it will get you thinking too. Now, its in your head. - William Telltale

Sugar On the Dashboard, ranked #10 on Reverbnation’s Alternative chart, are one of the hot up and coming bands that embrace rock music.

Their sound is a mix of punk and traditional rock music that come together to produce spectacular music.

Sugar On the Dashboard's lead singer, Brayden Gomer’s voice illustrates the timeless lyrics of growing up and going through rough patches but triumphing in the end.

Gomer gave Empty Lighthouse an exclusive interview to talk “Innocence In a Sense,” the Atlanta based bands origins and some of the crazy stories from the road.

How and when did the band come together?

The band came together in October of 2013. It all came together after I left the Atlanta music scene for a awhile and left for LA and had the opportunity to record some demos with producer Michael “Smidi” Smith (the guy is a genius). After having the experience of recording in a studio and hearing songs I had written come to life I came back to Atlanta with a vengeance, to start the next great American rock band. I had a friend I played some shows with in the past who played drums named Ryan; he played the drums harder than anyone I knew, he was a mini John Bonham so he was an obvious choice. Britt, I had met through Ryan and he impressed me right off the bat with his skill, musical ear and stage presence, the guy can literally play anything and looks wild doing it. Austin, again, I met through Ryan, and he actually never played bass…ever. The coolest thing about him is that you would never know! He was meant to play the bass and be in a band. We started playing shows a couple months later.

How did you guys come up with the name Sugar on the Dashboard?

Sugar On the Dashboard is the name of an unreleased Chuck Berry song.

What were some of your major influences musically?

This question is always interesting and I feel like many bands are quick to answer it. I feel as if when a band tells you their musical influences it takes away the uniqueness of the bands own sound. Our one consistent musical influence will always be rock music, end of story…we are a rock band after all.

Where do you find your inspiration for writing your songs?

Most of the songs are written depending on how I’m feeling at the moment. Rarely is it that something specific happens to me and I write a song about it. I don’t feel like I ever want to be super specific with songs when I write them because I want that feeling or experience to be relatable to everyone.

What is the overall goal what do you all want to accomplish through music?

We want to be the biggest rock band in the world and inspire others to pick up instruments and start writing songs. The whole reason we started this band was to become the best and to let everyone know that playing in a rock band is still cool. We also want to be cool guys while doing it too, some bands think they’re waaaay too cool for people when really we’re all just human beings.

What is the best venue that the band has played at to date?

There is this bar in downtown Atlanta called Smith’s Olde Bar that, in my opinion, was the best place and best show we ever played. It has this really cool vibe to it because you feel like you’re in this secret place on the side of the street no one knows about but when you go inside and see the stage, its actually big and tons of big bands have played there. A lot of cool people come to see shows there too which it’s always nice to have an audience.

When can we expect an album or EP?

We have an EP out called “Discovery Is Dead” you can hear it all for free on Soundcloud! Here is the link: https://soundcloud.com/bgomer
What current band would you compare your band to?
Your favorite rock band.

What is the craziest thing that has happened while playing a show?

My guitar has fallen off of me a couple times which is always embarrassing. Another crazy thing was that some guy jumped on stage while Britt was doing a guitar solo and started bowing to him like he was in Van Halen or something, it was rad. Something that didn’t happen on stage but was awkward was when we pulled up to this venue to play and I saw my ex girlfriend standing at the front…apparently she had gotten a job there, we had just broken up so it was super awkward. The guys were making fun of me all day for it. Girls come and go but your friends will always give you a hard time about them…

How did you come up with the concepts for Innocence in a Sense?

I wrote the song literally the day after I graduated high school and it means what it says. When you’re young you have this innocence about you, like you can conquer the world or be anything that you want to be but overtime something happens, you shut off those ideas and all of a sudden you’re working in a cubicle and punching in from 9 to 5. The song is telling people to hold on to that innocence, go out into the world, and do what you set out to do. You can do whatever you want in the world as long as you don’t let that same world that built you up tear you completely down with harsh realities.

To listen to more Sugar On the Dashboard head over to:

http://www.reverbnation.com/sugaronthedashboard
https://soundcloud.com/bgomer

Photo courtesy of: https://soundcloud.com/bgomer - Empty Lighthouse

ATLANTA, GA – The fans have spoken and the hottest thing coming out of Georgia this spring is not the weather, its alternative rock band “Sugar on the Dashboard”. The band is comprised of four members Brayden Gomer (vocals/guitar), Britt Spurka (guitar), Austin McEwen (bass), and Ryan Calatayud (drums). The group has received rave reviews since they released four singles on their Soundcloud in December and they have decided to re-release the songs as a four track EP entitled “Discovery is Dead”. The EP is just the beginning of their quest to bring rock music back to its roots.

Sugar on the Dashboard has been creating a big buzz in America’s southeast, and has been performing countless shows lately, even sharing the stage with other great bands like New Orleans’ Cowboy Mouth. All the momentum they’ve received lately also has them planning a national tour this summer.

When asked for his statement about the success of “Discovery is Dead”, lead singer Brayden Gomer had this to say, “We are thrilled to hear that our fans are as excited as we are about this movement. We started this band because the Alternative rock scene is dying. We're tired of the new wave dance music and the folk revival. We want to bring back the distortion, the noise, and the energy that comes with Alternative Rock. We aren't pop, we aren't pop-punk, and we aren't Folk. We are America's next great rock band.” - West Coast Truth