The Sinsations

In mid-2005, The Sinsations started when frontman Todd Shawn began advertising for band members in Los Angeles , California . Todd had fronted bands in his hometown, New York City , and knew that forming a band could be a difficult ordeal. Still, his hopes were high when he received a number of responses, among them one from drummer Brian Donlan, who had recently moved from Virginia to pursue music. After unsuccessfully auditioning a few different drummers, Todd and Brian arranged to meet.

Something clicked between the two, taking them by surprise. “I started jamming out some songs, wondering how to explain the way I’d envisioned them to be,” explains Todd. “Instead, he just gave his sticks a twirl and started to play. He just knew, intuitively, how everything was meant to sound.”

Despite having found each other, Todd and Brian struggled to find the crucial element they lacked: a bassist. “We jammed with a lot of different people,” says Brian, “but no one was working out.” Todd elaborates, “We had a few burnouts. And then some others were too self-centered to work out in the long run. Everyone else just wasn’t dedicated enough. We knew we needed someone who was hungry.”

Enter Kyle Caplinger, the only Los Angeles native of the group. Todd and Brian quickly noticed Kyle’s drive and promise. Says Kyle, “I was impressed by their sound. I knew that this was something I wanted to be a part of.” After just a few rehearsals, they decided that the pieces fit and declared the puzzle of the band’s final lineup solved.

Now, barely a year later, it’s undeniable that The Sinsations are on the move. In June of 2006, the trio completed Dead Memories, their clever, hook-heavy, nine-track-strong debut EP. “Dead Memories is about relationships,” says Todd, the group’s main songwriter. “The title track, ‘Dead Memories’, is about the bitterness you feel at the end of a relationship with someone you loved but ultimately misjudged. ‘All Beautiful Things’ is about the consequences of your death for the loved ones you leave behind. ‘I Wanna Be With You’ is a lighthearted look at being in love and planning a future together. People of all ages, races and backgrounds have relationships, so we know that Dead Memories is something that everyone can not only enjoy but really relate to. That’s everything we could hope for, more important than critical praise or commercial success – to connect with fans through our music.”