Sacramento ex-patriates By Sunlight make a home in Seattle

“What is true by lamplight is not always true by sunlight.” — Joseph Joubert, French moralist/essayist

Though starting with a quote is a bit cliché, especially by anyone like Joubert, who doesn’t exactly get remembered for much other than cute little quips. Still, there is much truth that can be found in an over-simplified message. For the members of the band By Sunlight, maybe the quote would be more along the lines of, “What is true in Sacramento is not always true anywhere else.”

The gentlemen that occupy the moniker By Sunlight (originally known as Bridges) decided a few years back that a new perspective would suit them nicely, and packed their bags and took off to the city synonymous with mediocre sports franchises (at least those remaining), Starbucks, its weather and its iconic music scenes. By Sunlight’s Mike Sparks laughs over the phone during a recent interview when asked if Seattle’s dismal meteorology caused any changes in his music.

“It’s funny that every time I do an interview I get asked that. I guess so?” Sparks remarks, in a sort-of vocal shrugging, “I woke up this morning and it was overcast and I almost had a tear of joy. I mean, it’s beautiful now, but I really like that weather… It’s temperate for me, you know? Living in Sacramento was heinous. I couldn’t stand it at all.”

But, hey, not all of us living here love the heat. Still, moving to Seattle was behind a large part of how he both developed as a musician, and as a person. Sparks continues, “We were ready to get the fuck out of there. Hey man, sometimes when it’s 4:30 p.m., and the sun’s down, and I’ve got three beers in my body, yes, I might feel a bit of darkness in the spirit. There are tons of metal bands up here, tons of punk bands up here, and there is a lot of reflection of that environmental aesthetic in how people behave here, but I wouldn’t describe it as a sullen city either. Yeah, biometrics is a huge fucking change in my life, but going from everything I know to where I don’t know anything, that I would say was a more profound affect rather than the climate.”

After residing in the city for a handful of years and constantly touring, By Sunlight finally decided to settle down, and take a year off from the road. They took to inviting another Sacramento musician, Evan Ferro of Bright Light Fever/Roman Funerals, to make the journey up to the Pacific Northwest, and have Sparks, producer and band member Robert Cheek and Ferro move in together in order to record their latest album.

“We would go home after work or what-not, and we would go straight to working on the record,” Ferro recalls. “Whether it was writing or fine-tuning, it was non-stop. It was a lot of thought, a lot of annoying ourselves with how much we were thinking about it. But, ultimately it became what we wanted it to be.”

Sparks considers the decision to bring Ferro into the picture to be just what the band needed. “It’s kind of what saved our band,” says Sparks. “After the aesthetic exhaustion, fatigue and demoralization that you can sometimes get from working so hard at a band, and not really getting anything. You sort of question your art all the time; it’s that sort of weird, entropic little head thing you can get, and it really pulled us out of all that.”

Robert Cheek, who even now is instrumental as a producer and sound engineer locally–working on albums for Doom Bird, Life in 24 Frames and others–despite not being on full-time duties for this By Sunlight album, is an extremely valuable asset as both a musician and technical mind, and the other members in the band are very aware of it. Particularly since By Sunlight is a very technically minded project, employing many elements that build on and flow through each other, with a sound that is both intricate and intensely mellow, it takes a lot of abstract thought to orchestrate and balance so many elements peacefully.

“I think I’m just so blessed to be in a band with people like [Cheek]–where music is really the only thing of interest to him. For that ethos alone is enough to get a boner for a dude in your band,” Sparks says through a chuckle, “I mean, not literally. It’s like if you have someone you work with intimately all the time that share the same enthusiasm as you, and also you’ve got these huge technical talent.”

“Yeah, he’s valuable. He’s done all our records prior to this one, and even with this one he helped definitely, and did some work also. Yeah, it’s a huge one-up, and we all couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunities that affords us.”

Ferro agrees, taking it a step further: “[Cheek] is a genius. There is not a better word for it, really. He puts so much work into what he is doing, whether it’s a band he is working with or a band he is in. Bob plays in Roman Funerals as well, so I have the experience of not one but two bands with Bob. To have him in a band is a musician’s dream come true. If you’re having second thoughts on a song you are writing, go to Bob and Bob will give you the answer. Actually, it’s somewhat ridiculous.”

With Cheek, Ferro, Sparks, bass player Jack Clemens, and drummer John O’Connell–the only member not from Sacramento (he’s from Virginia)–the band is chock-full of veteran talent. Finished with their latest album, titled Penumbra, they now face the arduous and sometimes daunting task of getting it out there. Starting off with a quick West Coast tour, the guys are looking forward to finally seeing the road again.

“With all the bands I’ve toured with, By Sunlight is the easiest,” says Sparks, “just because, we’ve all done it, you know, too much, and so the emotional thing that is so often an issue on tour, is sort of an old hat for us; it’s not hard at all.

“Not to sound over-confident about it, but we’re all best friends,” Sparks continues, “It’s not like we don’t get into fights sometimes, like when John wants to listen to baseball on the radio, and I just want to sit there and feel sorry for myself. It’s not like those things aren’t going to happen, but there is no fear that the bottom is going to drop out.”

By Sunlight will return to Sacramento on Sept. 8, 2012 when they play Harlow’s with Doom Bird. The 21-and-over show starts at 9 p.m., and tickets can be purchased through http://harlows.com/. For more on By Sunlight, check out their website http://www.bysunlight.com/.

Roman Funerals, X-Ray Press, Winter’s Fall
Sunday, Jan. 30, 2011 – Townhouse – Sacramento

Let’s face it: watching two or more hours of the same genre of music rarely keeps the full attention of any audience, whether it’s thrashy punk rock or a dose of lulling acoustic folk. The jumble of bands playing Sunday’s show at the Townhouse, headlined by Sacramento’s Roman Funerals, provided a different kind of experience instead.

Winter's Fall

I was in the ladies’ room when I heard the drums of the opening band overhead, one hour past show time. I ran upstairs in time to see the five members of the Berkeley, Calif., band Winter’s Fall onstage playing “Anyways” from their newly released album At All Angles. Thirty-five or so people were fanned across the bar and corners of the room. Wearing button-down shirts and sneakers to fit the part, it was the first time the self-described Americana, indie folk rock band had played a show in Sacramento. I was immediately caught off-guard by lead vocalist Peter Stanley’s voice, which varies between a distinctly higher, somewhat nasaly quality like Jon Thor Birgisson in Sigur Ros and a lower range like the voice of The National’s Matt Berninger. The songs lasted four to five minutes, transitioning from upbeat guitar hooks to dreamy layers of guitars mixed with synthesizers and harmonized vocals, creating a full, soothing sound that was both folk and rock. Topped off with the sweet sound of a lap steel guitar and Stanley’s voice, their songs radiated country undertones. They played “Who’s to Say,” also off of At All Angles, and “Paper Chains” from their 2008 release Winter’s Fall.

X-Ray Press

X-Ray Press from Seattle eradicated every ounce of calm left in the room. The five-piece band pounded out a foreign genre that overlaps math rock, hardcore and punk creating a sort of ‘90s-meets-the-future sound. Despite their contagious, frenetic energy complete with head-banging and string tapping, the audience refrained from wriggling and writhing in front of the stage–maybe because they were in shock. Imagine beeping robot sounds composed to distorted guitars and intricate drumming, stopping abruptly to change the tempo two to three times within the same song, and you will have a vague conception of what this band sounded like. Lead vocalists Michael Pasuit and Paurl Walsh exchanged screaming and melodies over the various time signatures, sounding something like Brandon Boyd from Incubus singing over Dennis Lyxzén of Refused.

Roman Funerals headlined the show, fronted by brothers Evan and Matt Ferro of the former Sacramento band Bright Light Fever. Several local performers joined them on stage, including Kris Anaya of Doom Bird and the Alternative String Band. The set began with “Change in Weather,” a haunting opener filled with heavy drums and melancholy guitar riffs. Their songs are lyrically rich and eerie, with the brothers delivering most of the words in harmony with a sort of raw intensity, joined by their acoustic guitars. “I go to sleep at night wearing all my clothes in case the rich kids come to get me. They’ll take me away to a house on the hill and tell me lies about American history,” were the opening lines of “Secrets for Sale,” followed with booming drums, tambourine shakes and echoing “ooh ahhhs” that the audience sang along to. The harmonies joined with the percussion sounded something like Fleet Foxes but with the darkness of a Neko Case song. The accompanying keys, played by Anaya, added just the right touch of mood-setting. They played all the songs from their EP Six of Us, in addition to a cover of the Doom Bird song “Shape of Hearts,” at which point Sacramento’s Alternative String Band joined in with cellos and violins. Only the brothers and the String Band remained on stage to play their final song, “Six of Us,” a melancholy song that they noted “is about our father’s daughter’s children.” The brothers thanked the crowd for sticking around past midnight on a Sunday night at the end of set, and, with an act of generosity, left a stack of 10 free CDs on the stage for the audience to take.

Matt and Evan Ferro hone their sibling chemistry as Roman Funerals
Words by Bobby Gulshan

When the guys from Roman Funerals arrived at the Bistro, the first question I asked them was how much time they had. If they wanted to just crank out this interview, I was prepared to do that. Alternately, we could order a few rounds, get some food and see where it led. They agreed to the latter, and the Scottish ale began to flow. Luckily, I remembered what the hell I was doing there in the first place and managed to get some of it on tape.

We started talking about a line from the band’s bio. Matt Ferro offered the following: “How do I know that 99 percent of musicians are scumbags? Dude, I have been playing and touring for a long time. I know they are scumbags. Hell, I am a scumbag.” It may seem like a callous generalization, but as our conversation continued, it became clear to me that neither Matt Ferro, nor his brother Evan, would indulge in any hostile posturing. “There are a few good eggs out there,” Matt continued. “But there is just something about music. Think of the expected rewards, like sex and drugs and money, it’s going to attract certain kinds of people.”

I am not sure if the Ferro brothers were ever those “certain kinds of people.” It seems hard to believe they could have been. Having spent nearly a decade in the seminal Sacramento band Bright Light Fever, the approach to their new project is built on a foundation of experience and maturation. This includes years of touring and exposure to the music industry, culminating in a brief dalliance with major label status. “We had our toes in with Island Records, and we got a taste of all that,” Matt said. And for all the “scumbaggery” out there, Matt stated unequivocally that his brother Evan is not a scumbag, and hence from the ashes of Bright Light Fever emerged Roman Funerals.

The Ferro brothers have been playing together since 2005 and have developed a close working relationship that Evan describes as “second nature.” In music, chemistry is everything, and to hear these guys tell it, being brothers almost gives them an unfair advantage. It comes through on the soon to be released EP, Six of Us. The sound of the record is generally stripped down and tight, with an underlying foundation of acoustic guitars and warm, two-part harmonies. It’s difficult to locate the music of Roman Funerals on the style spectrum, but there are hints of certain influences. “The way we put this record together was a little foreign for us. We wanted to make it feel a little uncomfortable,” said Matt, reflecting on the process of writing the EP. As a result, there are stylistic turns that may or may not be obvious, like my insistence that the track “Lineage” sounds like it could have been performed by an ‘80s New Romantic band. However, it’s clear that on some of the other tracks, the folk-y, almost country-like guitar parts drive the tunes. And as Evan explained, “it’s heavily influenced by The Byrds, and their record Sweetheart of the Rodeo.”

The best thing about interviewing bands is that on occasion, you will get to talk to someone who is as much of a music nerd as you. The Brothers Ferro are those kinds of guys, the ones who will drink and debate about “top fives” like characters from a Nick Hornsby novel. At a certain point in the interview, after beers and a couple slices of gourmet pizza, the conversation turned to black metal and black metal documentaries, and how Gaahl from Gorgoroth came out of the closet. If I wasn’t careful, I would forget all about the interview and start articulating my argument in favor of Dragonforce. Luckily, I remembered my notes.

I told the guys I spent the earlier part of the day listening to the EP. “Did it bum you out? I mean, it’s kind of a gloomy day,” offered Matt. It’s clear that Six of Us isn’t a summer party soundtrack. Despite the Ferros’ reverence for the jangly, country rock of the Byrds, the Roman Funerals EP is decidedly moodier. The record was produced by Robert Cheek of By Sunlight, a former Sacramento band now based in Seattle. The EP also features the services of the Alternative String Band, a prominent local string quartet. “Playing with the string quartet made us feel like legit musicians,” Evan said, as if their status was in question somehow. The EP, available on Nov. 16, features six songs that are brilliantly played and captured. Cheek’s production preserves the stripped down, folk-y feel and avoids excessive overproduction. Matt said that other members of By Sunlight, who also play in Roman Funerals, contributed to the production and performances on the record; a collective effort put forward to make manifest the musical vision of the Brothers Ferro.

Increasingly, digital technology and social media outlets mean that bands can do a lot of things that used to be the province of a dedicated cadre of professionals. I wondered what Matt and Evan thought about how technology has changed the way bands approach their craft, especially since these guys basically cut their teeth in a period that immediately preceded the Web 2.0 explosion.

“It’s a double-edged sword. You can immediately record and put something on the Internet, and it’s totally shit. But it allows you to do stuff like record the demos and stuff you’ve written without a lot of cost or complications,” Matt said. Furthermore, control over the business aspects of being in a band provide artists with complete control, and decrease the chance of being screwed over by opportunistic “scumbags.” And anyways, if you know some Web designers and graphic artists, you can always get by with a little help from your friends. However, there is another wrinkle in the social media phenomenon that troubles and intrigues, according to Evan. “You can’t just let the music speak for itself anymore, you have to explain yourself,” he said. “The mystery is gone; people can find out everything about you.” It’s the age of the voyeur and the exhibitionist. “Maybe we are at a point culturally where that is part of the game,” Matt said.

As the pizza disappeared and the glasses were drained, I started to wind down the interview. I promised to mention certain things in the final piece, like their waitress friend Courtney, and to keep certain other things out for the sakes of their parents. However, the conversation could have gone on. Matt and Evan are not only talented songwriters and musicians. They are bright, articulate and insightful guys. They may well end up filling that void in the local music scene, a scene in need of a focal point and a couple of really bright lights.