Originally based in Sacramento—and known at the time under the name “Bridges”—the group released its debut album, The Underscore, in 2005. Two years later, after numerous tours and a few lineup shifts, Mike Sparks (vocals, guitar, keyboard), Robert Cheek (guitar, keyboard) and John O’Connell (drums) moved the band to Seattle. There they met Jack Clemens (bass guitar, synthesizer) and continued to tour and develop new material. In the spirit of creative rebirth at this time, the band also changed its name to By Sunlight. In 2008 By Sunlight released a self-titled, six-track album featuring forty minutes of continuous music with no between-song pauses. The “no breaks” approach to the By Sunlight album became a hallmark of their live performances as well. 2010 saw the release of two new songs—“Sung Surrender” and “No More Miracles”—which provided a glimpse at the band’s further development as songwriters. In the spring of 2012, after adding fifth member Evan Ferro (vocals, guitar, keyboard), By Sunlight returned to the studio to record a new full-length album. Working with producer/engineer Scott Solter (St. Vincent, Spoon, Mountain Goats, John Vanderslice, Division Day), the band completed work on ten new tracks for the album, now titled Penumbra. The record is slated for an early 2013 release. After nearly eight years of writing and performing songs together, the members of By Sunlight continue to hone their craft with one goal: to create original art that’s inspiring and challenging for both the band and their audience. They plan to carry on touring, as well, so they can bring their taut, intense performances to as many music lovers as possible. |
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