Sunrunners

The best part about seeing a band with five people, all playing instruments, who know what the hell they’re doing — is that you’re seeing a band with five people, all playing instruments who know what the hell they’re doing.

The Sunrunners headlined Bottom of the Hill this past Friday, and the show was louder than ever. Getting their start in late 2011, the band began as a piano-driven rock group that has quickly evolved into something much more. Led by Stephen Loase on keys and vocals, the band runs the gamut of musical experiences from dark and eerie, to aquatic-sounding jams, to falsetto love songs. With several tone-freak employees of Ustream, a service that allows degenerates like me to follow bands on “couch tour” live, the sound was dialed in to a tee and went without disruption for the next solid hour.

A combination of haunting and resonating bass lines, catchy Billy Joel-esque piano licks, fluid guitar riffs, and all backed by a thunderous drumset, the band was firing on all cylinders Friday. Hitting the ground running, the quintet blasted out of the gates with a new song, “We Are At War,” which was eerier and grittier than anyone was really expecting. Bass and drums out in full force, the band drifted into “New Love” – a crowd pleaser that involves a fast paced “clap along” from the audience.

Pounding forward with songs like “It’s A Start,” “Oil Man,” and closing with a particularly spooky “I Don’t Lie,” the band went on to play an impromptu encore, which was brought on by a enthusiastic “ONE MORE SONG!” chant from the crowd. The band then returned to close out with “Everybody.”

The night wound back and forth from impressive multi-layered jams to a few more poppy tunes, with a healthy dose of bass (which, who doesn’t like that?). Although a first time Friday night headliner for Bottom of the Hill, the Sunrunners have played the venue before, opening for Wild Belle and Deep Sea Diver (a show that definitely gained them a few new fans). The band’s first studio album, Sunrunners, will be released late September, and their next show will be Milk Bar on September 19th. - SF Critic

Ramona Downey (owner/booker of Bottom of the Hill) has this to say about our band!

"Sunrunners' is one of the best new bands that have played Bottom of the Hill this year.
They opened for Deep Sea Diver + Wild Belle and everyone who saw their set seemed
to agree that they are a force to be reckoned with."
-Ramona Downey

More about Ramona and Bottom of the Hill: http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/PROFILE-Ramona-Downey-She-knows-how-to-book-2879077.php - Ramona Downey

Opening the show was a group of locals named Sunrunners. No doubt, a huge portion of the crowd was here early to check them out. They certainly understood showmanship, as lead singer / pianist Stephen Loase hit every beat when it came to working a crowd. He is full of charisma, and it made for a quite entertaining show. The music, however, is still a work in progress. Their blend of piano driven brit pop and shoegaze was a little too close to Snow Patrol and Keane for my own personal tastes, but this band is still quite young. Once they are able to move beyond their influences, they will evolve into a pretty good band. - Spinning Platters

With the exception of Elton John and Rufus Wainwright, keyboard-driven rock isn't really my thing. But these guys are just too good not to recommend. From the opening piano chords of "Everybody" to singer Stephen Loase's inviting and opulent voice, you can't help but stop and wonder, Where the hell did these guys come from? Every one of these singles waiting to happen sounds like it was genetically engineered in a lab using the DNA of Chris Martin, Thom Yorke and Phil Spector. And while I'd have liked a bit more like the brute driving force behind "The Writer," it's hard to split hairs when it sounds this grand.

Give these guys a contract and Muse's marketing agent and they'll be headlining a sold-out House of Blues in two years. Just watch.

-Seth Combs - Sunrunners