Sunshine Riot took a bit of time to tell us about themselves and their songwriting process. Let’s see what they have to say!
First off, What’s up with your name? Is there a story behind it?
Jonny Orton, singer/guitarist: Good question! It was a long time ago… about 15 years in fact. We were teenagers and we actually aren’t totally certain where it came from or what it means. But, it’s ours and we have learned to live with it, even come to love it, like an ugly dog.
Tell us about your musical past, would you tell us about your early years?
Jeff Sullivan, bassist: We were definitely more punk than anything else. I’m not sure we knew about major keys at the time, but we have, since then, found such keys to be useful in their way. I remember one of the first songs we wrote was about a family of crabs.
Jonny Orton: In the earliest days, we were appallingly bad. But, we loved music, and worked incredibly hard. Back then, like most kids starting a band, we were both intent on some vision of rock & roll stardom, and naive enough to believe it was not only possible but inevitable. Those days have long since passed us by, but every time we plug in, I’m incredibly grateful for all that work we put in when we were young.
How would you describe your sound?
Jeff Sullivan: We like to be as fluid in that as our collective tastes allow, but ‘90s grunge or modern post-punk would definitely work. Also, gling, chugachugachugachugachuga, ahhhhhh haaaa, clink clink swish, and Bapbapadobap, bop bang do.
Jonny Orton: I agree with Jeff.
Which artists have the biggest influence on your sound?
Jeff Sullivan: Nirvana, Modern Lovers, The Replacements, Steve Earle, Apples in Stereo, Beck, Queens of the Stone Age, Radiohead, The Kinks, The Frogs, Mike Patton, Dillinger Escape Plan, and of course each other.
Jonny Orton: Each other for sure.
What’s the last song you listened to?
Jeff Sullivan: “I’ve Saved these Words” by Laura Marling
Jonny Orton: I believe it’s called “Nothing on my Skin” – it’s the theme song in a commercial for a medicine… I think the medicine is called Skyrizzi or something like that. Pretty good. Not bad. Big Pharma is an exciting new label in the industry.
What’s your source for hearing new music?
Jeff Sullivan: Local Boston radio – WZBC 90.3 FM, WMFO 91.5 FM, Mark Skin Radio, Bumblebee Radio…
Jonny Orton: Primarily pharmaceutical commercials.
Who is your dream producer?
Jeff Sullivan: We’ve gotten to work with some amazing folks. After a few demos around town, we really got started with George Dussault, who has twenty-plus Grammy nominations to his name, in Cumberland, Rhode Island and we still work with him. We’ve also had the opportunity to work with Steve Albini, now twice, in Chicago. They’re honestly pretty dreamy if you ask us.
Jonny Orton: George and Steve are both extraordinary talents and we feel really lucky to work with both. I’d love for us to cut something with Dave Cobb someday, but I suspect we might be too loud for his BBQ.
If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?
Jeff Sullivan: Paul Westerberg
Jonny Orton: Steve, Jeff and Mark of Sunshine Riot.
What led you to music, and what motivates you to keep making it?
Jeff Sullivan: Inability to speak in a socially-acceptable manner or dance. We keep doing it because it’s one of the most amazing things to do. You get to share ideas in the writing process and then you share the feelings of the crowd when you get on stage. It’s soulmaking.
Jonny Orton: When I was six years old, my brother put on Nirvana’s “Unplugged in New York” in the tape deck of my dad’s Ford Taurus as we were pulling out of a gas station in Attleboro, Massachusetts. I didn’t know anything about music at the time – but I knew whatever was coming out of those speakers was going to be important to me forever. I think what keeps us going these days is really just that same love for music we all felt when we were children. Writing songs together; recording and performing them live is really a joy. Chasing the next song keeps me, and I think all of us, pretty darn engaged.
Tell us about the songwriting process. How does it all come together?
Jeff Sullivan: Throw everything at the wall and see what sticks.
Jonny Orton: It’s a bit of a hard question to answer; every song sort of has its own path – and a whole lot gets left on the floor, either in our rehearsal space, the stage, or the studio. But, we don’t write cautiously… and I think that’s been essential to this resurgence we’ve had over the past few years.
How do you connect with your audience? What is the easiest way for them to connect with you?
Jeff Sullivan: Come to a show. We’re playing The Magic Room in Norwood on February 3.
Jonny Orton: Well, I’d say we are profoundly accessible. In fact, if anyone is trying to access us and has been unsuccessful, I’d submit that’s more likely a reflection of either their work schedule or internet connection. That said, yard sales or town hall meetings are a pretty good bet.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunshineriot
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2qDcAVRkDVP5KcFxQBZL6H?si=yR85u5bkSf6gqa4xXlvPjg
What’s next for you?
Jonny Orton: In April we release this new EP, Loud, Bright and Violent, which we are really proud of, and then tour in spring and summer. But, for the most part, we just keep looking for songs and see what pops up.
BIO
Gritty times call for gritty sounds. And Sunshine Riot are answering the bell.
For the past 15 years or so, the veteran Boston rock band ran with a variety of genres, swirling around a cocktail of guitar-rock that boasted dalliances with soul, Americana, punk, blues, and grunge. But as darkness fell upon society at the start of the pandemic age, the quartet entered a new era, unleashing a series of three EPs over three years: 2021’s “Electrical Tape” with acclaimed engineer Steve Albini at Chicago’s Electrical Audio; 2022’s “Sparkle Baby 2000” with producer George Dussault at Galilee Studios in Rhode Island; and 2023’s “Loud, Bright and Violent”, which saw the band crack up the volume once more and return to Chicago to link back up with Albini.
The results are a seasoned band making music on their own terms: “Electrical Tape” acts as a raw, damn near primal alternative rock record that packs the introspection and dedication one must possess to survive in this day in age; “Sparkle Baby 2000” leans into a mindful and hyper-aware college rock and jangle-pop sound that calls back to our indie influences and explores an uncertain adulthood through a modern lens; and “Loud, Bright and Violent” fixates on the paranoia and purgatory we feel as we slowly come to terms with the pandemic age.
The trio of EPs may come off like an evolution in sound for Sunshine Riot, but after more than a decade in the game, what emits from the speakers is a band finally comfortable in their own skin, playing this damned game of rock and roll with an ace up their collective sleeve, propped up by their own merits and fueled by their own creativity. In the end, despite what dressing coats the core of whatever genre label someone on the outside may apply, the foundation remains a rock and roll ethos as timeless as the music itself. Play it loud, and come scream along.
