SondorBlue

Last weekend, SondorBlue played a show at Kudu, and a few days ago this little gem popped up from B-Side Sessions. Filmed by Taylor Hickman and audio engineered by Christian Steinmetz, what we have is a showcase of the up and coming talent that is SondorBlue, performing their single "More Than Reality". I spoke with SondorBlue's Andrew Halley on Tuesday at The Commodore, and he told me that the capacity for their Kudu show was supposed to be 120 people, but they ended up packing over 200 people into that courtyard. That should give you an idea of what the future holds for SondorBlue. Check out this video, and be on the lookout for their debut EP, coming out October 29th. - ExtraChill.com

On Saturday night, college kids and Charleston locals alike came out to Kudu Coffee & Craft Beer to see up and coming Hilton Head band SondorBlue live. It was hot as nine hells and pretty tightly packed in Kudu’s cozy little courtyard, but I’m sure I can speak for everyone there when I say that I had an awesome time nonetheless - SondorBlue put on a show that was beyond fun to watch and turned me (and everyone else there) into an instant fan. The band has been hard at work all summer, playing over 70 shows around the Charleston area before starting their senior year at the College of Charleston. The culmination of this busy summer takes the form of a debut EP dropping in late October, which will be available to stream on Spotify, iTunes, and Soundcloud.

Onstage, nothing comes across clearer than the fact that these guys truly love to play music, and that they love playing together. Members John Sheehan, Connor Hollifield, and Andrew Halley each contribute vocally, employing Crosby Stills Nash & Young-esque three part harmonies and hitting impressively high and low notes with ease. The three varying voices add a lot to the overall quality of the band’s sound in terms of vocal range. In addition to singing, Hollifield plays acoustic and, more recently, electric guitar, Halley plays bass, (which he’s just picked up within the last year - although it looks as though he’s played his whole life, he told me he started because the band didn’t have a bass player) and Sheehan plays keyboard, acoustic guitar, and the violin. And not to be forgotten is Drew Lewis, referred to by Halley as the “best drummer around town," who kills it on the drums.

In addition to musical talent, the band offers well-written, insightful lyrics and a charming stage presence that inspired an enthusiastic reaction from their audience. From start to finish the band gave the performance their all, never once losing their energy or faltering in the quality of their music, interacting with the audience with the ease of musicians that have been performing twice as long as they have. Their set was well balanced between original songs and covers -- some highlights for me personally were a very well done cover of The Beatles’ “Come Together” and an original song that made it on 105.5 The Bridge last week titled “More Than Reality” which has been stuck in my head since I heard it.

I had the privilege of interviewing the band after their set, and I had almost as much fun talking to them as I did watching them play. The members of SondorBlue are some of the nicest, most down to earth musicians I’ve met: it’s obvious both onstage and off that they sincerely love making and playing music. - ExtraChill.com