Suneater

Temple Kelly, Greyson Gene, Jonathan Hale and Mike Caporuscio members make up the fun, laid back and tight-knit group Suneater that has been cranking out desert rock tunes for a few years now.

The band will release its first full length album, Mirage II this summer and although only seven songs long, I have to say the way lead vocalist Greyson Gene describes it, has me intrigued.

"There's some pretty long epics in there," he said. "It's a story-based album so it kinda leaves it open-ended, it could be viewed as the second volume of something."

Gene explains the album follows a story involving a couple characters trapped in a fantasy world.

"It's about overcoming your own pre-conceived notions of being coddled as a kid," he said. "I feel like i grew up with a generation that needed to be safe, needed to be clean, we all could do whatever we wanted, it kind of created this almost entitled generation. That's something the main character is suffering from."

The two main characters, the "child" and the "mongrel" go back and forth creating this relationship which have a couple different representations in the lyrics according to Gene.

"It's very dark," he said. "There's some comic relief in there its not all doom and gloom but there is an ominous ending."

Caporuscio, Suneater's bassist, describes the album as "prog metal" but also has some Middle Eastern sounds so they've put the album under the "desert rock"genre.

"It's really strange," he said.

Guitarist Temple Kelly added the band members also through in a little bit of punk and funk on the album too.

"Michael is a slap bass player so you get some of that Chili Peppers funk, but with a punk edge on it," he said. "And some jazz harmonies too."

The group released "Throes", the first single off the forthcoming album, back in January.

Although this will be Suneater's debut album, the band has other material from live shows that they plan to release.

"I think we're going to release a live recording we've done at WRIR we're pretty happy with just as a teaser," Gene said.

They've been recording Mirage II at Sound of Music Studios since the beginning of last summer where Gene works as an engineer. He's mixing the album along with owner John Morand, who is recording his vocals.

"Since I'm studying under him I've learned a lot of techniques that he has, little weird methods you can do to achieve certain sounds, artistically he's also helped me expand my creativity," Gene said.

And that creativity led Gene and the rest of the band to toy around with different sounds on the album, many of which come from their live shows.

"It's helped our experimental process in our sound as well, especially Temple he's taken the wheel and thrown some of our live recordings through his pedal board and manipulated them in some weird ways," Gene said. "We've taken some of these ideas and implemented them into the album."

He added that they have a seven minute section in one song that's all noise and includes a wooden flute that Kelly made and a theremin.

"It's some crazy sounds," Gene added.

This album stems from each of the band's influences which all vary greatly.

"I'm very into the prog rock, but then I also have a lot of pop based music that influences me," Gene said who cited The Mars Volta and Closure in Moscow as favorites.

Caporuscio is heavily influenced by Mr. Bungle, King Crimson and The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Kelly said he's drawn to classical music, but also gets into the more hardcore music like Fall of Troy.

None hail from from Richmond, but the band mates all met in the local music scene after leaving other bands.

Drummer Johnathan Hale and Caporuscio moved to Richmond and started playing in the now defunct band Captain Captain with Kelly. They also started the band Noisevision In August 2014 they added Gene who once played in Romesco and changed the band name from NoiseVision to Suneater.

SunEater plans to sign with Bossy Lil' Thing soon, a record label based out of Sound of Music Studios before they drop their album Mirage II in July. You can catch Suneater May 5th at Strange Matter with Peelander Z and June 12th with Imaginary Sons.

Words by Amy David - RVAMAG

Monday, June 13, 9 PM
Suneater, Flannel Mouth, Sacred Teachers, Uncle Drunk @ Strange Matter – $5
Hey, look at this–a bill consisting mostly of bands I don’t know at all. Brought to us all by the Gene Pool, a local basement-show venue, this evening of mostly local bands is a great reminder of the fact that, no matter how comprehensive your knowledge of the local scene might be, there’s always more that you can learn. In this case, I’ve learned what’s going on with Suneater, the Gene Pool’s main musical export, whom I saw something like two years ago at Our House but haven’t caught up with since. Their latest recording, as appearing on Bandcamp, shows an assured ensemble who’ve progressed significantly since I last caught them. Where I previously felt like I was seeing a bunch of Grateful Dead-damaged hippies reach for Mars Volta and land somewhere short of the mark, I now see a band who’ve drifted away from the jam influences and moved more fully into the Mars Volta/Jane’s Addiction terrain, while also bringing in some prime metal riffage and occasional manic screams to make things even more interesting and harder to pin down. There’s only one song up at Bandcamp–after listening to it, I officially want more.

Flannel Mouth is coming from a completely different place, but are just as hard to pigeonhole. This Illinois band has a weird sort of folk-punk fashion sense, and occasionally bust out some prime acoustic-troubadour moves, but are more likely to blast you with uptempo riffs and guitar distortion–though even then, there’s a weird hint of Gogol Bordello-style Eastern European sounds lurking in the background. I have no idea what to expect from these dudes live, but I bet it’ll be fun! At this point, Sacred Teachers is the only band on this bill with whom I feel like I’m on somewhat familiar territory, and I figure their garage punk sounds are pretty much a guaranteed crowd pleaser, so that’s always nice. Uncle Drunk opens up with some alcohol-fueled rock n’ roll sounds–which isn’t really that unusual, when you come right down to it. But it still should be fun! - RVA Must-See Shows

Suneater - “Throes”

Suneater is a space punk 4-piece which defies any one “sound.” Check out the band’s new single, “Throes,” which takes the listener through various stages of a song. Some space sampling (Greyson Papa Gene) begins the track until some desert punk guitars (Temple Kelly) and vocals (Gene) take control, as if on the fringes of nu. Goth punk moods shift into progressive licks and emo/screamo breakdowns. The guitar is erratic but not free and without form. The falsetto moments of the vocals take the energy to the next level. The space moments feel like a heady Hawkwind laser session with hardcore to black metal vocals. The track was recorded by Gene (except lead vocals by John Morand) at Sound of Music Studios. Bryan Walthall mastered the track. - Sounds Of RVA

Thursday, May 14, 8 PM
Child Bite, Beech Creeps, Mutwawa, Suneater, Among The Rocks And Roots @ Strange Matter - $8 (order tickets here: https://childbite.eventbrite.com/)
Are you in the mood to get weird? If so, Strange Matter has the perfect show for you this Thursday night. Child Bite and Beech Creeps are coming to town and they're gonna blast us all with some loud, noisy weirdness. It's gonna rule. Child Bite hail from Detroit and have a strange sound that might remind you of the Butthole Surfers or Negative Approach depending on the moment at which you hear them. There's clearly a good bit of psychedelia mixed into what these guys are doing, and the same can definitely be said of Brooklyn's Beech Creeps, who've been charming some of my favorite weirdo-noise music bloggers lately with their recent output. These guys are a bit more on the postpunk/noise rock tip than the faster, punkier stuff Child Bite will deliver to you, but the herky-jerky guitar screeching is still in plenty of evidence, and there are dope riffs aplenty buried within. Dig it!

All kinds of different local bands will be filling out the bill on this evening of noisy weirdness, and all of them will bring their own brand of bizarre awesome to the stage. Mutwawa have a bit of Butthole Surfers resemblance as well, but they take it to a completely different place, creating their unique brand of malevolent mutant disco live before your very eyes using keyboards, sequencers, various percussion, and a whole shitload of effects pedals. Suneater are more like a psychedelic jam odyssey, incorporating twisted alt-rock influences and what sure sounds like a fair bit of acid damage to create some sort of Jane's Addiction-ish hybrid freakout. And Among The Rocks And Roots play out enough--and are awesome enough--that you should certainly be familiar with their rhythmically-driven hypnotic noise jams. Come get overwhelmed by the wall of hallucinogenic noise that these bands will hit you with. - RVAMAG

Peelander-Z knows how to put on a show. Appearing on stage in color-coordinated costumes, the New York-based, Japanese performance ensemble is a punk-tinged Teletubby fun riot. The manic joy captured on the group’s 2015 release, “Live at Red 7,” makes “Kiss Alive” sound like it has no idea how to rock ’n’ roll all night or party every day. From the frantic frenzy of “Get Glasses” to the spastic sing-a-long “So Many Mike,” these costumed, comic-book crusaders kick out the jams with infectious delight. Peelander-Z brings its fun-filled bounty of duty-for-now futures to Strange Matter on Thursday, May 5. Joining it will be the new-waved party anthems of Richmond’s Maximum Zero and synth punkers Suneater. Doors open for the barrage of smile-inducing goodness at 8 p.m. $10-$12. strangematterrva.com. - Style Weekly

Thursday, May 5, 8 PM
Peelander-Z, Maximum Zero, Suneater @ Strange Matter – $10 in advance/$12 day of show (order tickets here: https://pzrva.eventbrite.com/)
The semi-annual Peelander-Z show has become a kind of tradition in Richmond over the past few years. This Japanese-American punk band/performance-art troupe has found a welcoming audience here, and have repaid us by making frequent visits to infect us with the hyperactive joy that accompanies any and all of their performances. Clad in bright primary-color costumes, the members of the band (known only as Peelander Yellow, Peelander Red, and Peelander Green) go apeshit as they dish out their speedy punk tunes about steak and tacos, ninjas and tigers, and more. You’re assured of a great time, and you can probably expect to get into the spirit–and get a workout–while you’re at it. I realize that the Peelander-Z experience is one that many RVA peeps are familiar with, but whether you’ve taken the ride with these guys a whole bunch of times or never before, a good time never hurt anyone. So come to Strange Matter and get you some!

Peelander-Z aren’t the only band of expatriates on this bill–it sure appears, at least from checking things out online, that Maximum Zero are Russian expatriates who escaped the fall of the Soviet Union to bring some sort of communist punk to right here in Richmond. In all reality, I think this is just the latest goofy punk band with a fake back story to come out of this town–but I can’t swear to it! Come see these keytar-toting disco punks and figure it out for yourself. Then tell me, so I can write about it next time! Suneater will kick things off with some psychedelic weirdness that makes me think of Jane’s Addiction and Faith No More, bringing back some pretty rad high school memories in the process. Should be fun, just like this whole show! - RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 5/4-5/10

Monday, January 26, 9 PM
Parentheses, HeadlessMantis, Suneater, Various Eggs @ Strange Matter - $5
I had a bunch to say earlier in this column about the Subterranea Collective and what those guys have been up to around town for the past couple of years, but what's crazy is that those bands are already becoming the established faves behind which a new generation of talented upstarts is encroaching. I refer, of course, to Parentheses, as well as a whole bunch of other new bands in this town, some of which are also on this bill. Parentheses are the big stars here, and for a band I'd never heard of six months ago, I can certainly see why they're drawing headliner status for this show--these guys are really talented! Last year's single "12 Years" carried on in the tradition of emo legends American Football, integrating sadly beautiful vocal melodies with complex intertwining guitar arrangements and off-kilter beats. These guys have promised to bring us new tunes in the new year, too, so hopefully this show will demonstrate just how much farther they've already come since 2014 drew to a close.

HeadlessMantis is another new band on the come-up, but these guys are doing a bit of a different thing--more of that bassless energy-overloaded math-core power-duo thing, a la Navi or early Snack Truck or something. But having said that, there's definitely a raw rock n' roll flavor injected into these guys' sound, which makes me think they're also more than aware of bands like The White Stripes and the (early) Black Keys. Regardless, they make a lot of noise and have a lot of fun, so they're well worth checking out. Suneater is doing an epic-prog-psych thing that seems to pull equally from Coheed and Cambria, the Mars Volta, Jane's Addiction, and Smashing Pumpkins--it's unorthodox, but you might say it's beautiful. Various Eggs start the evening off with their dark, enchanting indie rock tunes. Get into it. - RVAMAG