Artist description To oversimplify, the music of The Sundowners resides somewhere between modern and classic. It is new, but ageless. Young, but mature. The Sundowners' music is comprised of soaring melodies and guitar hooks that are simultaneously fresh and timeless, curre nt but nostalgic. Through the constant creation of new music, The Sundowners are focused on reaching an audience who have never heard modern rock sound quite this way, and concurrently give others what they have been missing for so long. The self-produce d collection of songs on The Sundowners newest offering showcases the band's ability to focus their efforts on creating music that is honest, ardent and bold. The songs, ranging to sweeping modern anthems to textured twists on the standards of rock, do no t make forced nods towards the trends of the moment and the past year's technology. Instead, The Sundowners' music mirrors everything that its four members have soaked up musically in their lives thus far, most of which proudly reflects their American, raised-on-rockstars heritage.Be sure to visit The Sundowners official web site (http://www.thesundowners.net) to see and hear what the band is currently up to. Then, you can hear the contrasting compliments of residing 'somewhere between modern and classi c' for yourself.

Music Style Rock, Power Pop

Musical Influences Cheap Trick, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Aerosmith

Similar Artists Cheap Trick, U2, Bon Jovi, Live, Bruce Springsteen, Marvelous 3

Artist History The Sundowners were originally formed and are still based in the outskirts of Charlotte, North Carolina's largest city. Todd Harlan (vocals) and Jeff Vogel (guitar) originally met in high school, where they began to form a friendship based on each of their desires to be songwriters and musicians. While Todd and Jeff continued to perform together throughout school and afterwards, a few hours away, Ron May (bass) and Strother Bullins (drums) entered college and met in the music department where they became frequent gigging partners. As Ron and Strother continued to perform together, chance had it that all four guys were involved in a battle of the bands in a local club. After meeting that night, the guys quickly evolved into The Sundowners. In no time, the newly formed band began to record their first release together, entitled simply The Sundowners. Completed in 1998, the self-titled CD was hardly finished when bigger and better songwriting ideas began to flow. Using the CD as a self-promoting tool, the ba nd began to perform live while mainly focusing on the writing of new music. These songs, which the band has written together since that time represents what The Sundowners are truly all about. Like many other rising acts, The Sundowners had many challeng e s to juggle early on in their existence. While still based in Charlotte, Strother began to work in Nashville, Tennessee's recording community with a simple, ulterior motive always in mind: "Free studio time," explains the drummer.The band used the distan c e between each other to their advantage when they began branching into performance opportunities outside Charlotte. The Sundowners were soon gigging between Charleston South Carolina, different cities in Tennessee and back around to their home in the Qu een City. And all the while, The Sundowners knew to stay focused on the strongest attribute: their songs. "Honesty," states Jeff, "is the feeling we really want to send out. Our focus is totally on the songs themselves, and whatever comes out in our music i s where our heads were at that moment the song was written. That's as honest as you can get."Lyrics are also a major issue for The Sundowners, which are penned fully by Todd. Feeling strongly about conveying messages, the vocalist makes a conscious eff ort to tell stories that represent what happens in the life of the band and those around them. "The lyrics in the songs are inspired by things that happen in my own life, as well as the people around me," offers the vocalist. While predicting reaction s to th e band's new material, Jeff offers this observation: "Hopefully, to a 15 year-old, we will really be fresh, because it has been a while since rock music has been truly focused toward what we view as good songwriting and performances. And to the 20-somethi ngs, I feel that they will appreciate the maturity and viewpoint of the lyrics."Ron reiterates the same philosophy: "I think we fill a void. I hope for older listeners, it is a breath of fresh air. And for the younger ones, I hope it shows them t he 'divinity of the hook'. That's what it's all about."After completing their new 11-song release entitled Strange Hours, The Sundowners feel confident in approaching management and labels head on. "We're built something that we feel very good about (with our current selection of songs)," tells Strother. "The fact that we write continuously makes it hard for us to complete the CD, because we just keep having more material to add to it. But as far as we're concerned, that's a good problem to have." The ban d is currently offering Strange Hours for sale at www.thesundowners.net and at Amazon.com.

Group Members Todd Harlan-Vocals Jeff Vogel-Guitars Ron May-Bass Strother Bullins-Drums

Instruments Lead and backing vocals, guitars, bass, and drums with additional keys and synths.

Albums 'The Sundowners' (1998); 'Strange Hours' (October 2001)

Press Reviews Southeast Performer Magazine February 2002 Profile: The Sundowners Written by Silas Lynch Charlotte, North Carolina-based act, the Sundowners, have no qualms about raising their heads toward the rafters while belting out some pretty powerful hooks. And fo r modern rock fans that are old enough to remember, the younger band could possibly be compared to some acts from the days when rock and roll was big, bold and outside of the shadows. The band, featuring vocalist Todd Harlan, guitarist Jeff Vogel, bassis t Ron May, and drummer Strother Bullins have captured their melodic and passionate spirits on their most recent release entitled Strange Hours. "I feel that our passion is what makes us legitimate and vital," commented Bullins. "We basically write for ou r selves first, and honestly, we write what we'd rather be hearing on the radio." The Sundowners incorporate touches of late '70s and early '80s rock influences, such as Queen, Cheap Trick, and even Bon Jovi, which almost makes a rolled down car window on a summer afternoon a requirement for properly listening to their music. Their melodic sounds are complimented by a mature lyrical element, much like "Born To Run"-era Bruce Springsteen and pre-Achtung Baby U2. All of this, delivered with a heap of guitar-d riven power, makes up what the band is all about. Strange Hours, while keeping a median of thickness throughout, does actually reach across multiple possible genres of classification. The sounds include classic rock abandon via "Turn You Around", the power-pop sheen of "The Letting Go", the should-be-2002-Olympic-theme "If You Ever Believed", and the metallic stomp of "Far To Fall". But throughout the Sundowners' repertoire, the guys are adamant about delivering real life themes, based on experiences of Harlan, the band's lyrical penman. May comments: "Lyrics should say something, do something, and take you somewhere. Ours do. Todd does a great job of creating something special with lyrics, something with feeling." Recently, the band's music has taken them half-way-around the world from their Charlotte home. Last year after finishing the tracks for Strange Hours, the band hopped a Qantas flight bound for Sydney, Australia to complete the recording at Studios 301, a notable mastering facility south of the equator. The band was invited down by studio owner Tom Misner, and the tracks were mastered by Australian mastering guru Steve Smart. According to Vogel, the flight wasn't a breeze, though: "You've never experienced jet lag until you've flown for 15 hours nonstop," bemoans the guitarist. Stateside, the band's music has not been ignored, either: Multi-multi-platinum producer and mixer Michael Wagener recently remixed "How Close I Came To Falling", one of the standout songs from Strange Hours, which is currently receiving airplay on a handful of commercial and college radio stations. Todd, along with the rest of the band, really felt like the producer tapped into what the band is striving for: "Michael recognized the true character and spirit of the song, and really enhanced what we were originally shooting for," says the vocalist. "His take on the mix was exactly right." Acoustic/electric overlays, a pulsating rhythm section reminiscent of U2's trademark pitter-patter, and lyrics with a mission. A big guitar or two adds just the right amount of dramatic intensity.--Mike M, Editor, Listen.comm

Location Charlotte, North Carolina - USA

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