Wichita band Sun and Stone will release a new album on Saturday. One of the band's founding members discusses how the band is thinking about the future, not just in its songs, but in how it's presenting the album.
Sun and Stone guitarist and vocalist Paul DeCeglie says that when he and his bandmates first formed the group, they wanted to perform songs about unusual subject matter. So they began writing songs in a post-apocalyptic world. One, DeCeglie says, takes inspiration from contemporary culture.
“A lot of the songs we write are set in this sci-fi world,” he says, “that’s the logical conclusion if we stay on the path we’re on today. If we stay on that path, we’re going to end up with this world where the Earth is shattered into millions of pieces. But we’re still fighting amongst each other.”
But, DeCeglie adds, there's Sun and Stone's music still has a sense of humor.
“I love songs that don’t take themselves too seriously. That’s probably one of my favorite things,” he says. “Because I often take myself way too seriously.”
The band recorded its new album, Elephant’s Eye, at DeCeglie's Wichita home, an approach he's employed on several projects in the past. The setting allowed him to capture sounds he wouldn’t otherwise get.
“The electric guitars were recorded up in the attic. So we have a cable running up there—all the [guitar] cabinets are up there. So,” he says, “you’re hearing my bedroom. In the guitar sounds, when you hear the reverbs that don’t sound like they’re added? Those are usually bedroom. Some of the drum sounds are the living room. We mixed the living room and the bathroom. The bathroom’s tile, so it sounds great. The sound of the house is definitely in there.”
Sun and Stone is one of an increasing number of bands releasing music in unusual formats. Elephant's Eye will be available on a flash drive, and DeCeglie says that, as a music consumer himself, he loves the easy-to-manage world of digital formats.
“Honestly,” he notes, “I hate CDs. I can’t stand CDs. They drive me crazy. They always get beat up. They’re not as convenient as smartphones. I think most people are going to be listening to things coming out of the cloud, honestly.
The members of Sun and Stone are also aware that records aren't something most people listen to on home stereos anymore. That meant that while the band was making the record, sounds were tested on a piece of technology that no one would have used for music listening 30 years ago--the phone.
“If it didn’t sound good on the phone that was a problem,” he says. “Unfortunately, that’s the way that a lot of people are being introduced to new music—either on the phone or in the car. It was important to know that music was compatible with tiny smartphone speakers. But I think people are getting a little savvier about the format they’re listening on and the format they’re listening to. At least people are becoming more aware that these things are available and that there is a reward in listening at a good quality with some good headphones or good speakers. You don’t necessarily have to be running it off of wax to get a good sound.”
Sun and Stone celebrates the release of Elephant's Eye this Saturday evening at Barleycorn's with Spirit of the Stairs and Costello.
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Jedd Beaudoin is the host of Strange Currency. Follow him on Twitter @JeddBeaudoin.
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