By Kelsey Butler
“A
n eclectic group of musicians trying
to make music and get our mes-
sage out there.” That’s how Torsten
Dryden describes his band, The Sunsets.
The five-member band creates a unique
sound with influences from the 60s to to-
day.
Torsten plays the keys and sings lead for the
Jacksonville-based band. His brother, Breihan
Dryden, is on the drums, while Brian Jones
(guitar), Daniel O’Donnell (saxophone, back-
ing vocals), and Allen Poore (Bass) round out
The Sunsets. “We’d all come from different lo-
cal bands, and we just kind of came together
and started writing music,” explained Torsten.
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The Sunsets’ first full length album
is in production now, just two years
after the band got together. Torsten is
hoping for a release date in October. As the
primary song writer, he says The Sunsets are
heavily influenced by 80s new wave. “My dad
got me into a lot of 80s music and that whole
new wave post punk era,” says Torsten. “We
thought we could put a modern twist on it,
and make it a little more mainstream.”
The Sunsets’ full-length album will feature
12 original songs. While the album “spawns
influence from 80s new wave and alternative
rock,” Torsten says the album offers “a variety
of alternativeness.”
In 2014, Torsten started the nonprofit organi-
zation, The Choice: A Mental Health Initiative,
which is based in Jacksonville. He says that
July 2017
INSIGHT