video?
of his nonprofit, O’Donnell is a drum major
with the Marching Southerners, part of the
marching band’s leadership core, while the
other members are in supervisory roles at
their places of work.
Musically, The Sunsets draw inspiration from
Phil Collins, Tears for Fears and John Hughes
movies, which help with lyrical content, says
Dryden. The songs have a nostalgic feeling
to them, informed most directly by synthy
keyboards, though saxophone and distorted
guitar keep them from sounding outdated.
An older listener might think of bands they
love from the 80s; younger listeners might
hear a touch of The Killers and other retrowave bands from the turn of the century.
“The music speaks for itself, and we’re not
trying to be biased about that, but we
haven’t found anybody who doesn’t like it,”
said Dryden.
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Members tend to switch instruments as
song requirements dictate, like shared
keyboard responsibilities between Dryden
and O’Donnell, and almost everyone sings
in addition to their main roles. During live
shows, the band further emphasizes their
versatility by leaving the stage to perform
alongside the audience, encouraging
listeners to move, dance and sing along
(sometimes even passing the microphone
to audience members during cover songs).
“If for just that hour or half hour we have
just one person forget their problems, then
we did our jobs,” said Gordy.
“Fatal Attraction” is available on iTunes and
Spotify, with a physical release in the works.
Visit The Sunsets on Facebook to find out
more about the band and get upcoming
show dates, including their Sept. 3 show at
the Caldwell Tavern. ✻
September 2016
INSIGHT