It is an unfortunate fact that most bands that sign to a major label will put out one record and then disappear off of the radar and fall into obscurity. Much of this is due to the pressures of the majors to just keep releasing carbon copies of their big hit. Most musicians want to continue to grow and this does not fit onto the radio friendly mold. Luckily in today’s landscape it is relatively easy to record a record on your own and these forgotten artists can release music on their own as they see fit way after the “glamour” of being signed to a major label has faded. One man now releasing his solo record many years after his big break came and went is the unforgettable Gary Sunshine.
Gary spent “the earlier days” with an assortment of bands including The Silos (Checkered Past & Sonic Pyramid Records), NY Loose (Fiction, Flipside, Shock & Hollywood Records), and Screaming Sneakers (Indie Punk Pop self-titled and released). His greatest fame came with the hard rock powerhouse Circus of Power (RCA, Columbia & Metal Blade Records). The NYC band formed in 1986. They were the no-frills metal opposite of the cheesy hair metal bands of the time. In 1990, Circus of Power got a huge break, being named as the lone opening band (for the complete tour), opening for the legendary Black Sabbath. So Gary Sunshine toured much of the world, made records, moved across the country more than a few times, did some recording with Guns N’ Roses, wrote a bunch of songs, and moved again.
After taking several years off from touring and music in general Gary Sunshine is back with his new solo album The Nerve Of Some People. According to Gary, ‘I started writing again, but I had a new attitude. I could write whatever I want without any specific reason or game plan, I could write songs for me. I was gonna record whatever came up, get it in working order, and move on quickly to the next one. I’m hard to please and I think I write songs to see if I can write what I feel is a “really good one.” The album is a mix of Punk, Blues, Country, and even Pop songs. This is not just songs but stories that paint a picture with Gary’s signature gritty vocals and guitar strumming that isn’t over-produced but instead makes you feel as if he was playing the song just for you. ‘Get Your Hands On The Steering Wheel Son’ tells the story of a drunk driving run-in with an overworked cop. On songs like ‘If You See The Devil’ he introduces a drum machine and over-dubbed vocal tracks but still keeps gritty and dare I say grungey. The title track ‘The Nerve of Some People’ is a peppy country tinged song that powers forward with a driving beat and grabs the listener to listen to the story that Gary is telling without missing a word. Go get yourself some Gary Sunshine at: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/garysunshine
Here is the also gritty video for ‘Be Careful What you Are Whispering’