City Sun, a band composed of Ferris students, is not just kicking it under the sun and catching rays.
The band and friends have been working tirelessly in an apartment bedroom for the upcoming release of the band’s first album.
Ferris music industry management (MIM) sophomore Devin Vargo is the lead guitarist and vocalist for City Sun. He’s set to release the bands’ first album this Friday, April 15, through SoulTouch Records, a company he co-founded with fellow Ferris MIM student Oseia Blanding, who goes by the moniker OSHEA. The collaboration album with City Sun and OSHEA will be the first release by SoulTouch Records and is titled “Light Under The Door.”
City Sun began in January 2015 as a two-piece including Vargo and drummer Ferris MIM sophomore Nathan Seifferly. Originally entitled Tuxedos, the band eventually adopted the title City Sun after Tuxedo, a backing musician for Mayer Hawthorne, began his solo career.
“Nate sparked the idea in the summer when he said, ‘Well we are both sons of the city, how about City Sun?’ and it stuck,” said Vargo.
Vargo and Seifferly continued jamming, writing songs, doing covers and playing house shows until Ferris MIM junior Zachary Kidder began playing bass at live shows with them on Halloween of 2015.
City Sun takes musical influence from almost every genre. Vargo stated that his major influences include Sinatra, Joy Division, Portugal The Man, Kings of Leon, Fall Out Boy, Miles Davis, Johnny Cash and many more. He described his lyrical style as “classical jazz in an alternative rock music setting.”
Seifferly shares many of the same music interests such as Sinatra and Led Zeppelin, but added that pop punk is a major influence on him, including the album “96 Tears” by Question Mark and the Mysterians, and bands like Brand New, Modern Baseball, Say Anything, Arctic Monkeys and more. Seifferly has adopted a more emotive lyrical style, mimicking that of Jesse Lacey of Brand New and other emo bands.
Last Saturday, City Sun performed live at the Sawmill Saloon. Their set opened with a cover of “Your Graduation” by Modern Baseball, a pop punk anthem. Next, City Sun played two songs written by Seifferly, one entitled “I Should Have Left.” Other cover songs they performed included “Laugh Till I Cry” by The Front Bottoms and “All These Things I’ve Done” by The Killers.
Halfway through their set a drunken heckler in the back of the room requested some ‘70s rock ‘n’ roll. Though he was initially reserved about the idea, Vargo eventually gave in and began playing “Moby Dick” by Led Zeppelin. This came at the appraisal of the heckler and the rest of the crowd.
“Light Under the Door” can be purchased or streamed through Spotify, iTunes, Dropcards, Amazon music and other streaming or purchase channels this Friday, April 15.
Vargo thanks two Ferris MIM students, Luke Slagell and Nick Graham, for their help with sound and recording for the upcoming album,
“These two stuck with it for four months; they deserve a lot of credit,” Vargo said.
To see City Sun performing live in the Torch office, click here: https://fsutorch.com/2016/04/12/torch-jams-city-sun/.
To see OSHEA perform live in the Torch office, click here: https://fsutorch.com/2016/04/12/torch-jams-oshea-dj-choff/