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Southern California based four piece The Unsung have just dropped their latest single and music video; ‘Awake’. Bassist Thomas Sumstine gives us the lowdown on the band and what to expect when you check them out.
What are the origins of the band, how long have you been playing together?
Our singer Tyler and guitarist Devin are the only original members of the band. The Unsung began writing our first EP and playing shows in 2015. Our drummer Garrett joined the band in summer of 2018, and I joined in Fall of 2018.
How did you feel performing your first gig? And how was it?!
I hadn’t played a rock show in years and had a lot of tension built up. Good tension. It felt great getting up there again and going crazy on stage. That was the first time I ever crowd surfed my own fans and heard a room shouting my band’s name.
What should people expect when they check the band/you out? How would you describe yourself?
When people listen to us, they can hear a strong foundation of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal and hard rock mixed with subtle touches of progressive metal. Our live shows are as big as we can make them, full of movement and engaging the crowd.
The new music scene is bursting at the seams with fresh talent, in what ways do you feel that a band has to stand out from the others trying to build a name?
I think it’s important for us as a band to show that we’re still people with personalities. Our online presence is very personalised and hopefully shows our listeners that we’re just like them and not inaccessible to them.
What are you working on at the minute that people can check out?
We’re very excited to release our latest single and music video called “Awake” (check it out above). It’s our new favourite song and it’s honestly going to be a game changer.
What band out there at the minute do you feel that you would be best suited to open for?
We’d be a good fit for opening for Periphery because our style of progressive metal would feel familiar to progressive metal fans, but our own style of big sound and presence would really get the crowd amped up for the rest of the night.
Who do you feel is the next band to break out?
I know a guy that built an AI to answer that question with 80% accuracy, so if you ask me, I’m gonna have to say idk lol.
What are your first musical memories? And what was the light bulb moment that made you go “I want to do that”?
My first musical memories are from when I was three years old and taking piano lessons with my stuffed animals “Mozart Mouse” and Beethoven Bear”. My light bulb moment was also when I was three, and I was watching some rock band on TV. The guitarist was soloing and had long hair and was wearing only a loin cloth. I asked my dad “You can do that?” and he said “You can do that if you’re a rock star!”
What was the last gig that you attended as a fan?
The last show was Monarch in San Diego. It was my first show that security tried to kick me out for moshing.
The album that you have in your album collection/spotify playlist that would surprise most people?
Snowball Fight, Two Steps From Hell
What are your plans for 2020?
If the circumstances allow it, we were going to play as many shows as we could in as many new places as possible. For now, we’re going to take the time to create content and deliver it in ways we’ve never tried before.
How active are you on social media and where can people connect with you?
We’re always happy to connect with people over social media. You can search The Unsung on Spotify, Facebook, YouTube, and @theunsungmusic on Instagram.
