Bad Suns is an alternative rock band known for their catchy lyrics and post-punk inspired sound. The band, Christo Bowman, Gavin Bennett, Miles Morris and Ray Libby, released its first album in 2014 and has recently received a lot of attention when their song “Cardiac Arrest” reached number 14 on the Top US Alternative Songs. Bad Suns will be opening for another popular alternative rock band, The Neighborhood, on September 23 at the House of Blues Orlando. The Bite had the chance get to know a little more about the band before it comes to town.
Where did you get the inspiration for your band name?
We simply needed one, badly. By the time we named the band, we had been already playing music together for years. By late 2011, we settled on a name to call ourselves, and we were beginning to write what would become Bad Suns’ music.
What was your favorite song from Language and Perspective to write? Why?
I have pleasant memories of writing “Rearview.” That’s the rare example of a song we wrote entirely in the studio. Gavin started playing that bass line in the live room, and then Miles started playing the drum beat. We immediately knew we were on to something.
At this point, we were near the very end of the recording process for the album so we needed to move fast if we wanted the song on the album, which we did. Our producer basically says, “We’re going to go get dinner, we’ll be back in an hour. Write a song.” I had been spending the last few weeks working on lyrics for several songs, so I had no idea what I was going to write about now.
There’s an older woman who works at a few of the music clubs on Sunset Boulevard. We’ve played many shows at those clubs. There’s a lot of history there, as many people know, but it’s not what it once was. The magic has seemingly left and moved elsewhere. This woman sort of exemplified that. She’s seen the glory days of that area come and go, but she’s still there, and she still remembers all of it.
She crossed my mind and then before I knew it, the guys were back from dinner and the song was finished. I don’t know anything about her personally, so the narrative is fictional.
What are some goals you have for future albums?
Broadly speaking, our objective is to continue to make records that [are inspiring] and exciting.
Who are your biggest influences in the musical world?
I’m a big fan of David Byrne. I recently watched the Talking Heads’ “Stop Making Sense” movie again and it’s such an incredible performance. The creativity that’s on display there is truly inspiring and intensely evocative. I’m only halfway through it, but his book “How Music Works” is fascinating as well.
What has been your favorite experience together as a band?
Making this second album has probably been the most enlightening experience for us as a band so far.
Are there any bands you’d compare yourself to? What about any bands whose footsteps you’d like to follow?
I don’t like to compare our band to others. There are the musicians and bands that we love and that inspire us, one way or another. There are so many!
You are currently touring with The Neighbourhood. How’s the experience been?
We’ve known those guys for a long time. A few of the guys came to our show at The Observatory in Orange County earlier this year, and we had Hunny [another band going on tour with Bad Suns] playing with us as well. Jesse texted me the next morning saying that we should all go on tour together. I told him it was a great idea, and then three days later we confirmed the dates with our booking agencies. It was an opportunity we didn’t want to pass up. The concept of hitting the road with everybody from our hometowns was very enticing.
What is it like being on the road all the time?
It can be great, and it can also be exhausting and trying on the body and mind. Overall, the pros totally outweigh the cons, and we love what we do. The performances are always a blast, and we’re very fortunate to have amassed a very passionate and loyal audience over the past year and a half.
You guys seem like you’re pretty close. Does it get hard being with each other so much? Have there been any funny stories or pranks?
It’s all just one big ongoing story/prank.
Lastly, in 3 words describe your sound?
“Not That Bad.”
