Georgia-based group brings eclectic mix of genres to Rolling Stone Bar Saturday night
The city of Athens, Ga., has always been a melting pot of personality: mixing up a blend of the historical and the modern along with equal parts lively and studious.
Although Athens may be most famous as the home of both the University of Georgia and Bulldogs football, played “Between the Hedges” at Sanford Stadium, the city has also played host to a budding music scene since the 1970s, exploding with big-name talents like the B-52s, R.E.M. and Widespread Panic. And now, there’s one more name to add to that list: Sumilan.
“We really met out of necessity,” guitarist JT Toro said. “I feel like most bands meet over a common interest of genre; however, we didn’t ever really discuss what we all liked. But as we progressed through the years, we felt that we were making some unique music that we all enjoy playing.”
When lead vocalist and guitarist Harris Culley joined forces with classmate (and current keyboardist) Alex Stokes in high school, the two began playing together in various cover bands before the Sumilan seed began to take root.
Over the years, Toro, bassist Mark Dykes and drummer Sam Whitfield stepped onto the scene, and the Sumilan lineup was complete.
Although each member comes from a diverse array of musical backgrounds, styles and methods, these differences eventually fused together to breed the sound Sumilan takes on the road today. Sure, they draw upon some aspects that may seem opposing — tossing in bits of metal with a little jazz, dropping the funk on some classic rock ‘n’ roll — but perhaps most surprising of all is the fact that it all seems to work.
“Developing our sound in the early stages was probably the most difficult thing we’ve dealt with so far,” Culley said. “It was hard to find the right members who were all equally committed to developing a common vision. And we also had to learn to put ourselves in live-playing situations that are going to give us not only the most exposure, but the best exposure.”
“We all knew that each of us would bring a certain enthusiasm and work ethic that would further better the band,” Dykes said.
These days, Sumilan is taking its progressive, jam rock on tour, hitting up venues both inside and outside of Georgia, including a stop here in Columbia at the Rolling Stone Bar.
“We prefer to play anywhere that can give us the most exposure to people that we think will be receptive to our music,” Whitfield said.
“And at any venue where the sound guy isn’t just completely miserable,” Culley said. “Personally, I always like playing inside better, where it feels like the audience is there just to hear the music. Sumilan has a good onstage sound, and we’re confident that it sounds great to the audience.”
When it comes to drawing out inspiration for new cuts, the band’s influences are almost as distinct as its sound, with each member contributing a musical favorite that can often be a stone’s throw or even light-years away from another member’s most revered idol. While Dykes cites jazz icon Jaco Pastorius and Grateful Dead legend Phil Lesh among his favorite musicians, Whitfield describes Umphrey’s McGee drummer Kris Myers and jack-of-all-trades producer and drummer Adam Deitch as his leading forces.
“Everyone has a different avenue for inspiration; however, we form that from what we’ve learned and build on it from live performances and individual creativity,” said Stokes, who names pianist George Winston and The New Deal keyboardist Jamie Shields as those who motivated him in the pursuit of music.
“We want to draw in the biggest possible audience,” Whitfield said, “and play to anyone who can enjoy our type of music.”
Trying to house all of the creativity and distinct stylings in one room to produce a single, solid track may seem an impossible task to many up-and-coming artists, but the members of Sumilan choose to embrace the diversity instead of fear it.
From the smallest chord to a complete set of lyrics, Sumilan consistently pulls together as a group to produce edgy sounds that can attract every type of audience. Each member provides his own trademark to each song, and that signature is just as visible at the end of the songwriting process as it was at the beginning.
“The songwriting process comes from all angles. We always get together as a group,” Toro said. “Sometimes, someone will come to practice with a whole song written; other times it’s just a riff or a chord progression that can spark a whole song.”
Although Stokes says the band certainly has aspirations for worldwide Sumilan jam sessions, for now the band members are simply enjoying the ride, keeping their sound afloat and just doing what they love most.
“So far, it’s been a lot of hard work,” Dykes said. “But it’s also been a lot of fun, and even unpredictable.”
Sumilan will be playing at The Rolling Stone Bar Saturday night.