SUNBEARS! are a talented musical duo hailing from Jacksonville, Fl. They will be performing on Saturday 1/24/09 at the Ocean Club in Jax Beach as a part of ALL IS ART II, an art event curated by Joe Van Dyke. Lucky for us, Joe caught up with these mystical creatures for a quick Q&A. Ladies and Gentlemen, meet SUNBEARS!…
Questions asked by Joe Van Dyke
Who are SUNBEARS!?
SUNBEARS! is Jonathan and Jared. Jonathan plays the piano, as well as the bass guitar. He is also the programmer and the video guru! Jared just plays the drumz. We like to have fun! Ha Ha.
How long have you been together?
SUNBEARS! has been together for one year. Jonathan and Jared have played in a fistful of bands together throughout their time knowing each other, but this incarnation formed in january 2008. We’re happy! It’s been a wild and fun year so far, and we’re looking forward to all of the fun and juicy times that are ahead of us!!!
How did the band form?
Let’s see… the band formed from the ashes of previous bands. Our band before SUNBEARS!, just kind of ended up in juicy shambles after a long two years of touring, it really takes a toll on you, as well as your friendships. SO! that ended really bad to where we weren’t on speaking terms. BUT, luckily time heals, so when we reconnected we discovered that we were better friends than ever! We missed playing music together, sooo… we decided to form SUNBEARS!
Where have you been seen playing?
On stage! LOL
What type of music do you play?
SUNBEARS! tries to play / write / make music that invokes HAPPINESS! Some poeple say it’s sort of psychadelic, some people say it’s shoegaze, or electro… We don’t really know! It’s just pop songs, i guess! HAHA. We do try to make it epic though. Sort of over the top. It’s always fun to see just how far you can take a song!
Who are your influences?
We draw influences more from experiences or you know… like SCENERY, more than anything else. haha. I mean, we listen to a lot of music, and of course, that will also shine through in our jams, but it’s more about walking outside on a sunny day and there are birds in the trees and it sounds like a juicy bird choir and then you look on the ground and find a twenty spot. See, that’s better than just saying like… We love The Beatles! LOL
Share something special about Sunbears…
When we go on tour, we tour in a SCION. you know, the one that looks like a milk truck from 2025! It’s navy blue and certainly NOT a gas hog! We think that bands that tour in busses / vans / school busses are just plain silly! Hahaha, not really!
How did you get your name?
Once upon a time, we were in the Smithsonian Museum in WASHINGTON DC! and we were looking around at all of the dead animals that Teddy Roosevelt killed, and we happened upon a juicy little bear. IT WAS SO CUTE OMG! so we looked at the name of the bear… and i know you know what i’m about to say… it was called a sunbear! so we decided that it was a cute name, and if we ever started playing music, and wanted to form a band, that we would name it SUNBEARS! and guess what? we did!
Are both of you guys originally from Jax?
JARED was born and raised in jacksonville, however JONATHAN was born in texas. Later on, he moved to Ponte Vedra Beach, which is very close to jacksonville. Jonathan and Jared met at a church gathering, exchanged numbers, and the rest is basically history! HA!
What are your future plans for Sunbears?
SUNBEARS! really don’t believe in plans. They want to take everything as it comes, and always hope for the best! When you make plans, even in every day life, you tend to get let down more than you would if you never bothered making plans at all! And it always makes things more fun and keeps you on your tippy toes!
What are some of your hit songs?
HAHA, SUNBEARS! doesn’t really know. I guess a hit would imply a song, that is popular, or has sold a lot on iTunes or something. So, we don’t really know! LMAO!
Describe your typical audience:
Our audiences normally range from children to grandparents. Punks to jocks. Linebackers to figure skaters. Cops to thugs. Cats to manatees. HAHA. It’s different every time! It’s hard to categorize it, really!
Do you have a website?
NOOO. websites are sooo 1997. it’s all about myspace.com/SUNBEARSMUSIC now!!!
