Wake The Sun Plays Two Southern California Shows On National Tour

Wake the Sun plays The Mint L.A. on 2/26 and Copper Door O.C. on 2/27

Wake the Sun plays The Mint L.A. on 2/26 and Copper Door O.C. on 2/27

Concert Guide Live sat down for an interview with up and coming New York rock band Wake the Sun, ahead of two southern California shows on their national tour. The band is playing The Mint in L.A. on Feb. 26 and The Copper Door in Santa Ana on Feb. 27.

The band is made up of Dillon Mealey (lead vocals), Jeff Alvarado (bass), John Creighton (keyboards), Jon Brick (drums) and Tommy Perrotta (lead guitar). The following interview is with the vocalist, Dillon Mealey.

Concert Guide Live: Have you guys played southern California before?

Wake the Sun: We were actually out there last May, 2014 for a showcase called Sunset Sessions. We were out there for about a week and we had the opportunity to play with Scott Weiland, The Dirty Heads and a couple other really awesome bands.

CGL: How long have you guys been a band now?

WTS: We’re relatively new – I think it’s about eight months now that we’ve been together as a collective group. A couple of the members have played together in other previous projects. But we’re fairly new as Wake the Sun.

CGL: How did you guys come together? What was the inspiration?

WTS: The bassist and I used to be in a band together in college, but it disbanded after we graduated. Jeff [the bassist] asked me to move down to Long Island to see if we could form something there, so that’s what I did. We actually found our drummer on YouTube. It was a guy that lived a couple towns over and was doing crazy covers of bands that we love, so it was a no-brainer. John Creighton, the keyboard player, was recommended by a mutual party, and when we jammed together he fit in immediately. The lead guitarist Tom came on later in an audition where he just killed it.

CGL: Have you guys been on tour before, or is this the first one?

WTS: This is our first national tour. We’ve done several different regional things, but nothing to this extent, so this is our first go at it.

CGL: Have you guys been playing many live shows locally in New York?

WTS: Absolutely, yes – we just played a place called the Bowery Electric. We’ve played the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn. We’ve played the Delancey and the Rockwood Music Hall, just to name a few.

CGL: How have your local shows been going? What has been the reception to your band so far?

WTS: It’s been incredible! We’ve been packing these rooms out and already having people singing along to songs that aren’t even out yet. It’s an incredible feeling – the shows have been going really, really great.

CGL: When did the band come out with its EP?

WTS: Our EP was released at the beginning of January. We just released the single, Wicked Souls, on iTunes, Spotify, and Amazon.com. We released it to all of the major digital distribution channels. If you want the actual EP, we are only selling it at our shows, so you have to come and see us live in order to grab the EP!

CGL: How would you describe the sound of your single, Wicked Souls?

WTS: It’s kind of a bluesy rock sort of vibe. It sounds kind of like early Black Crowes. It’s awesome, it’s really high energy and raw and guttural.

CGL: Are you guys headlining this tour? Who are the other bands on the tour?

WTS: Yes we’re the headliner. It’s a club tour, so we get a majority of our support from local acts at each venue. We don’t have any other bands traveling with us. It’s awesome – we’ve met so many great bands and incredible people so far.

CGL: How are you guys traveling for this tour? Do you have an old van?

WTS: Yeah, Rosa is what we call her! It’s an Eco-line Chevy 16-passenger van with a big old trailer on the back, so we’re just roughin’ it. I actually do a majority of the driving because everyone else doesn’t really like to drive. I don’t mind it.

CGL: What are you most looking forward to with your first national tour?

WTS: We’re looking forward to just spreading our music as much as we can and getting the word out. So far we’ve found that every place we play, we get such a great reception with people shouting and going crazy – and they don’t even know who we are. So I think just getting ourselves out there and having people see us live is going to really help to generate a buzz for us. I want everyone to hear our music. The main focus is getting people to come out and support live music and to hear us play.

CGL: What can concert goers expect to experience at one of your shows?

WTS: Our show is polished, yet loud and brash and in-your-face. The show has some extreme dynamics and is a rollercoaster ride. It’s a lot different in the fact that everything is super catchy, with a lot of raw tendencies as well. If you come out to one of our shows, you’re going to get blown away. It’s a really fun show!

CGL: What is your favorite part about playing a live show?

WTS: I love the energy and the reaction on people’s faces. It’s really cool to walk into a venue where no one knows us or cares who we are, and then we play the show and all of a sudden everyone is coming up to us and talking to us. It’s great to see people really react to the performance.

CGL: Are you guys currently signed? What plans do you have for the future?

WTS: We are under management with Wayne Martin. We are also working with a really great Publicist Nancy Sayle. Other than that we’ve been doing everything ourselves right now. We are still trying to figure out if we want to be signed or do it ourselves. It’s up in the air right now.