Let’s travel back in time. Well, only to October of 2017 but it feels like much longer. Yes, it feels like forever since the last time (the first time) I heard the Bastard Suns live. And the time has come once more! But let’s reminisce a little first. Last October, I was assisting my friend Thomas Tritt with @TrittProductions as they provided sound engineering for @TheBastardSuns at a well known live music venue @AshleysSportsPage in Satellite Beach, Florida.

I had not yet had the pleasure of experiencing a performance by The Bastard Suns and was very excited about getting to see them live for the first time. As I stood outside talking with various members of the band, I quickly picked up on the excitement of others as well. Clearly, it was not ‘their’ first time seeing the band as these fans had traveled from all over the county - look it up, Brevard County is huge - to hear the band. The connection between the band and their fans was impressive to say the least. Big hugs, high fives and talk about the last time they had met. The things they had done, The inside jokes. One of the fans approached me and asked “so, this is your first time?”. I replied “yes, what should I expect?” He answered immediately without any hesitation and said “you will feel like a 6 year old boy on Christmas morning”.

And I did! From the very first song - a rare cover song but a very appropriate tribute to the recently departed Tom Petty - to the last note of the very last song. The permanent smile on my face made my cheeks sore for at least a day afterwards. The energy from the band and the audience was infectious. Fans singing along and the band feeding off of the crowd’s energy. The music certainly has a beach vibe which mixes rock, reggae, even a little ska flavor from time to time. I’m not going to attempt to match the identity of the band’s genre with my interpretation of their style. As a matter of fact, I hate it when we classify and label others by what we ‘think’ they sound like. The epitome of original music should be the very fact that we can’t classify it. Just come hear them yourself!

Thank you @JADunbar for the use of these photos.

I’ll be there. Friday July 13, 2018 at Ashley’s Sports Page in Satellite Beach, FL. Providing the sound and PA again. Find me, say hi and mention that you saw this blog. I may be inclined to buy you a drink. Check out the band’s other dates for this tour as well. Check them out…. I promise you’ll feel like a 6 year old on Christmas morning.

#TheBasterdSuns #TrittProductions #AshleysSportsPage #livemusicflorida #JADunbarPhotography