Local band Red Summer Sun is ringing in the new semester by playing a show at the Monkey Bar on Friday, September 11th.
Monkey Bar opens its doors at 11 p.m. with a $5 cover charge.
“We’re having fun when everyone else is having fun,” said guitarist Pete Hunt. “Our main objective is that we want everyone to be really involved and be really happy. What we’ll tend to do is we’ll tend to really go out in the audience and involve them.”
Hunt is a senior at Cornell University, while band mates Adam Fisher ,bass, Andrew Gregory, vocals and rhythm guitar, and Nick Mathews, percussions, are all seniors at the University of Massachusetts.
The band name “Red Summer Sun” is a reference to a song by Third Eye Blind. Aside from being a tribute to one of their major influences, the band felt the name “Red Summer Sun” fit the type of music they play.
“We play happy music for everyone,” said Mathews, which is why the band gravitates more towards pop music. “We liked that it was summer-y, which is the season we think our band invokes the most.”
Hailing from the North Shore, Fisher, Gregory, Hunt and Mathews all attended the same high school. Mathews, itching to use his drumsticks, brought the band together. “High school is just not fun without a band,” he said. He first called his friend Hunt, whom he’d known since their days playing youth soccer. He also convinced his friend Fisher to join. At first, he was reluctant because he felt his skills were not developed enough to be in a band. “Yeah, he showed me,” laughed Fisher, who is now the band’s leading bass player.
Gregory was more of a serendipitous addition. While in their junior year, Gregory, a hulking football player, tagged along with one of his friends to band practice because he was interested in learning how to play guitar. “It wasn’t his guitar that impressed us. He started singing along with one of the songs and we all just kind of stopped playing and said ‘that’s what we need!’” said Fisher.
Since high school, Red Summer Sun has signed with a manager and has played at many different nightclubs in Boston. The have also traveled to New York, Georgia, Vermont and hope to expand their tours in the future. The resounding favorite event of the band was playing the Hatch Shell in Boston during Radio 92.9’s Earthfest on May 30, 2009.
Mathews was excited to share the same stage as the musicians he had looked up to, such as conductor John Williams and singer Neil Diamond. “I mean, ever since you’re a kid, you’re in Boston, that’s where you want to play…amazing,” said Mathews. Their goal within the next year or two is to sign with a major label.
Despite their recent success and big ambition, this ragtag group of “high school buddies” seems to keep each other grounded and realistic about their careers. They intend to finish college before pursuing a deal with a major label, and hope that they can support their families in the future by doing what they love to do.
In the mean time, they are focusing on what they can do to advance their music career. “I would really like to get another album out, and play a few more shows, get the fan base built up and get ready for the next stage,” said Fisher.
Red Summer Sun also offered up some advice for those who want to be in a successful band. “You want to be real about it, and you want to put in a lot of time. It’s a lot of money, but it’s also a lot of fun. It’s definitely worth it,” said Gregory.
