Suns Of Freedom

I edited my profile with Thomas' Myspace Editor V4.4 TURN YOURSELVES ON TO THE SUNS OF FREEDOMLooking to broaden your mind as well as your musical tastes? Go ahead and take a big bite of this raw, bass-thumpin’, guitar groovin’, ball-breakin' drumming sound with stimulating, thought-provoking lyrics sprinkled on top. One thing you can count on: this is not your parent’s rock music. If hard, jammin’ and funky rock with substance turns you on, look no more—the Suns of Freedom have arrived!If there’s one thing that runs true for all of the members of SOF (besides chain smokin' and booze guzzlin'), it’s their fight against the “man,”—that ever-pressing need to give the ol’ middle finger to the wealthy, conformist scumbags who set the supposed rules for society.How did such a defiant group of musicians come to be?As with many past righteous rockers—music begot music. The Suns Of Freedom were spawn from the aftermath of a mind-blowing concert, over a bottle of whiskey. That bottle of whiskey was shared between two friends—Chris9 and the Refugee—who both shared the deep, burning desire to blaze they’re own path of destruction and glory. While hearts were still pounding from the thump of the bass and the sweat still pouring from the rumble in the pit, the time to scream for freedom was never more right. Chris9 and The Refugee burned the midnight oil while the house slept, and slurred out the framework for a more badass Freedom Rock—a phrase which, in the best tradition of artistic theft, they stole from a late-night infomercial compilation. Chris9 handed The Refugee a CD’s worth of guitar licks, and the Refugee headed west to Mexico for a couple of weeks—where he wrote the first SOF lyrics in a smokey, almond tequila haze of inspiration. Since that glorious commencement of innovative insolence, much has come to pass and SOF have been rockin’ harder than ever.After trying out a drummer and a couple of bass players, the SOF finally found it’s core group: the Refugee on vocals, Chris9 on guitar, Julius Jams on bass, and Big Dirty Willis on drums. Though all strong individuals, these four rebels have joined forces to create the one rebellious force that is the SOF.Though the band has many influences—namely Clutch, Life Of Agony, Kyuss, Black Sabbath, Metallica, and Bad Brains(just to name a few)—the band offers a unique and refreshingly intense balls-to-the-wall “Dirt Rock” style.What exactly is “Dirt Rock”?Guitarist Chris9 defines it as, “just Working Man’s Blues. We all work, we all get dirty. It means going against society that tries to dictate how you live, how you think, what you should wear. We believe in personal freedom for everyone. What high class society calls dirtbags, scumbags, stoners, derelicts, we call friends.”As Big Dirty Willis has also described, “Freedom is the basis of dirt rock and rebel society.”The Refugee summed it up by saying, “It’s all about being free, not givin’ into the man. We’re totally against those kids that are too cool to have fun…Everyone at our shows stands away from the light, away from the front, scared. I wanna scream, ‘Don’t be afraid to step into the light! Because we’re tyin’ to have some fun tonight!’”“People like to be told what to do. We’re not those people,” explained Julius Jams, the calm but fierce bassist.How is this “Dirt Rock,” and sound of freedom achieved?Besides much practice, dedication, and passion for creating and inspiring others, the SOF have achieved their one-of-a-kind sound by loving all different types of music. The members of SOF recognize that all music is “therapy that sets the demons free.” The Refugee’s primal screaming and bluesy lyrics are underscored by ascending, descending guitar riffs of fury, while Jams’ bass pummels vibrations and Dirty Willis’ maniac-drum-bangin’ sets the beat to such fury. This music certainly ain’t for sissies. This raucous blend of rioting tunes has resulted in increasing popularity on the club circuit, where the SOF often converts crowds who had come to see another, often more mellow, band to their side. Their album, DemoListen!, so impressed certain listeners that it was taken back to Europe, where it has received radio airplay.Where can we expect to see the Suns of Freedom in the future?Besides jamming and slamming the clubs and venues of New York and Brooklyn, you can expect to see S.O.F. on tour all over. The band hopes to be touring Europe, or “anywhere outside of America,” in the not so distant future. In addition to the kickass live music that is to come, they are also soon to release another rockin’ album: Turn Yourself On.