About Me
The Sunny Boys are the Italian Tribute Band of the fabulous Beach Boys. They get around from Italy to Switzerland and Austria bringin' the warmth and happiness that only Brian Wilson's music can communicate.
They start their surfin safari at the end of 2003 when the long time hardcore fan Gianluca Leone (aka Brian The Captain) finally gets the opportunity to form a BB tribute band. He's probably one of the most expert fans in Italy, he's got everything (and when we say everything we mean everything) published about the Beach Boys. He's been following them since the early 90s, when he was 14, and discovered on a shelf in a record store a cheap compilation of the fab 5. While being for a year and a half the lead singer of Supersonic, an Oasis tribute band, gives him the opportunity to play in the best pubs of Turin, he surely feels The Sunny Boys as his "real" band to put his heart and soul into..
"I've been following the Beach Boys since i was a kid, musically they means everything to me, they're absolute perfection in terms of vocal blend, production techniques and spirit. I've always loved the way Brian was able to express that happiness and that melancholy at the same time, i've always identified myself with him, feeling his fears, having the same expectations from music he had when he was a kid, and completely understanding his naiveness and childlike behaviour"(Gianluca)
During his childhood Fabio Leone (aka Fabio Wilson) , Gianluca's little brother, listens often passively to Beach Boys' music that's always on on the home stereo. So he starts to learn all the songs and to play them along with his brother. They listen and play together also to "heavier" bands, such as AC/DC, one of Gianluca's all time favourite bands, but they always play several instruments in separate bands. They both take piano lessons, and Gianluca shortly forms in 1992 a band, The Durendal, in which he plays drums and sings backing vocals. After almost 4 years he feels that his drumming experience is over, cause he wants to be in front of the audience, and no more behind the drums..
After leaving The Durendal he starts writing many songs, inspired by a pure melodic pop and obviously by Brian Wilson. " After hearing the TODAY album i felt so strange...well let's say i was so envious that Brian, same age at me as he was recording that album, was able to write and produce those songs....that album made me cry, it had such beautiful ballads, brilliant chord changes and heavenly harmonies...so i said well even if i'll never have Brian's genius let's try to learn everything i can from his music, mostly because it makes me feel so special..."
Then he discovers Pet Sounds, Smile, and all the rest of the BB albums, listening, writing and overdubbing his voice to recreate those harmonies. At the same times he starts recording some ballads in studio, making some local tv appereances and participating with good success to some singing contests. But he starts again missing a band....
From 1996 to early 2003 he writes, plays and produces his own songs, playing occasionally electric guitar in short living groups, and producing in studio some demotapes for young bands in Turin. In 2003, after completing university, he comes "back in business" full time in music becoming the lead singer of Supersonic, an Oasis tribute band that reaches a quite good success among Oasis fans in the north of Italy for a year and a half..
Meanwhile Fabio, who, being 4 years younger than his bro, lives his childhood completely into music, plays drums and then guitar in the same band for almost 7 years, The Wheels, a heavy rock band. But he wants to play more live dates, so he starts considering the project of his older brother, also given the fact that Gianluca, having played many dates in several pubs with Supersonic, has the opportunity to know many pub owners, and so finds easy to plan live dates.
Gianluca calls Matteo Pagliardi, an old time friend with whom he shares the passion for The Beach Boys, a very very talented drummer and pretty good vocalist. Fabio calls a friend of his, nicknamed Lo Zio ("The Uncle") who plays bass guitar in many groups, and is very fond of the 60s. Then the formula starts to work, the rehersals shows that there's a really good potential in the band. After the first gigs The Uncle leaves the band because of health problems, and Eugene becomes the new bassist for 8 months. In October 2004 Alberto Costa joins the band as the new bassist for about a year. Meanwhile keyboardist Marcel joins the band and stays for 5 months. Then, due to the continuous serach of better musical quality in the band, Marcel is fired, and Daniele Sobrero (aka Dapsi Johnston), a very good vocalist and keyboardist, takes his place until march 2005. In april 2005 Gigi Basile (aka John Marks) joins the band as the new rythm guitarist, while Brian The Captain, after Albert's defection in summer '05, decides to play the bass, in pure Brian Wilson's style. In november 2005 Matteo leaves the band and Giancarlo Cali becomes the new drummer until january 2006, when Enrico Beltrame (aka Henry Wilson) becomes the new drummer. In december 2005 Giuseppe Codnik (aka "Pippo Codnik") joins the band with his 12 strings guitar.
The guys present in their gigs a setlist of about 45 songs with every Beach Boys' hit, along with their surfboards and striped shirts!!
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