Festivals

SunSquabi Talks Purple Hatter’s Ball Pre Party [Interview]

sunsquabi

Boulder, Colorado’s SunSquabi is bringing their three piece electronic funk show to Purple Hatter’s Ball 2016. We talked with Kevin Donohue (guitar/keys/production) and Chris Anderson (drums) to find out what’s in store for their pre-party set (get tickets HERE), which will also be their first ever appearance at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park. Welcome to your new home away from home guys!

SunSquabi is headlining the Thursday night pre-party at this year’s Purple Hatter’s Ball. What can we expect from the show?
Kevin: We’ve been coming down to Florida for a few years now and always wanted the opportunity to play at Suwannee park. We know that there will be so many friends and people who have supported us in the audience, so I’m sure that we will be bringing the heat. Playing for people who believe in you in conjunction with strangers always seems to get the juices going. It should be a special one.

Are you sticking around for the festival after your performance? Or do you have to hit the road right away?
Chris: We’re going to soak in as much of Suwannee as we can at the pre-party. It will be our first, but certainly not last, time out there. Friday we head back to Colorado for Sonic Bloom, then Sunday we play Taste of Randolph festival in downtown Chicago. It’s going to be a crazy weekend!

You have the new “Odyssey” EP out which features collaborations with GRiZ and Dominic Lalli. Tell us about the making of this EP – how long did it take and how did the collaborations come about?
Kevin: We started this EP after Christmas in 2014, so from start to finish it took about a year to complete. However, we were and continue to tour extensively while finishing a project like this, so it’s not like we were in the studio every day. Collaborating is a funny thing. Some people think that you just reach out to an artist or peer and say ‘hey would you like to do this?’ And sometimes that is how it is. But with GRiZ and Dominic Lalli, they are both good friends of ours and it feels like these have been in the works for years.

How does this project compare to your previous works?
Chris:Odyssey” was definitely a new direction for us as a band. We focused a lot more on instrumentation and dynamics, with our goal being a truly live-sounding record. Most of these songs we tested out during our live shows, gauging crowd reaction. It was a really cool process.

You have a show lined up for Red Rocks in October. Have you performed at Red Rocks yet?
Chris: Our first time playing Red Rocks with this current orientation was last September with GRiZ. It was a mind-blowing experience, and was really special to be able to play at a venue like that with a lineup filled with some of our best friends like The Floozies, Manic Focus, and Muzzy Bearr. This coming October we reunite with The Floozies and our Colorado brother Michal Menert. We have chills thinking about it already.

Do any of the SunSquabi members have side projects?
Kevin: I play sometimes in a project called Casual Commander. It’s pretty casual.

Are you all originally from Boulder, CO? How has your hometown changed over the years?
Chris: I’m from Boston, MA originally. Andrew Clymer and Kevin Donohue grew up together in Boulder. Boulder has grown immensely over the years but will always be known for the art and music that have come from this epic place we call home.

sunsquabi tour

This year Purple Hatter’s Ball falls on Father’s Day weekend. Would you like to share a message for your father/father figure?
Kevin: Thanks to all of our fathers for teaching us to be good respectable men and pursue our goals in music and in life.

Thank you for your time. We are really looking forward to the upcoming show. Is there anything else you would like to mention?
Kevin: We love our Florida family and we can’t wait to see you soon.

https://sunsquabi.com/
www.purplehattersball.com

photo credit: Chester Pink

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