New Sightings: Steel City Sunrise

Welcome back to New Sightings, the column where I like to talk about new and currently underground artists and reveal them to the rest of the world. It's been a few weeks since I've written one of these mainly because of exams, but they are back and fully on schedule again. Without further ado, I'd like to introduce another group I have a personal connection with, Steel City Sunrise.

Steel City sunrise is an indie-bluegrass styled band out of Lehigh University that combine solid covers and their own new content to deliver a great concert experience to their audience. Featured on national television already, these guys are going places. They are the latest winners of Lehigh Valley Battle of the Bands and play in many live shows around the area. Additionally, Steel City Sunrise is currently working on their first EP to be released in the coming months (May 15th is the current release date). Let's meet the band members, shall we?

Mikale D'Andrea is the group's lead singer and guitarist. Born and raised in Lincoln Park, New Jersey, D'Andrea learned to play guitar before he could walk. Renamed Plank the year he arrived at Lehigh, D'Andrea now can be seen at Birkel Street parties whipping his acoustic guitar out to serenade the ladies. He's a good friend of mine and can be seen throwing upwind throws on the Frisbee team when he's not writing, recording, or performing music.

James Copti is the bassist and backup vocalist, is a fellow brother of Phi Delta Theta and honestly, one of the reasons I decided to join the fraternity myself. We grew up one town apart, yet did not meet until I was halfway through the rush process. Double majoring in Neuroscience and Music Composition, Copti has surrounded himself with music his entire life. He currently rocks it on the upright bass and piano and is often heard singing harmony during the shows. Probably one of the busiest people I know, Copti is almost always on stage trying to make a name for himself.

Resident banjo player and New Yorker John Pehnke brings the folk on with his skillful plucking. Every good bluegrass band has to have a good banjo, and Pehnke's got it. Another fellow member of Phi Delta Theta, John is pulling for live music at future Phi Delt functions. Until then, you'll be able to find him by looking for the guy with the smoothest moves on the dance floor, and every time you hear that homey tune of the banjo on campus Pehnke is guaranteed to be there, plucking away.

Jacob "Chainsaw Arm" Newman is the band's ukulele player, vocalist, and joke-teller. Sporting a killer beard and a great attitude, Newman brings a quirky fire to the band that helps showcase their playful and laid back nature. He's got a great gravely voice that really fits the folky style Steel City Sunrise is trying to promote. If I were to compare him to one singer in the world, it would probably be E, which is sick.

Evan Eckersley is the band's latest drummer, a local Pensyltuckian freshman badass who doesn't play by the rules. I have only met Evan a few times at the band's performances and every time I've seen him play, he's killed it. Evan gets so into the music and keeps the steady rhythm flowing to drive the bands jamming on home. I hope to see more of him in the future.

Now that you've been introduced to the band's members, let's take a look at the best part, the band's music!

Put it All Together (5:05ish)

This song is more laid back than Ride Along (as you'll soon discover), but it still captures the essence of Steel City Sunrise. The awesome combination of instruments shines through in this song when the ukulele is juxtaposed (shoutout to Barbra Reeves for that word) with the banjo between the soft, chill verses, the harder chorus, and when they finally break it down in between.

Ride Along (3:26)

Holy shit, Chainsaw kills it in this song at the Battle of the Bands. This is easily my favorite song of theirs. They have so much energy put into the track, and the catchy riffs help the crowd bring an even bigger amount of energy to the track. If you go to see Steel City Sunrise for one reason, make that reason this song. It's going to be their first single, so stay tuned for that one.

Pompeii (3:46)

Covering the famous Pompeii by Bastille, Steel City Sunrise shows their ability to add new flavor to a major hit. This cover adds so much folk sound to it with the banjo and turns a pop-rockish single into a classic ho-down jam band jam, and I think it's a very unique take on it. So far, every time they have played Pompeii, the crowd has gone wild. Keep the good covers coming.

Hypotheticals (3:24)

As per their request, I am including an additional song of theirs, named Hypotheticals. It deviates from their usual folky tune with a more jazzy/alternative style. It shows a lot of depth in the band's musical talent, and I can again attribute it to the band's unique instrumental combination that continues to surprise me how awesome it sounds together.

All in all, Steel City Sunrise is a talented group of guys with the potential to make it big. They have the passion, they have the commitment, and they seem to have the connections. The big question now is will they spread beyond the local Lehigh Valley. I certainly hope so. What did you think of Steel City Sunrise? Leave a comment below with your thoughts and with any suggestions of more underground talent that you think deserves the spotlight.