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Sun Voyager
New York City, New York, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2012 | INDIE
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Today's free song comes courtesy of Sun Voyager. The New York-based psych-rockers recently released a split EP, Grease Voyage, with labelmates Greasy Hearts, and keep churning out new tunes. We're excited to offer up their newest single, the fuzzy, lo-fi psych gem "God Is Dead." Stream and download the track above.
"'God is Dead' embodies our 'less is more' mantra," the band explains. "It's fuzz-psych driven and rides on a single riff."
Grease Voyage is out now on Pizza King Records. Stay tuned for a new EP and full-length from Sun Voyager early this year. And to our East Coast readers, the band plays at Wonder Bar in Asbury Park tomorrow night (January 3) with the Munsens. Find out more info here! - Purevolume.com
Heard on the recent King Pizza Records compilation, Surfinâ On Pizza Lightning; Orange County, NYâs own cosmic warriors Sun Voyagers debut the rip roaring monster thrills on their brand new single, âLet It Rideâ. Carlos guides the band by guitar and voice, with Stefan on the bass, and Kyle kicking it on the drums, creating the classic, home rooted rock of ages, for all time, and all ensuing eras.
Previously heard doubting the pulse of deity on their âGod is Deadâ single; Sun Voyager takes you even heavier, and higher than before on the radical, riff-steamroller, âLet It Rideâ. From here the garage doors are blown right off the hinges and roll-up tracts as these New Paltz galactic Voyagers navigate the this two minute, and twelve seconds blistering wonder deep into the high decibel void, and then back again. Carlos carries the song with the recited chorus line of âsheâs a monsterâ, keeping the chords snarling while Kyle and Stefanâs rhythm section proves themselves as a fortress to be reckoned with. With everyone looking for where to find the next greatest phenomenons in garage rock culture; Sun Voyager is the DIY answer to those prayers. Stay with us after the song debut for our interview with the band.
Give us a little taste of what the world of Orange County, NY is like.
Itâs full of apple orchards, wineries, and small towns and the scenery is something else in the fall. Itâs close enough to the city for the commuters but far enough out so that you can take advantage of the mountain ranges. Thereâs a lot of great hiking and lakes everywhere. The Hudson River isnât that dirty up here either. If youâre a band, you practice in a garage or shed and for shows you travel up and down the thruway a lot.
Any scenes out there of interest for you all?
New Paltz is a great town. Lot of great people up there and Snug Harbor always treats us right. The Wherehouse in Newburgh is an excellent spot, great for burgers and psychedelic vibes. Thereâs Quinnâs in Beacon which is another up and coming town on the other side of the river from Newburgh. Weâve been playing the Tuscan Cafe in Warwick for years. The Half Moon in Hudson is always hopping and the Brazenhead in our hometown of Monroe is a notable up-and-comer. Weâre doing the pre-release show for our split there with the official release at Big Irvâs in Brooklyn.
Indie artists you want to give a shout out to?
Linear North from Albany are great dudes who know upstate well. Itâs Not Night: Itâs Space from New Paltz are great instrumental psych-rockers that bring the house down every time we play with them. Dead Channels from Warwick deliver some the punchiest hardcore in the Hudson Valley. Weâve been playing in Brooklyn and Manhattan a lot lately though and Greasy Hearts makes rock and roll too good not to mention here. The Mad Doctors have become great friends of ours. Seth records us and Greg, the big cheese at King Pizza Records, puts out our stuff. There are way too many to name but every artist on King Pizza really deserves a good listen. Thereâs something brewing and itâs great to be a part of.
How did you all first meet, and who decided that Sun Voyager would be your name?
We met back in high school. Actually, we played hockey together before high school but we started playing in bands together in high school. The three of us were in a band for 5 years that didnât pan out. Carlos started writing some songs after that and Sun Voyager was born. He came up with the name and we all loved it.
Also too, what is the story behind the name? Somehow it reminded me of Star Trekâs Voyager seriesâŠhow strong is the sci-fi contingent amongst you all here in the Sun Voyager camp?
Carlos saw âSun Voyagerâ on an RV and the idea of living on the road is easy to connect with. Also, the name really speaks for the music we play. We love everything sci-fi but donât talk about it very often. Stefanâs a big âBattlestar Galacticaâ guy, though.
First of all, the song âLet It Rideâ is an absolute monster; like one of those songs that are created with the most honesty by being incubated in shared, crowded garage spaces in the sprawl of suburbia, burying the vocals in the bedroom-pedal-board effects set ups, with gurgling, and shredding guitars like laser-rays that point toward the cityscapes. Tell us a bit on how this devastating riff-rider was made.
âLet It Rideâ was actually the first song we wrote after our last release which was sort of heavy but way more relaxed. Itâs one those songs that came about by jamming on a riff, finding a groove, and building around it. When you write music, there are so many songs that get tweaked and re-worked after you play them a couple times. Sometimes something doesnât sound or feel quite right. This wasnât the case for âLet It Rideâ at all. We wrote it in the garage last spring and nothing has changed. Sometimes you get things right the first time and just let it ride.
This feels like a sound of further things to follow from Sun Voyager; what releases do you all have up your sleeves?
Weâre releasing a cassette split with label-mates Greasy Hearts this Saturday night at Big Irvâs in Brooklyn and by the end of next month weâll have a full length ready to go. You can hear one of the songs from it on the latest King Pizza compilation.
2015 game plan for Sun Voyager?
The full length will be out by late-January, early-February. Weâre going to keep writing while playing out as much as possible. Hopefully we get a bunch of chances to play places weâve never been and have another full length ready by the end of the year.
Sun Voyager and thoughts on the possibility of if and when this whole space tourism thing will ever get itâs program off the ground?
You asked us about sci-fi before and I think the three of us connect way more on the subject of space. That show Cosmos was great and it seems like something new gets discovered almost every day. Now weâre sending people to Mars to see if we can live there and weâre sending astronauts to an asteroid to see if thereâs water inside that maybe we can use to go even further into space. The universe could be a road and weâre on the brink of discovering it. Where does it go? How do we get there? Thereâs got to be some kind of âroadâ we can use in order for there to be any kind of tourism. We probably wonât be using RVâs but once thereâs a âroad,â weâll be on it for sure.
Sun Voyagerâs split with Greasy Harts will be available December 6 from King Pizza Records. - Impose Magazine
Hailing from Orange County, N.Y., pysch-rock trio Sun Voyager are gearing up for a very special split EP with Brooklynâs Greasy Hearts, and between the two of them, theyâre going to have the corner on the garage rock scene in no time. Today (Nov. 25), Diffuser is thrilled to debut Sun Voyagerâs contribution to the upcoming EP, âDesert Dwellerâ â stream it below.
The track pulses with gritty power that sounds like itâs coming straight from your neighborâs garage, packed with non-stop, unadulterated rock and roll. âWeâve been itching to release new music for awhile,â bassist Stefan Mersch tells us. And heâs excited to partner with Greasy Hearts to help unleash those fresh tunes. âWe would never have met them if it wasnât for [our record label] King Pizza ⊠after a couple of shows with those guys, we knew it had to be done.â
As for the split EP, Mersch believes itâs exactly what they need to do right now. âThis three-song split is a dynamic we embrace,â he explains. âItâs different from our old releases and only a piece of what our full-length has to offer.â
If you like what you hear â and weâre sure you do â head over to Sun Voyagerâs Bandcamp for even more psychedelic garage rock goodness, and stay tuned for more details for their split EP with Greasy Hearts. - Diffuser.fm
Psychedelic-garage rockers Sun Voyager are dropping their newest split release Grease Voyage on December 9th. Sun Voyagerâs hard charging, three track half of the split comes in tandem with Brooklyn-based band Greasy Hearts, label mates on King Pizza Records.
Since their inception in July 2012, the trio of Carlos Valle (guitar/vocals), Stefan Mersch (bass) and Kyle Beach (drums) have pumped out two other EPs, Cosmic Tides and Mecca, and most recently released a demo entitled "Gypsy Hill". Radio-blog The Obelisk praised Mecca saying, âit blends the classic with the modern and captures a terrestrial sound thatâs at once loose and swaggering and richly exploratory.â
The lead single off of the Grease Voyage split is âLet It Rideâ, which underscores Sun Voyagerâs distinct blend of psych-garage rock with strong guitar riffs and haunting vocals over a banging drum beat. Take a listen to âLet It Rideâ in this space and be sure to pick up Grease Voyage December 9th. - Alt Sounds
A couple of weeks ago, we had garage-psych rock outfit Sun Voyager take the SIMGE Survey which yielded the most thorough responses to date. Now the band is ramping up into full gear with the recent releases of singles âGod Is Deadâ and âDesert Dwellerâ. The former is off of a larger King Pizza Records compilation while the latter comes from a split EP with label mates Greasy Hearts set to drop on December 9th.
These two scorching tracks highlight the best of contemporary blissed out, lurching, monstrous riffing with âGod Is Deadâ working the early Sabbath angle while âDesert Dwellerâ kicks up the intensity. Stream both below and look for more from Sun Voyager very soon. - Speak Into My Good Eye
Just a few weeks ago I dropped a tune from Sun Voyager in regards to their forthcoming split with Greasy Hearts, but theyâve just unleashed another new tune for a label comp thatâs coming your way soon. This track is the perfect blow-your-hair-back psych rock that makes for great liver performances; itâs got this sludgy deep riff that rattles your soul, while the vocals wobble in atmospheric fashion atop it all. This is for fans that like the heavier side of psych rockâŠand really, just those that want to rock on a Monday. - Austin Town Hall
Orange County, NY, four-piece Sun Voyager bookended 2013 with demo releases. The first was Cosmic Tides, which arrived in January with three tracks and was issued on cassette, and the latest is Mecca. Also three songs and not yet given a physical pressing that I know of, Mecca finds its breadth in a laid back atmosphere of heavy psychedelia and rolling low end groove. The two guitars of Carlos Valle (also vocals) and Steve Friedman run through a varied level of effects from wah to cave echo, sometimes using a slide to evoke a swamp blues feel amid the pastoral sunshine of their tones and Valleâs semi-shoegaze vocal approach, which follows the riffs on âMecca,â âSpace Queenâ and âSuns of the Futureâ with burgeoning confidence and poise. Bassist Stefan Mersch is essential in keeping the songs together and moving forward, locking in smoothly with drummer Kyle Beach while the guitars move through and around the central figures of the songs. This is a pretty familiar construction for heavy psych, but Sun Voyager put it to use well, capturing a terrestrial sound thatâs at once loose and swaggering and richly exploratory.
They get underway with âMecca,â which clocks in at five minutes flat of immediately engaging, guitar-led fare. The initial groove rolls slow and subtly bluesy with space-echo lead guitar behind Valleâs verse, which rests comfortably on the plush bassline. A tension is built leading to a swell in volume, but theyâre not quite ready to give away the chorus yet. âMeccaâ rises and falls in volume and energy, fluid all the while and progressively gaining volume as it pushes past the three-minute mark. It remains languid as Valle drops the title line, âThe Mecca has arrived,â a couple times before feedback ends the song and cuts to Merschâs bass starting âSpace Queen.â Both âMeccaâ and closer âSuns of the Futureâ are around the five-minute mark, but âSpace Queenâ approaches eight and its feel is suitably jammed-out. Doubly hypnotic thanks to repetitive lyrics, âSpace Queenâ is arguably the easiest cut on Mecca to get lost, with a solo topping the jam that leads not to a massive crescendo â there is one, itâs just not overblown â but instead to a quieter finish, peaceful, psychedelic, and improvised-sounding, ending with a standalone feedback hum that gives way to the more active shuffle at the launch of âSuns of the Future.â
Last of the three, âSuns of the Futureâ is more upbeat, with steady kickdrum hits from Beach propelling its verses, an open chorus and effective tradeoffs between louder and softer stretches united by the delivery of Valle, which carries just the slightest tinge of Americana twang. A natural, classic heavy vibe persists, but Mecca is thoroughly modern, and along with the memorable songwriting, that bodes well for where Sun Voyager might go from here. You can check out Mecca (and Cosmic Tides, for that matter) now as part of the regular playlist on The Obelisk Radio, and get a sampling of the tracks on the Bandcamp player below. Either way, enjoy:
- See more at: http://theobelisk.net/obelisk/2013/12/11/sun-voyager-mecca-radio-add/#sthash.py2ObyZ2.dpuf - The Obelisk
Look, labeling bands is terrible. Sun Voyager and Greasy Hearts are âgarage rockâ whatever the hell that means. Are they the music your uncle listens to while he changes the oil in your auntâs Subaru? That depends on how cool your uncle is and how sick/nasty your aunt is.
Sun Voyager is a 3-piece garage-psych-surf-punk-stoner-hot-dog-pine-sol, whatever band. Just give them a listen all ready? Theyâve just released a split with rock-n-roll-hot-and-cold-x-box-pancake-good-time band, Greasy Hearts and itâs online for free. Itâs good. Itâs real good. Itâs a slimy pile of sloppy fuzz that makes your ears feel like hard nipples and your hard nipples feel like EVEN harder nipples. And itâs online for free.
Both bands are on Brooklynâs own King Pizza records, which if youâve ever never checked out, is like your rich childhood friend that had every Super Nintendo game at their place. Get it? The bands are the Nintendo gamesâ why are you reading pedestrian metaphors and not listing to this split that is online for free?
Go. Now. Run. Run. Rudolph. Itâs online for free. - Blah Blah Blah Science
Who doesn't love them some good old, dirty, psychedelic garage rock? We sure as shit do! That's why we're stoked to bring you this exclusive premiere of the song "Mind Maze" from the three-piece rock band, Sun Voyager. Recommended to fans of acts like Ty Segall Band, Thee Oh Sees, or The Black Angels, Sun Voyager is simply put, a dirty good time! Go get lost in "Mind Maze" now!
The threesome are gearing up to drop their newest split release, Grease Voyage, on December 9th. The band's "hard charging, three track half of the split comes in tandem with Brooklyn-based band Greasy Hearts, label mates on King Pizza Records." Get pumped for some awesome! - Pure Grain Audio
There is an awesome buzz about Albany, NY-based band Sun Voyager in recent months and now I can see why and due to the influx of bands received on a weekly basis I almost looked this one over. Granted, it is only a 3-song EP, but it gives you an idea of where the band is headed. Substituting the warm fuzzy guitar tone is a warbly bluesy-twang that sends you swirling into the vortex of another dimension. The songs are slick, mesmerising and hypnotic, reminiscent of the psychedelic/garage rock movement of the seventies. Opening track "Oh, Sally" shakes and grooves, while "New American City" focuses around a hard driving spellbinding riff. Album closer "Cosmic Tides" is the highlight of the EP for me with it's slow rhythm and hot slide guitar licks. The EP is available for free on their Bandcamp page. Get it now! - Heavy Planet
Ah, nice, a three track demo compromising the first recordings of Sun Voyager, hailing from Albany, New York. Short and sweet, totalling just over 11 minutes, it allows the casual listener eager to hear new music the chance to quickly gauge if this is for them, and permits the busy (lazy?) reviewer respite from double-figure track demos that bog down the workload. It's a hard life don't you know.
Cosmic Tides is an enjoyable and bright demonstration of the band's potential, a dive of a watering hole designated rendevous point for the meeting place between 70's stoner and garage rock. Like the much missed Josiah if they wrote for Nebula (or vice versa), it reminds me of a few long standing British bands such as Gorilla, Marshan or Blackrock with the tempo relatively high and not weighted down by overly fuzzy guitars or doom riffs.
While none of those three bands really kicked on, there's enough variety here to suggest Sun Voyager can make waves when they get round to a full album. The self titled closer is darker than what comes before, with slide guitars giving a Small Stone feel, without going all southern rawk on you. Free to download on bandcamp, rock fans of stoner and garage variety have no excuse not to take the voyage. - Nine Hertz
Marauding garage-punk trio Sun Voyager have a split ep out with Greasy Hearts (streaming at Bandcamp, and also available on cassette, yay). The opening track, Desert Dweller, is the best one, a truly gorgeous feast of multitracked, distorted Fender Twin guitar amp sonics. Itâs like a slightly less noisy version of what the Skull Practitioners do. Mind Maze, Sun Voyagerâs second track, sounds like something from the Boomtown Ratsâ first album if that band had switched out the punk for stoner garage production values. The last one, Let It Ride has trickier rhythms and a searing, tone-bending guitar solo out. Greasy Heartsâ three contributions to the ep include one with a Coney Island High-style late 80s/early 90s punk-metal swagger, a more trad garage tune and then a surprisingly eclectic number with echoes of both oldschool soul and vintage Sabbath.
Another heavily Sabbath-influenced track is Sun Voyagerâs latest single, God Is Dead (also up at Bandcamp). Both bands are playing the King Pizza Records mini-festival which starts at 4 PM this Saturday, Dec 13 at Don Pedroâs. Sorry for the short notice, but the show never made it onto the radar here: the venueâs calendar hasnât been updated in a couple of months. - New York Music Daily
La banda originaria de Nueva York, Sun Voyager, compartiĂł a travĂ©s de redes sociales su nuevo EP titulado Grease Voyage, del cual se desprenden los sencillos, âMind Mazeâ, âDesert Dwellerâ y âLet It Rideâ.
La agrupación conformada por Carlos Valle, Stefan Mersch y Kyle Beach, se ha caracterizado por tener en cada una de sus producciones y composiciones, fuertes influencias de garage rock y sonidos psicodélicos.
âGrease Voyageâ se encuentra disponible en su canal oficial de SoundCloud. - Revista Metronomo
Discography
Cosmic Tides (EP) - 2012
Mecca (EP) - 2012
Grease Voyager (split cassette) - 2014
Lazy Daze (EP) - 2015
Ghost Valley b/w Rusty Knife (7") - 2016
S/T (LP) - 2018
Photos
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Bio
Three blood brothers from the mountains of New York's Hudson Valley region, Sun Voyager makes music for space cadets who stick to the open road. Currently based in New York City, the band started off rehearsing in the back of a family taco joint, upstate playing bars, legion halls, and anywhere noise is (or isn't) permitted throughout the Northeast. They've shared bills with Pissed Jeans, White Denim, Roky Erickson, Ruby The Hatchet, A Giant Dog, The Parlor Mob, Slow Season, and California X.
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