The Sunpilots

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The Sunpilots
Left to right: Bob Spencer, Raj Siva-Rajah, Anthony Soole
Background information
Origin	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Genre(s)	Alternative rock
Years active	2005–present
Label(s)	Honeytrap Records (independent)
Website	thesunpilots.com
Members
Raj Siva-Rajah (vocals) Bob Spencer (guitar) Anthony Soole (Drums) Rob Ewan (bass)

The Sunpilots are an Australian alternative rock band from Sydney.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Early days 1.2 Recent times 1.3 Current activity 2 Press 3 Members 3.1 Current band members 3.2 Others 4 Discography 4.1 Singles 5 References 6 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Early days

Born in Australia to a classical Sri Lankan singer, Raj Siva-Rajah began his music training at the age of 8.^[1] Over the next few years, Raj was taught the 72 basic scales of Carnatic music, a form of classical Indian and Sri Lankan music whose history can be traced back about 2500 years. During highschool, he began writing alternative rock with close friend Andrew Maitland, trying to incorporate elements of his Carnatic training whenever possible. This marked the beginning of a creative partnership which continues to this day.

Raj's move to Sydney in early 2005 and the befriending of musicians Bob Spencer (guitar) and Anthony Soole (percussion) saw the project evolve into something more; and The Sunpilots were born.

[edit] Recent times

The Sunpilots released their first EP in June 2006. Despite being little more than a demo, the release quickly found its way onto the airwaves through Australian radio networks such as TripleJ and Nova. In November 2006 The Sunpilots were named as a Nova Unsigned Feature artist, resulting in more national airplay and a feature spot on the Nova Unsigned iTunes store.

Within a few months, The Sunpilots had built one of the largest Myspace fanbases in the country. This brought them to the attention of Apple Australia, who made the track "Spotlight in the Sun" the iTunes Australia Single of the Week. The song was downloaded 6000 times over the 6 days it was featured on the iTunes music store homepage.

At the end of 2006, The Sunpilots were awarded Best International Artist at the Toronto Independent Music Awards. They were also nominated for 2 awards at the 2006 LA Music Awards, including Artist of the Year (Acoustic) and Single of the Year (Indie), paving the way for a North American tour planned for 2008.

[edit] Current activity

In November 2006, The Sunpilots began working on their debut album.

On May 15, 2007, the first single from the album (a new version of "Spotlight in the Sun") was released. Co-produced by Aussie producer Phil McKellar (Silverchair, Grinspoon, Kisschasy) and mastered in New York by George Marino (Coldplay, Fall Out Boy), the new "Spotlight in the Sun" was the most added new song on Australian radio during the week of February 14, 2008.^[2] The forthcoming album is Living Receiver.

"Anyone who has ever felt like a deer caught in the headlights will recognise themselves in Spotlight in the Sun," said Raj when asked about the meaning behind Spotlight in the Sun in a recent interview. "I was in a pretty dark hole when I started writing the song, and I finished writing it just after I climbed out."

The track was featured as an iTunes Australia Exclusive during the week of its launch and continues to gain momentum with Australian radio networks such as Nova and Triple MMM. The music video for the single has aired nationally on Video Hits and Channel V.

[edit] Press

• "Spotlight In The Sun is the debut studio single by one of Australia’s best kept contemporary rock secrets, The Sunpilots. Australia's answer to Live meets Pearl Jam, the band are bringing back dynamic stadium rock."

The Music Network 07

• "The Sunpilots could sway stadium crowds if their stagecraft is any match for their strong musical sense of drama and dynamics. There's certainly enough passion in singer Raj Siva-Rajah's delivery, particularly in the psychodrama of Medicated Shell."

The Drummedia, 06

• "It’s easy to see why The Sunpilots are getting their songs added to various radio stations around the country. It undoubtedly helps that frontman Raj Siva-Rajah has a voice that’s distinct and immediately striking… The Sunpilots have strong songs and a frontman with presence: that can make all the difference in this world."

The Brag, 06

• "Radio stations across the nation have been buzzing with interest only generated in recent times by groups like JET and The Veronicas... and The Sunpilots have not had to head overseas to obtain it."

Poprepublic, 06

• "There is no question that The Sunpilots also have growing public support. From the members on their myspace site to the listeners contacting radio stations around the country to request their songs there is a growing buzz surrounding the band."

Soulshine, 06

• "Poetic, edgy and unique, the EP highlights the band's ability to not only tell a great story, but to play them out like instant classics. Particularly noteworthy is the track "Spotlight In The Sun", a shining example of the previously mentioned talents. Great sound, great story tellers and great cover art, what more can a person ask for? My suggestion, get on this bandwagon before it gets crowded."

Mediasearch, 06

[edit] Members

[edit] Current band members

The core members of the band are:

• Raj Siva-Rajah (2005–present) - vocals
• Bob Spencer (2005–present) - guitar
• Grant Gerathy (2008–present) - drums/percussion
• Rob Ewan (2007–present) - bass
• Steven Pells (2005-present) - guitar

[edit] Others

• Andrew Maitland - Co-writes some songs with Raj / backing vocals in recordings

[edit] Discography

[edit] Singles

Spotlight in the Sun (2007)

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official website