The Sunpilots

Infobox musical artist
Name = The Sunpilots

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Img_capt = Left to right: Grant Gerathy, Bob Spencer, Raj Siva-Rajah, Rob Ewan
Background = group_or_band
Origin = Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Genre = Alternative rock
Years_active = 2006–present
Label = Honeytrap Records (independent)
URL = [http://www.thesunpilots.com/ thesunpilots.com]
Current_members = Raj Siva-Rajah (vocals)
Bob Spencer (guitar)
Grant Gerathy (Drums)
Rob Ewan (bass)

The Sunpilots are an Australian alternative rock band from Sydney.

History

Early days

Born in Brisbane, Australia to a classical Sri Lankan singer, Raj Siva-Rajah began his music training at the age of 8. [cite news| last =| first =| coauthors =| title =Spotlight in the Sun| page =| publisher =abc.net.au| date =2007-09-08| url =http://www.abc.net.au/oztrax/stories/s1987849.htm| accessdate =2008-06-04 ] 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 approximately 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 2006 and the befriending of musician Bob Spencer (guitar) saw the project evolve into something more; and The Sunpilots were born. Bass player Robert Ewan joined the band in early 2007, just prior to the band's first national Australian tour. The newest member Grant Gerathy joined the band in early 2008.

The Sunpilots released their first EP in June 2006. Despite being originally recorded during as 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 national Nova Unsigned Feature artist, resulting in more national airplay.

Within a few months, The Sunpilots had built one of the largest Myspace fanbases in the country. At the end of 2006, The Sunpilots were awarded Best International Artist at the [http://www.torontoima.com/ Toronto Independent Music Awards] . They were also nominated for 2 awards at the 2006 [http://www.lamusicawards.com/ LA Music Awards] , including Artist of the Year (Acoustic) and Single of the Year (Indie).

Current activity

In January 2007, The Sunpilots began working on their debut album "Living Receiver" with Australian producer Phil McKellar (Silverchair, Grinspoon, Kisschasy). Being on a limited independent budget, the band decided to initially record only 3 singles from album, thereby buying them time to record the rest of "Living Receiver" over the course of the year while still having tracks to release and tour on.

On May 15 2007, the first single from the album ("Spotlight in the Sun") was released. Co-produced by The Sunpilots and Phil 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. [cite news| last =| first =| title =The Guide: DVD, video clip, single | page =430| publisher ="Townsville Bulletin"| date =2008-02-14| ]

Apple Australia made "Spotlight in the Sun" an iTunes Australia Single of the Week shortly after its release and the track was downloaded 6000 times over the 6 days it was featured on the iTunes music store. The music video for the single aired nationally on Video Hits, Channel V and MTV.

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." [http://www.themusicnetwork.com.au/ The Music Network]

*"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." [http://www.drummedia.com.au/ The Drummedia] ,

*"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." [http://www.thebrag.com/ The Brag] ,

*"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." [http://www.poprepublic.tv/ Poprepublic] ,

*"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." [http://www.soulshine.com.au/ Soulshine] ,

*"Poetic, edgy and unique, it 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." [http://www.mediasearch.com.au/ Mediasearch] ,

Members

Current band members

The core members of the band are:

* Raj Siva-Rajah (2006–present) - vocals
* Bob Spencer (2006–present) - guitar
* Grant Gerathy (2008–present) - drums/percussion
* Rob Ewan (2007–present) - bass

Others

* Andrew Maitland - Co-writes some songs with Raj / backing vocals in recordings
* Steven Pells - Co-writes some songs with Raj / second guitar in recordings

Discography

Albums

ingles

References

External links

* [http://www.thesunpilots.com/ Official website]
* [http://www.myspace.com/thesunpilots Myspace page]
* [http://www.youtube.com/thesunpilots Youtube page]
* [http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Sunpilots/10171583108 Facebook page]