Meet more exciting new artists at Sunset Sessions.
We first brought you the "Artists You Should Know," coming out of Sunset Sessions and there was even more new music and talent that came out of day two. From Augustana, to The Wind & Wave and Robert Delong, ETOnline caught up with more amazing artists to talk about the event and their exciting new music releases.
As native San Diegans, the Southern California based group Augustana was happy to return to Carlsbad as Sunset Sessions alumni and even more excited to release new music, their first studio album in 3 years. "Almost three years to the day, we were on this 3 year record cycle,
didn't plan it, just kind of panned out that way," front man Dan Layus
says of the new release.
Augustana, who became a band while in college, has a busy month ahead of them, kicking off tour dates starting April 18th in Nashville, and releasing their fourth full-length album Life Imitating Life on April 22nd.
Hoping to break into the business, the youngest artist at this year’s sessions, 13-year-old Dalton Cyr. The teen songwriter first picked up a guitar at the age of 7. "I thought ok this is pretty cool, I started jamming and working on that a little more, with the incorporation of singing I found that I really love doing this more than anything else I've done in my life," Dalton explains.
According to Cyrs official Twitter account he is currently in the studio recording his second album, with a release date still undetermined.
One of the more anticipated acts of the weekend was Seattle transplant Robert DeLong. The Indie rocker has created his own sound drawing influences from many different genres. "People would describe my sound as indie songwriter meets electronic dance music but it’s still song focus," he says of his cross genre aesthetic.
DeLong is kicking off his tour in New York, NY April 10th.
Texas based best friends Dwight Baker and Patricia Lynn make up the carefree duo The Wind and The Wave. With more of an organic approach towards the music business they said, "Part of the reason the record is impacting and doing well is because we wrote it for ourselves and wrote it with no business in mind."
The band met in 2009 and is currently wrapping up their spring tour dates with plans to release From The Wreckage later this year.
With comparisons like Carol King and Bonnie Raitt, new artist Arielle rocked out at Sunset Sessions. She recently released her new album Bruised Not Broken, she is also planning a mini East Coast tour this Summer.
New York City-based singer/songwriter Aurora Barnes also joined the lineup this year with her new EP Fair Game. Powerhouse producers Rob Lewis and Om’Mas Keith teamed up to create the debut EP, with inspirations from the performing arts, human rights, and philanthropy.
"I was trained to be a vocalist, it's important to not have anything over produced. But I do love performing with a big band and look forward to doing some small orchestra stuff too," Aurora explains.
High school dropout turned musician Porter Lori made his first appearance at this year's sessions, showcasing his rock roots. He describes his debut album as "a natural blend of country, soul, blues and rock."
"I'm originally from Kentucky so there's a lot of there in there," Lori adds.
North Carolina band Flagship is creating quite a buzz. They are currently headlining the Three of Clubs tour through April 24th, ending in San Diego. "We're very excited to push the single and see how people respond this is something that is very personal to us. So to see people hear it and respond positively and give new music a chance to be heard is very exciting," they say.
The Sunset Sessions are all about exposing new artists, and this year was no different. With the help and vision of CEO Michele Clark they have launched artists from Ryan Adams to Pete Yorn, Fun and Jason Mraz.
For even more music, get ready for the 4th annual Sunset Sessions ROCK happening June 5 – 7 in Carlsbad, CA.