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Screaming Sneaker To CIrcus Of Power / Session Player
To Solo Artist
Gary Sunshine has
played in an assortment of bands through the years. Circus of Power
is probably the one most widely remembered. They did records for RCA
and Columbia Records, toured most of the world, had a bit of good luck
and made a few mistakes here and there. They had a really good time
while doing it and a decent run as we look back on it all . They were
based out of NYC in the beginning, eventually moving to Los Angeles.
The band was, in its heart, always a band from New York, but at the
same time they did have strong ties to Florida as well. When Gary first
met Alex and Ricky back in Miami they all played in local bands.
They
met up again in New York around 1988 and Gary ended up joining the
recently formed Circus Of Power. Soon after, things kind of
exploded in a way. A bit of MTV, tours & tour
buses, and a few of the usual perks. They played with everyone from The
Ramones, Iggy Pop, Jane’s Addiction, Black Sabbath & Alice
in Chains to Johnny Thunders and The Dead Boys. A great time was had
for the most part.After three records the band
eventually broke up and Gary then joined a friend, Brijiite West, and her
band NY Loose. "Loads of fun & a great band. I moved back to NYC
again, took a place at the Chelsea Hotel, moved to London for a half a
year, and ended up in Los Angeles once again. All roads seem to lead to
Los Angeles; not sure if that’s good or bad, just happens."
says Gary.
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They did a few well received indie records (Non-Fiction, Flipside).
They soon found themselves being courted by a few interesting major
labels including Madonna’s
Maverick Records. After doing a show, “for
her” mostly, at Jesse Malin’s Coney Island High club in New York.
they ended up signed with Hollywood Records.
Gary left NY Loose as they began were putting the finishing
touches on that record and joined up with The Silos. They did a record together
called “Heater”,
played much of the US and Spain and Germany and then Gary once again moved
along. Currently he still does some recording with The Silos here and there
as time permits and goes on to say that they are one great band!
Way before all of this, many long time Florida folks may remember
Gary was a part of local favorites 'Screamin Sneakers'. They got to to play
CBGB’s
for the first of many times, met Siouxsie Sioux, Kiss, James Brown, got friendly
with Lenny Kaye from Patti Smith’s band, opened
for a variety of cool bands that Gary admits he can't even remebe at the
moment. They released a pretty good EP called Marching Orders featuring the
inimitable Lisa Nash, Bud Gangemi and Mark Evans. Mark was an amazing drummer
who has since departed and will always be deeply missed. They played
a lot of shows during a very vibrant time in South Florida and New York
beginning around ’79
or ‘80.
Gary then began a period of doing some session work and teaching for a
bit after he stopped touring. He spent some time working with Axl Rose and
recorded with Guns ‘N
Roses and a few other artists including the talented singer, Jes.
The Nerve of Some People
Feeling a bit of burn out with the whole industry, Gary walked away from the
music business and the whole idea of being a musician about 5 or 6 years ago.
Simply put, "I was tired of games tired of the stress, the process, the
whole thing I guess. I am not an outgoing person, I don’t feel comfortable
either talking about myself (here I go talking about myself) or performing
usually. I played my first shows ever as a “singer-songwriter” a
few years back at “The Mint” in Los Angeles. Wrote a handful of
songs, felt great, got some friends to play with me, all was well. Second time
I played, similar thing, but something inside me saw it differently and I got
insecure about the whole idea and walked. As 2012 came along and I realized
just how fast things were moving. Earlier this year my friend, Walter-Salas-Humara,
asked me to do some guitar work for a new record he was preparing for his band,The
Silos. I recorded via the internet and entered the modern world somehow. It
came out great and it got my hands on a guitar and thinking in musical terms
once again.
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Well technology certainly
has changed the way many things are done in 2012, and now….he
got turned on to this great cutting edge new music collaboration site,
Soundcloud, early in 2012 (http://soundcloud.com/garysunshine).
Soundcloud is a very “international” forum and music site
featuring artists from every part of the globe. It’s a place to
collaborate, communicate, show support, post and house your music, listen
to music, and more. This year Gary has recorded several collaborations
with The Sandman’s
Orchestra (France), Steph Casey (New Zealand), Sink\Sink (New Zealand)
and a couple of songs with Bergman (London).
The possibilities are endless and rewarding. These collaborations
are all done via the internet and Gary has plans for several more in
the coming months. It is a super cool way to record music so easily,
and with anyone, and from anywhere in real time. In addition to those
collaborations, Gary has written and posted almost 70 songs as of today
and would suggest all musicians at least take a look at some of the great
options there. You may be surprised to see the world is a much smaller
place than you may think, and allow you to meet collaborators and fans
you never would have expected.
Gary is overwhelmed by these new songs he wrote getting a pretty nice reception
by the Soundcloud “community”. Once before, he had given up
on the idea of releasing his own record, but now, he had almost 70 songs!
He did not want to let these go to waste. Not this time around So…Gary
has just released his first ever solo debut LP, “The Nerve of Some
People”. It’s available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/garysunshine and
iTunes with CD’s on the way. It’s been described as equal parts
Country, Punk, Blues & Pop, 15 tunes about losers, lovers, thrill seekers & troublemakers. |
Be on the lookout for a few more in the works, one being an
all blues record, another one featuring collaborations and covers. Gary also
has another batch of new songs he ’d like to get out there. He may even
play a few shows, dust off his guitars, the cobwebs and try to remember a few
of the changes.
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