I got a chance to know The Sunny Era last week through a 5-Question interview. Their answers were as thoughtful as the music. They told me that the new album (The Sky King) is about the love we’ve all left behind. Not in a deeply sad way, but a reflective way. And yet, I was not prepared for how emotional it felt to see them live.
The violin, the pedal steel, the voices poignantly singing about feelings and love but in a very Minnesotan way. It’s not heart-on-your-sleeve emotion, it’s not wailing or dramatically whispering it’s the nuance of knowing from across the room if your child is happy or you’re in trouble with your partner while no one else around knows your communicating. It’s a glare you remember from a parent that says, you’re in trouble. The look from a friend that says thank god you’re here. While the lyrics are lovely and evocative, live the voices and instruments that pull at those heartstrings.
The haunting violin solo in The Lifetime left me breathless and then the exotic guitar solo that followed immediately left me gasping. It’s feels like an orchestra you can hold. The vocals in The Feelings have a staccato beat that pairs with the keyboard and slides in with the pedal steel; it adds an interesting cohesion between the voices and the instruments. I Love You is sweet and honest. In a weird way, their removed or reflective look at love they’ve left behind is contagious. The show is emotional but cathartic.
I knew that The Sunny Era had a long history, what I didn’t know until after the show was that this was the first time on stage together in a decade. I’m glad they’re back.
Mostly Minnesota 