Despite polarized histories (Matt Papich played in various noise and grindcore bands in Lancaster PA, while Dustin Wong became heavily involved in 8-bit music and the construction of spiritual kites in Tokyo), the sounds and melodies that the duo of ECSTATIC SUNSHINE create congeal to become a single (magical) force.
In 2004, after meeting in the conceptual artwork’s department at art school in Baltimore, Papich and Wong began to focus on composing deceptively intricate guitar battles for a NEW KIND OF IMAGINATION. Their thesis being – in part – that there are things to be done with sound besides just experience feelings all the time.
Witnesses to their frenetic live shows will attest that no recording has truly documented the intensity or peculiarity of this band. It is often said that seeing Ecstatic Sunshine perform is more like listening to a series of stories being told, than watching a band play a set of “songs”. Yet, such dreaminess is by no means entirely descriptive of their performance, which owes as much to BLACK FLAG as JOHN FAHEY.
Some might think of ECSTATIC SUNSHINE’s unique force as a kind of elementary arithmetic: cerebral and of course challenging, but also full of whimsy, exuberance, and curiosity.
Their sound has certainly been influenced by their surroundings – from Baltimore’s warehouse party scene and its youthful, sometimes naïve positivity, to Dustin’s time spent in Oakland, CA rummaging through infinite stacks of records, and Matt’s passion for deep sea fishing in the Atlantic are all somewhere in the cosmic mix….
Ecstatic Sunshine is a touring machine – their upcoming jaunt will find them opening for Tim Kinsella’s new band, Make Believe.
MP3: http://www.carparkrecords.com/esPOCKETKNIFE.mp3
ECSTATIC SUNSHINE
Sept 30th – Baltimore, MD The Depot
Oct 7th – Montreal, QC Carpark showcase at Pop Montreal @ O Patro Vys – 356 Mont-Royal Est
Oct 25th – Wichita, KS Electric Snake*
Oct 26th – Denver, CO Hi-Dive*
Oct 27th – Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge*
Oct 28th – Boise, ID Neurolux*
Oct 29th – Seattle, WA The Comet Tavern*
Oct 30th – Portland, OR Holocene*
Nov 1st – San Francisco, CA Hotel Utah*
Nov 3rd – Los Angeles, CA Spaceland*
Nov 4th – La Jolla, CA Che Cafe*
Nov 5th – Phoenix, AZ Modified*
Nov 7th – Austin, TX Emo’s*
Nov 8th – Houston, TX Walters*
Nov 10th – Atlanta, GA Drunken Unicorn*
Nov 11th – Charlotte, NC The Milestone*
Nov 12th – Baltimore, MD Floristree Space*
Nov 14th – Philadelphia, PA North Star Bar*
Nov 15th – Cambridge, MA The Middle East*
Nov 16th – Brooklyn, NY North Six*
* = w/ Make/Believe