Words and photos by Lillian Wright Smith

A quick read through of Sundiver’s bio on Facebook might lead the curious to wonder what “celestial soundscapes, (and) science fiction story telling,” sound like. Turns out it’s driving, spacey shoegaze with a basis in garage rock and grunge that gives hope for the state of rock in today’s reverb soaked, laser sounds music scene.

With a hard edged voice (think Gavin Rossdale), John Agee fronts the four-piece, playing spacey riffs and leading the group through their repeating musical themes and grooves. Bassist Bobby Bayer’s sweet harmonies are the perfect compliment to Agee’s rough vocals and Joseph Wells’s guitar work provides the glue that holds everything together. And not to be overlooked, drummer Nick Organ not only provides the basis for these stellar jams, he takes his job seriously, even injuring himself on the first song and pushing through the whole set with a bloody hand. With only two performances for the night, Sundiver had the chance to play a nice long set, and just consistently killed it.

These guys just recorded this spring and you can find their EP on their Bandcamp site. But do yourself a favor and check them out live soon.

After Sundiver, Victor Polanco’s Going To Hell In A Leather Jacket simultaneously melted faces and made everyone want to dance. It was a nice night for rock, all around.

Words and photos by Lillian Wright Smith