I’ve interviewed a few bands in the Nu-Grunge wave so far, and they are deep in the sludge of this dark and gritty sonic signature. These bands are embracing the emotion-laden voice of ’90s rock while also infusing new energy and their own sound and style, coming straight from the atmosphere of today.
Dark Sun is a hard rock band out of Chicago that has been folded into the Nu-Grunge genre since 2017. They released their first self-titled demo compilation in 2021, and their EP "Spine" in 2022. Over the years, they released a string of singles, including some very cool “Gothic Country” versions with Folk Americana band Pawns or Kings. Their latest single, “Giving In” is available now.
I love the genre-bending creative freedom in rock music. I remember loving the bluesy, soulful elements in some of the tracks the Temple of the Dog record and on albums like SAP by Alice in Chains. I got to sit down with the lead singer and guitarist of Dark Sun to hear about how his band has been keeping the grunge rock sound alive (even before the revival) as the “old guys”, the challenges of being a musician in the world of social media, and how Dark Sun is helping carve a way forward.
Tristan Sheedlo: “We did a couple versions of our songs with a band called Pawns or Kings, and they're like a folk Americana band so we kind of strip the songs down with them. And we're gonna release another couple of singles in the winter.”
MSM: “That’s really cool! It can be tricky to start to experiment and change your sound after you have a bigger fanbase. It seems like artists get a lot of push-back for that. But if you do it early on…”
Sheedlo: “They can’t call us sellouts! It’s sellout insurance.” (laughs)
Interviewing Tristan felt like I was talking to a friend right away. It probably helped that we both had some technical difficulties trying to get online, so we came into the interview from a shared experience. But it was also because of his funny, laidback attitude and what seemed to be a genuine openness. He is an easy person to talk to and laugh with.
“Where did you hear about us?” Tristan started us off.
I shared with him that I found Dark Sun on social media and was interested in exploring the 90’s rock revival in the Midwest. We talked about some of the other rock bands coming out if the region and the role of social media in music exposure. He told me that the band posts content all the time, and it’s hard to know how much reach they get.
Sheedlo: "When we first started, it was like, you gotta have 20,000 monthly listeners and 10,000 Instagram followers. And then it was 20,000 followers on Instagram, 50,000 monthly listeners. Every time we hit a goal, the goalpost moves."
Then when it was Luke's 21st birthday show for like the fourth year in a row... it just became the running joke.
MSM: “How did Dark Sun get together”
Sheedlo: "We started in 2017, me and my brother started the band. We've gone through a couple different lineup changes with bass players and rhythm guitar players, but it's always been my brother and I. My brother's the drummer. Having a consistent drummer, that's like 90 percent of the battle."
MSM: “How did you first get into playing music?”
“I started playing guitar when I was probably 10 or 12 years old. We grew up playing in church, so we were used to playing live. We've always kind of had that 90s sound. That's what we grew up listening to was 90s rock and then also 90s country.”
MSM: “And then from church to rock and roll, did that happen?”
Sheedlo: ”It was just when we were old enough to play in bars. I think when we started, Luke was 16, so he was lying about his age. I think they just looked the other way. Then when it was Luke's 21st birthday show for like the fourth year in a row... it just became the running joke." (Laughs)
This explains the brothers’ tight musical relationship. They started playing together young and found the hard, dark style of bands like Alice in Chains and identified with the sound, the emotion, and the message. There were a couple of decades after the hard rock scene fell out of favor with the majority of listeners that other genres took over. I am always impressed when I hear artists talk about pushing through adversity with their music and going through periods when they weren’t appreciated, staying committed to the style they believe in, and continuing to refine and improve.
Sheedlo: "We've always kind of had that 90s sound. That's what we grew up listening to: 90s rock and then also 90s country. We were made fun of for sounding kind of grungy, because that was, like, prime metalcore days. I'm almost 30... so we're like the old ones now. Honestly, it's hard to do that in a world where it's not accepted, you know, at the time.”
We talked about writing and recording the music. Then releasing music on social media, making music videos, and releasing content, then trying to get it out there to the people who are now coming back to hard rock. Tristan told me how hard it is to gauge how the responses online translate to people coming to see a live show.
MSM: “Are there any songs that were particularly tough to write?”
Sheedlo: “They were all pretty difficult to write. I spent a lot of time, you know, trying to make it good. I am not one of those guys who can write a song in five minutes.”
Dark Sun plays locally in Chicago and surrounding areas, and sometimes turnout isn’t great, even if the music is getting attention on social media. I asked him about trying to tour in other areas and finding bands to tour with.
MSM: Are there any bands you really want to tour with?
“We’ll play with anyone!” he laughed. "We'll just keep going, keep pushing it. We'll book our own shows if we have to and headline it ourselves. To be able to do that. That seems to be like the final frontier.”
MSM: Is there anything else that you want people to know about your band?
Sheedlo: “Check us out, join our mailing list, and tell your friends. That’s really it.” (Laughs)
“Thanks for talking to me.”
MSM: “Absolutely! Hopefully we can do it again.”
Dark Sun is forging a path, balancing genre revival, and maintaining their authenticity. I was definitely impressed by passion and fire behind this band and I'm excited to follow them and see what comes next!
Note: This interview was edited for length and clarity.
