The guys behind the moniker Hail the Sun make up one of the most dynamic, versatile bands to have entered the music industry, and they are slowly but surely gaining the recognition they deserve. Their style is fascinating and nearly impossible to classify. Hail the Sun’s music spans across multiple genres, embodying countless stylistic features, making it unfair to pigeon-hole them into any one classification. The ever-changing time signature, tempo, and vocal style creates a chaotic, yet beautiful, listening experience that requires multiple play-throughs to identify and appreciate all the intricate details. Their latest and first full-length release, Wake, has been received with unanimous praise from fans and critics alike.
Last Wednesday, the four-piece act (with RJ Reynolds and Sergio Medina of Stolas filling in on bass and guitar) hit Philadelphia’s Voltage Lounge in support of I the Mighty. Seeing them live was something I had been looking forward to for a very long time. Everyone there seemed to share in my excitement, as the gaps in front of the stage quickly closed in when the house lights and music were cut off for their set. The crowd consisted of two groups of people. There were those already familiar with the band singing along and those who were completely blindsided by the epic powerhouse that is Hail the Sun. It was quite comical to watch a handful of people attempt to nod their heads to the beat, only to realize a few seconds later that the time signature had already changed.
There is a long list of reasons why this band stands out from others. At the top of that list is the fact that Donovan Melero plays insanely technical drum beats while simultaneously singing and screaming lead vocals. And it’s flawless. The emotion in his voice comes through even stronger on stage, making the dark themes in his lyrics all the more powerful. However, Melero does not overshadow his equally talented bandmates. Shane Gann and Sergio Medina (of Stolas, filling in for Aric Garcia) seamlessly blended their technical and melodic guitar riffs together. Even with half of the original band absent, no part of the set suffered.
Before the show, I had the chance to head backstage with Donovan to chat about music and life on the road.
How would you sum up your music in 2-3 words to someone who hasn’t heard it before?
Energetic, technical, and catchy.
Wake is filled with such intense emotions and themes such as drug addiction and death. Tell us about the album artwork and how it ties in with the lyrical themes present on the record.
Sure. The artwork was done by my brother, Adam. He’s one of my favorite artists. Probably my favorite artist. He’s done art for us all throughout the band’s career. So I thought it was really cool for him to be able to do our album art. He’s got a really unique, really dark type of style, but what I like about his art is it’s not cartoony. It’s just really different. So the whole sum of the album, all of the songs have to do with life and death, and the passing of relationships, the passing of people, or different mindsets. Everything is kind of passing, dying away, if you will. So the cover just kind of reflects that. There’s, you know, something laying down that would be at a wake. Except there’s play doctors above watching, kind of keeping him away from death. And his or her, whatever the thing is, eyes are open and they’re in a new realization is the way I see it. We came up with the concept, but he drew it out in the way he thought it fit the best.
The whole “math rock” genre is fascinating. Your music involves such unique time signatures and song structure. How does that come about in the writing process?
It’s super natural. We all grew up listening to really technical music. I think kids these days, including us, listen to…there’s so much more shit out there! And so I think the talent shines through a lot more nowadays. You see young kids playing such insane music, so we kind of grew up ourselves listening to this kind of technical stuff and so it just kind of naturally happens. We’ll have a part that feels good in 7 or feels good in 5. We don’t even think about it that way. It’s like this just feels right. It feels like it should be in 7 or feels like it should be in 5. And I don’t think we ever dumbed anything down or made it too complicated. It’s kind of just the way it comes out. We’ve had points where it’s like, is this too simple? Is this something that’s too straight forward? And then we’re like, fuck it. It sounds good the way it is. So let’s just leave it. Relax / Divide is one of those songs. It’s just so simple.
What is your favorite song to play live and why?
My favorite song to play is Relax / Divide. We incorporate touring drummers or guest drummers who come on and play with us during our set so I get a chance to come out to the front and be with my dudes all four of us right up there. I get to hang out with them there up on stage and also interact more closely with the crowd. And that’s just one that seems to have caught on really well. People love to sing along, and I feel like I really can, no matter what’s going on that day or what I have going on in my head, I can just let it all out during that part of the set with Relax / Divide.
What album\band are you currently listening to the most?
I am listening to…fuck, so many! So many and so little at the same time. I was on a big Weatherbox kick for awhile. I love Weatherbox. I the Mighty. Their new album is really, really good. And a lot of bands that I book also. Like Stolas and CityCop. Danny Brown. Love Danny Brown.
And what is the most surprising album in your collection? Something people wouldn’t expect you to be a fan of?
I am a big fan of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. I grew up listening to him. I would sing his songs in talent shows as a kid. So that’s probably surprising I guess. And Kanye West. Graduation is just fucking brilliant. Fuck the haters. He’s the best. I love his character.
What’s your favorite Frankie Valli song?
Sherry. Or Opus 17.
You’ve mentioned in previous interviews that touring is “addictive.” What is the absolute best thing about being on the road?
The best thing is, at this point, we’ve made so many friends across the country that going on the road just allows us to say hello to them and hang out. So I think that would be it. Seeing all of our friends. We just get to see so many different people. We’ve got places to stay all over the country, people to meet, people to say hello to in every town.
Connect with Hail The Sun:
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[…] my interview with Donovan Melero, he mentioned that he had been listening to a band called Stolas. Trusting his judgement, I checked […]