Years Around the Sun

You guys put out “Introstay” in January, how has the response been so far?
Dylan: The response has been surprising to say the least. We've had really good turnout at our shows and people have been going out of their way to help us. You know your doing something right when people want to help you and don't expect anything in return.

Years Around the Sun
How would you describe the album, and what type of people will enjoy it?
Dylan: They say it's impossible to describe music with words so my attempt will be a gross generalization. I only say that because my use of the English language is pretty gross. "Introstay" has a melancholy vibe with upbeat rhythms and a more technical writing approach. We don't have the typical rock/punk instrumentation or phrases so it genuinely comes off with an uncommon sound combination. It has a very melodic and mellow demeanor I guess. I don't like comparing ourselves to anyone else but for the sake of the question if you like Three Mile Pilot, Pinback, The Shins, or Yo La Tengo… you might enjoy our sound.

Was Mia not an official member when you recorded the album? Is she now? Has her addition to the band resulted in different or changed sound in new material you’re working on?
Dylan: When we began writing music we were pretty adamant about staying a three piece for the sake of ease, but when it came time to play live we realized we needed a fuller sound. I played with Mia in the past and asked if she would be interested in writing some piano parts for “Introstay.” She was still in transition about being an official member at the time the album was pressed; that’s why her name isn’t on the album; but she is officially in the band now.
Ronnie: Our sound has definitely filled out with Mia’s presence in the band. She has given our music more of an ability to breathe. Her presence allows all the instrumentation to meld together in a way we couldn’t achieve as a three piece.

I saw you guys will be playing a few shows with Angels and Airwaves this month, congratulations! How’d you manage to get on that bill?
Chris: When the first Years Around the Sun three song EP was finished, it fell into the hands of Rick Devoe (Angels’ manager) and Tom Delonge. It was a friendship thing at that time, but they both reacted very well to the sound and encouraged us to record more. When we finished “Introstay,” Rick wanted to help manage us and Tom demanded a few opening spots on some of the first ever Angels And Airwaves shows.

The online bio for Years Around the Sun states the band was formed “as an outlet to the members' more prominent projects.” Is the band still a side project, or has it become the primary musical focus for its members?
Dylan: I think we all knew that Years Around The Sun was going to become our primary focus when we finished our 3 song EP. It received immediate attention and we realized we were all about to have a change of plans. We found we had a group of good musicians who lived and breathed music and were all friends. Our other projects always seemed to be missing one these qualities, which in the long run will destroy a band.
Ronnie: The music we created for “Introstay” was such an inspiration to all of us because we all felt like we were finally achieving a sound that had eluded us for so long. It seemed to be the consensus of every one very quickly, that this project should be at the forefront of all others.
Years Around the Sun

What’s your take on the current San Diego music community? From a band’s perspective, are there aspects that need to be improved? Is anything working exceptionally well?
Chris: It’s not as together as it should be. I think all the bands in SD could work better to help each other gain fans in different areas and form more of a community like there was in the mid 90s.
Dylan: There needs to be more all age venues, especially in North County. Right now we rent out places with money out of our own pockets and hope we break even. No one’s making it easy for those under 21 to see shows.

I read that Chris is the editor for TransWorld Surf, so this one's for him. Punk music has typically been identified with extreme sports (i.e. skate-punk or surf-punk) in the past, but since the end of the 1990’s, it seems as if less and less bands
are identifying themselves as part of this genre. Have you noticed this? Do you have any hypotheses on why this may be true?
Chris: In the past, it seemed like a lot of bands in this genre we thought of as a “skater” band or a “surfer” band. Black Flag and the Descendents were two bands that come to mind that people would think of surf/skate punk bands, mainly because the guys in these bands surfed and skated. They were followed by bands like Pennywise, Blink 182, and NOFX which all happened to be from California and were basically born into the surf video scene and were helped a lot by people like Taylor Steel who used them in his films and on his tours. It’s great right now (2006) because surf /skate/snow videos are broadening their horizons as far as soundtracks go. You’re more likely to hear an Interpol or Wolf Parade song in a modern film than a song by My Chemical Romance or some band like that. Your band doesn’t have to care about a sport to have the people in the sport like them, more people are just figuring out that there’s a lot of great music out there.

What’s the future hold for Years Around the Sun?
Dylan: Well we’ve begun working on our full-length album, which is already proving to be an ardent leap from “Introstay.” As we keep refining our sound and our song writing we’ll be making plans to tour the country later this year.
Ronnie: We are also shooting to become SanDiegoPunk.com’s Band of the year. Even though it doesn’t exist, we feel we are a pretty good candidate.

Official Website: http://www.yearsaroundthesun.com
mp3s: http://www.myspace.com/yearsaroundthesun

Years Around the Sun interview conducted via e-mail, April 2005 by Joel Scheingross.

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