As a Southern California native, I frequented the beach while growing up, but I was no surfer. However, this never stopped me from being drawn to Sun Room’s music. The surf pop band performed at Eastside Bowl in Nashville on Sept. 15 and gave each listener a sense of the California surfer lifestyle. Throughout the show, the crowd, a mix of all ages was drawn in by Sun Room’s chill summer vibe.
Sun Room’s opener, Venus & The Fly Traps, took the stage at 8 p.m. CDT, and there was already a crowd waiting for them. The band is composed of best friends Ceci Tomé and Brenna Kassis.
Throughout the opener’s set, Tomé and Kassis expressed their gratitude for the audience’s interactive presence. Their set consisted of eight songs, however, it was broken up after their fifth song when guitarist Max Colbert broke one of his strings. Tomé was quick to entertain the crowd with an interactive game of guessing audience members’ names as Kassis helped Colbert find a substitute guitar.
As Venus & The Fly Trap concluded their set, the band’s first-ever bra was thrown to them on stage, a tradition that is thought to have started during Elvis Presley’s prime when women would throw their undergarments on stage as a way to show their inclination towards the singer. Tomé put the bra on over her shirt as she sang their final song. Venus & the Fly Trap exited the stage as the crowd cheered until the curtains closed.
The curtain opened again at 9 p.m. CDT and Sun Room took the stage in the minutes following. The crowd erupted with excitement as the band members quickly took their places. On stage were the three original band members — lead singer Luke Asgian, Ashton Minnich on electric guitar and Max Pinamonti on bass. Joining them for tour was Thomas Rhodes on drums after original member, Gibson Anderson, announced he was leaving the band on Aug. 1. The band performed seamlessly as the crowd sang along and jumped along with the music. Their set opened with “Rumble” and flowed into “Just Yesterday.”
Sun Room’s set consisted of many breaks to banter with the audience and Asgian sipping on a Modelo in between songs. The band played unreleased songs announcing that many of them would drop in a few weeks time. Asgian knew how to get the audience going as he played the guitar back to back with his bandmates crowding around their drummer.
Asigan then led the band into a new upbeat set of songs. Feeding off the energy of the audience, Asgian took the next break to introduce the members of the band revealing their new drummer has a feature in the 2007 Guinness World Record book for how fast he could tie his shoe.
The band went into one of their final songs, “Summers Here” by sharing what Pinamonti had been told about Nashville.
“No waves, but good chicken,” Pinamonti said.
Sun Room finished off their set with “Stuck In The Heat (Sunday Blues)” and “Something That You’re Missing.” They thanked the crowd and stated they are always happy to be back in Nashville. After exiting the stage the crowd began to chant “One more song!” This was a successful effort by the crowd as Sun Room reemerged to sing “Cadillac” for the now-sated crowd. After such an incredible performance, it is safe to say their opening night of tour was a promising start to the month ahead.
