Fun, Friendship, and Music: An Interview with Sun Cinema

The city of Philadelphia has been known for many things: art, culture, and history but also its pride and camaraderie for its citizens. Being known as the “city of brotherly love”, it makes us feel a sense of unity, and that is something which became evident to me when talking to the band Sun Cinema.

Based out of the Fishtown section of Philly, the foursome recently formed together last year. The group consists of vocalist/bassist John Corrado, Shane Monroe-guitar, Martin Fleming-guitar/keyboard, and drummer Jim Iovine. The guys seem to have a close bond with one another and I think that really comes across in their performance.

“We are all on the same page and we all believe in what we are doing. We know that when we get on stage together we are just having fun and we are just friends doing what we love. At the end of the day, all that is left is fun, friendship and music. Our live shows are really about getting that across to people that we are just trying to spread a lot of love.”

Sun Cinema incorporates a lot of different styles of music into one upbeat, energetic and appealing type of sound. I would probably best describe them as anything from a funky jam-band like Phish or Sublime to an alternative rock band such as Kings of Leon or My Morning Jacket. They strive to reach a connection through their fans by making music that people can dance to and enjoy themselves.

“The main importance is that we want to bring to people the sense of being at a rock show because it is a very personal, very human feeling that you can only get when there are four people just doing what they do live. We try to keep it funky because we like people to dance and we want people to feel something when they leave, especially happiness and sense of community-feeling like a human being”

Their inspiration comes from a few different styles and genres of music. They mentioned bands such as the Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath that have had an impact on their lives, and they strive to bring that out in a contemporary way. The band’s background ranges anywhere from metal & classic rock to funk/soul, Hip-Hop, even a bit of country. The band also gets much of their inspiration from going to different shows together and seeing different acts and styles of music.

The Sun Cinema has already produced a self-titled album and is planning to release another one soon. As well as trying to produce and record new music, they also hope to become a great live act so that they can share their music to live audiences. They hope to be able to bring their sound in person to a generation of those who enjoy live music and performing. Their goal is to focus of playing bigger and better shows with well-known bands and to make new songs for people to enjoy. The band has played various different venues in the Philadelphia area such as the Trocadero, Milkboy, North Star Bar, Kung-Fu Necktie and Piano’s in New York. They recently also booked a show at World Café Live which should be happening this upcoming December-January, where they will be playing on the Main stage.

“We have kind of come to the point now where we can write as a group. One person will bring a skeleton, an idea or a rift and that will ignite a spark and we all create together, which is almost very rare for a band. That’s how we like to write; we don’t jump down each other’s throats and we remain friends and work as a team throughout the process. We perform live best when there are people there. When there is an audience there, its sounds good and we play good. We have learned to perform best under pressure because there is a reason to perform well.”

In their spare time, they guys all enjoy hanging out, laughing and having a good time. They all have regular or part-time jobs that they work at when they aren’t playing together. John had mentioned that he works at a brewery which he enjoys. The guys are all appear to have a good rapport with one another and they all appreciate live music and a passion for playing together. They are very appreciative of all of their fans and they want everyone to keep listening. If you have never heard their album or seen them live, I would highly recommend going to see them perform. I promise you will not be disappointed.

Written By: Brian Hanshaw