From its new album debuting at No. 11 on the Billboard Country Album chart to playing for a standing ovation crowd at the Grand Ole Opry, Sundy Best is on its way to being Kentucky’s new example of a timeless band. It will make its Tuscaloosa debut Thursday at Gallettes.
Sundy Best guitarist Nick Jamerson and drummer Kris Bentley grew up playing in church together. Bentley’s father was the praise and worship director at their church and Jamerson’s mother was the children’s choir director. They played sports throughout high school and college but kept driving toward their passion for performing and writing music.
Bentley started playing drums at 8 years old, but when playing with his band, there is no kit to be found. He plays the cajón – a six-sided box-like drum with a small hole in the side. The sound is prominent on the band’s newest album, “Bring Up The Sun,” which debuted at No. 11 on the Billboard’s Country Album Chart.
“On our two records and during the live show, I don’t play the actual drums – there are no cymbals,” Bentley said. “We are going to sound different than what other people are used to, and we think you will be able to tell that through the live performance.”
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Lyrically, they are plain honest. Because they write their own material, the band members said they do not strive to please people. It is all therapeutic and not about what others think, Bentley said.
The band’s first album, “Door Without a Screen,” was very residential, Jamerson said.
“That album was very Kentucky-centric,” he said. “This new record is more about self awareness and figuring ourselves out. It has a deeper subject matter, and there is a lot of really heavy songs that you didn’t find on the first album.”
The new album, “Bring Up The Sun,” has gained Sundy Best airplay for the single “Til I Met You” on the Sirius/XM radio station “The Highway” and on CMT.
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One of the proudest moments for the band was being invited to play The Grand Ole Opry not once, but three times. Friday will make the fourth appearance.
“The first time we played [The Opry] was really special,” Bentley said. “The opportunity for us to play there so early in our musical careers is pretty unusual. We got a standing ovation after our last song, and the people that work there said that’s very rare.”
The band is always changing and growing. With that comes a need to stay relevant, and that said they is what Jamerson and Bentley focus on when writing, recording and touring.
“I don’t think it’s pompous to say that our music is timeless,” Bentley said. “We hope it will be as relevant 20 to 30 years from now and that it will stand the test of time.”
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