Summary: Big City Sunrise Emerging as the jewel of the grass roots music scene and having shared bills with bands such as The Derek Trucks Band, MOFRO, Jeff Coffin, Moonshine Still, and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Big City Sunrise has garnered quite a following by creating a unique and energetic atmosphere at every show. Bluegrassjam.net said, Few young bands blow your central spinal nodes clean out the first time you see them, but these guys smacked it down with lightning. I was literally blow away, you could say my Tevas are still scorched into the concrete! In March of 2003 six people with very different backgrounds came together over fried catfish and Pabst Blue Ribbon to do a little pickin and grinnin. Though some were old friends and some new faces, it didnt take very long to realize that musically and personally they had found a bond; five hours, three catfish, two cases of beer, and forty-seven minutes later a band was born. Conceived under the idea that a sense of community and a pure, youthful enjoyment of music would create a fulfilling atmosphere for both audience and musician, Big City Sunrise still believes these are the key ingredient to great music. In July of 2004 Big City Sunrise released their first studio album entitled Daybreak. The freshman effort was the bands first opportunity to document the music that they had been creating over the course of the last year. We recorded the album at old gymnasium that was built in the late thirties in Sautee, GA, said Christopher Thacker. The gym now belongs to the local community center and once we were granted permission to use the space we brought in a mobile studio and took over for a week and a half. It was nice to be at home making a record and the atmosphere allowed the sessions to be more relaxed and helped to give the album a feel of home. The album has been best described as a veritable melting pot of sounds and styles, boasting some exquisite guitar work, and offering a variety of sophisticated music, by Mike Skidmore, author of On the Verge for Relix Magazine. Daybreak, he says, is highly recommended! Over the next year the band preformed relentlessly, honing their ever grown live show and their unique sound. This comfort zone of the stage spurred the recording of Big City Sunrises second album, Live at the Georgia Theatre. The record was recorded in March of 2005 before a tremendous crowd in Athens, Georgia at the famous Georgia Theatre. The feel of the record embraces what we have grown to become, said Sam Steele. We love playing music and I think that passion really shows on this record. The live record is slated to be released in February of 2006. Most recently Big City Sunrise was selected as one of four bands to be involved in the Searcharoo Contest created and sponsored by 92.9 Dave Fm of Atlanta. There were hundreds of submissions and the "Live at the Georgia Theatre" record was submitted and choosen by the staff of the station. Upon selection BCS was then voted into the top two finalist by more than six thousand participants. "What a great feeling," says Kevin Rainwater. "To have an overwhelming amount of support and encouragement from fans is a blessing; we can't say thank you enough." Unfortunately BCS wasn't selected for Bonnaroo, but their music and the power of their live performance was brought to a larger audience through several weeks of premium radio publicity and air play on one of the southeasts most notable stations. At the present BCS is in the studio in Athens, Georgia with John Keane, esteemed producer and engineer for legendary bands such as Widespread Panic, R.E.M, and Indigo Girls, working on their third record. We knew exactly who we wanted to produce and record our third album, say Jeff Bynum, John has an ear for musical detail that is unrivaled, and patience to bring out the best in the musicians he is working with. The record is slated for release in late 2006.
