Ugly Sun

Ugly Sun’s music is a celebration of sonic tradition and cosmic inheritance. Brothers John and Harrison Crook make up the Buffalo, NY duo who effortlessly blend early 70’s rock and roll riffs with a kaleidoscope of modern songwriting sensibility. Harrison, the bands drummer and younger of the two brothers, studied songwriting at the Berklee School of Music in Boston, MA. Though he is too modest to admit it himself, he is the main creative force behind the band. Normally pensive and concise when choosing his words, he comes alive when asked about the songwriting process. His passion gushes from him as he explains his quest for the “perfect bridge” or the nuts and bolts of placing a “bizarre” melody over a basic chord structure. His knowledge and precision paint him less of a mad scientist and more an emotional engineer.

Bass player, lead vocalist, and elder brother John resides on the opposite end of the spectrum. He is the yang to Harrison’s yin in personality as well as the creative process. Wildly eager to speak no matter the topic he erratically spews his opinions on everything from yoga to cannabis legalization to PGA tour golf. He is starry-eyed and often abrasive, pointing a bold arrow at how he became the band’s lyricist and poet laureate. Lately his penchant is for the cosmic. After a ten-minute one man show on tarot cards and how they’ve taught him to “honor his vulnerability” he points to Ugly Sun’s latest work. “Making this record was the first time we really looked at ourselves in the mirror and challenged ourselves to be completely vulnerable” he confessed, “it scared the shit out of us”. The self-titled EP he cites is slated to be released in the summer of 2019. The brief yet poignant record paints a portrait of where rock and roll has been while illuminating the route for its future, as does Ugly Sun.