It Tastes Like Bread: An Interview with Sunflower Bean

On 29 May, 2014 By One Eyed Jack With 2 Comments

The teenage rock outfit Sunflower Bean is bringing rock ‘n roll back to New York, and they’re doing it on their own terms. A compelling mix of DIY psychedelia, dark metal, and hints of 80s new wave, their music sounds both familiar and like nothing else that’s being made right now. Their intensely invigorating live shows feature insane guitar solos and arena-filling pedal effects from Nick Kivlen, beautiful but rugged vocals from Julia Cumming, and jazz-tinged hard rock drums from Jacob Faber.

The Bean has only been around for a tender seven months, but they’ve already had a heckuva journey. Earning regular slots at staple venues throughout Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan, the trio has garnered the reputation of Brooklyn’s next up-and-coming darlings. To get further insight into their mythology, philosophies on what, if anything, it means to be a “New York band,” and what the food version of water is (is it bread?), I sat down with Nick, Julia, Jacob, and (Aunt) Crista at Union Pool in Brooklyn. Check out their first full-length interview here, and enjoy some haunting clips from their electric live sets at The Studio at Webster Hall and Union Pool.

Interview by Adam Ouriel. Filmed & edited by Jessica Straw.