Today we’d like to introduce you to Pinto Sunshine.
Hello Pinto Sunshine, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
We first started forming the concept of Pinto Sunshine when our guitarist Santiago Cabeza and bassist Chase Perales met in late 2019. We had a shared vision of what we wanted to accomplish musically but also brought very different influences and backgrounds to the table. In the search for finding our sound we brought on R&B singer Priscilla Wheeler to help with vocal writing as well as keys. After a year of going through different lineups, we were blessed to bring on guitarist Noah Pappo and drummer Colton Clements.
With our lineup set, we began putting a lot of work into our writing as well as booking shows and making connections in the local scene. Since every member of the band had a lot of experience with performing and working with other acts, it was fairly easy to make a name for ourselves around the area. We marketed very aggressively in the first year, with majority of our content being made in-house through our production company, “Unphased Media.” Having well-produced promotions and content helped to set us apart from the other bands getting started at the time. A heavy focus was initially placed on recording live sessions, as it showed off our live performance and gave us the credibility to start booking shows.
Once we started getting booked, we made sure our shows were as fun as possible for the audience, and our crowds kept getting bigger. We’ve been blessed to have the ability to build up a core group of very dedicated fans who have watched us grow through trial and error and support us through every decision. In the new year, we’re working on getting on festival lineups as well as expanding our audience out of state and internationally. We have plans to drop our first full album as well as a number of new singles that are being written. We couldn’t have asked for a better first year; we’re grateful for everyone who continues to support us on this journey!
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s been quite an eventful and enjoyable road but definitely not smooth. Actively being in a band is much harder work than just jamming music. There are always a lot of factors at play, and it’s important to stay organized to make progress. Our main struggle is navigating the jungle that is the music industry. There has been a lot of trial and error with figuring out the best decisions to make and where our time and money is best invested. Reaching an out-of-state audience has proven to be much more difficult than we expected. The costs of traveling as a 5-piece band are very high, and the pay-off for most shows is very low. Often for out-of-town events we are operating at a loss that we have to accept as an investment for gaining a larger audience. Sometimes it can be a little discouraging to see the scale required to come close to breaking even on a tour, but we keep moving forward because we’re doing what we love. The industry is like a Cactus where you will get pricked time and time again to get that sweet cactus fruit.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
First and foremost, we make music.
We have a unique sound that many people can identify with, regardless of background and age. Our shows are fun and engaging and give people a chance to let loose and dance/mosh the night away. We’d really like to see a resurgence of concert goers and the concept of a local scene growing beyond its city limits. We want to help foster an environment to bring the industry back to how it was in the prime of MTV-era music promotion and content creation. When artists could just be artists and create.
We treat Pinto Sunshine as an all-encompassing brand that works as a promotional avenue for our music as well as any other endeavors we take on in the future. We produce everything in-house and act as our own label. We have many business plans for where we will take this brand, but the biggest focus will always be the music and shows.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
346 pinto beans in a treasure chest and a bottle of Inca Cola because there is nothing like a lost treasure and a bubbly refreshment after a hike. Also, the beautiful people who come to our shows and sing our songs. That’s pretty nice too.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.unphased.live/music/pintosunshine
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pinto.sunshine/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PintoSunshine/
- Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/thebeankids
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFfU2ku9MvJlRZtRoWWrlSA
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/47RpQYaOPlttehUsHNpZs1?autoplay=true
Image Credits
@hannamiddphotos
@ajpgphoto
