Local to UConn Storrs, up-and-coming band SolGyres fuses various influences to present a sound distinguishable to themselves. The band references multiple muses in instrumental and harmony development, taking inspiration from genres like roots reggae, ska, rocksteady, dub, Latin, and jazz, and artists like Bob Marley, Tribal Seeds, and Midnite in production. Additional inspiration, such as the punk genre, can be observed in the ethos of their lyricism and live performance. Due to their array of influences in all phases of the creative process, SolGyres has created a musical style unfindable elsewhere, setting them apart from proclaimed reggae and punk-rock bands.
Introduction
Sibling duo Skyelyn and Scott Bernier grew up creating and playing music, both individually and together. Rising in skill as they ended their high school careers, they were allotted the time to record and actualize their passion projects by the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. Without a studio or producer, the two taught themselves Logic Pro to present five demos in their first EP, Sol Gyres, by December 2020. Two years later, there are fourteen demos written and produced by the duo available on streaming platforms, soon to be revamped at a professional studio.
As SolGyres grew, Skyelyn and Scott met various musicians that naturally fit into the band. The first artist added was Zach Neuneker, who was referenced to Scott due to his interest in the reggae genre and artists whose influences were apparent in the band’s sound. Lucia Magnuson was next added, after meeting Scott through a mutual artist. With the intent to revive the classic element of female harmony in roots reggae, Scott invited Lucia to harmonize with Skyelyn after hearing her extraordinary vocals. Next added was Jake Russell, who was already part of a band, Beach Blanket, before joining SolGyres. Jake was also referenced to the band due to similar musical interests and musical styles. Likewise, Logan Tichnor was added after Skyelyn and Scott heard him playing and doing sound for a live performance and noticed his musical style resembled theirs. All present-day members of SolGyres agree that the sound not only shifts but improves drastically every time a new artist is integrated, making it noticeable when any of the current six members are missing.
With multiple members attending or having attended college, some at UConn, they built skills needed for the band to push out multiple projects without professional help. Currently in school for art, Skyelyn has been able to take the lead on the cover artwork for many of SolGyres’ pieces. Having gone to school for sound engineering, Logan has been able to take the lead on various aspects of the setup and recording processes. The band has accomplished much independently, and will only grow even more with professional resources.
Live Music
Less than two years after starting the band, SolGyres had their first live performance at WHUS Radio’s Battle of the Bands in February 2022. Expanding their fanbase through friends and classmates met at UConn, small performances at house parties grew into full shows at multiple locations. By combining forces with other local bands like Gunk Crab, Beach Blanket, and Melo Victoria, SolGyres has been able to diversify their audience and concert style as of Fall 2022. With bigger venues’ 21+ policies deflecting several UConn students, many shows are held near UConn without charge, with flyers posted on their social media.
Though the music production is more of a creative process, live performance is a unique experience of SolGyres’ sound, making their localness an advantage for UConn students during the school year (and my fellow eastern Massachusetts residents during the summer for Cape Cod shows). The @SolGyres Instagram posts at least one full song from each set, and is tagged in film footage covered by audience members, publicizing their live sound alongside their demos. Due to the switching around of every setlist with different originals and covers, members swapping roles including lead vocals, and the overall energy of their performances, the band’s sound reaches its fullest potential when played live. Because of this, their first studio album is being created to mimic their recent performances.
Studio Album: SolGyres
SolGyres’ first studio album, SolGyres, is expected around Spring 2023, with pieces leading up to the release coming soon. With Skyelyn and Scott’s Logic Pro experience and Logan’s background in sound engineering, the band plans to use their first studio time to its fullest capacity. Moreover, listeners can find influences of new members in this album, as the entire group is collaborating in every stage of the creative process. So far, all available songs were written and produced by Skyelyn and Scott, so this will be the first time listeners can find lyrics, instrumentals, and harmonies produced by Zach, Lucia, Jake, and Logan. Different members with different interests have been writing tunes and presenting them to the others for input, blending multiple visions into one by nature of the band’s origins. Hopefully, they’ll further be able to incorporate separate artists like G. Love, Souls of Zion, and Alec Pederson in future work after the album.
The official release date of the studio album is currently undetermined, but listeners can expect many projects from a backlog of ideas in the coming months, from more demos and shows to album singles. Listeners can look out for information about shows on Instagram, and releases on Spotify, Apple Music, Soundcloud, and Amazon.