The Martlet

What do Elvis Presley, a palm tree, Mario, the bearded lady and a couple of pirates all have in common? They came to see Sunday Buckets rock out at Evolution Night Club on Oct. 29.

It was two nights before Halloween and Evolution Nightclub was teeming with ghouls of all shapes and sizes.

There was an undeniable energy in the room as the Sunday Buckets took the stage, each member clad in matching red toques and light blue t-shirts to represent The Life Aquatic’s “Team Zissou.”

“This whole show goes to the illustrious jaguar shark,” screamed a deadpan Kale Penny, before falling into a lively rendition of “Unsteady.”

The entire crowd danced in approval.

Only four years ago, the Sunday Buckets (lead singer Penny, plus guitarists Eric Frazer and Jarrett Penny, bassist Chris Taylor, keyboardist Nick McRae and drummer Spencer Moyes) were just learning how to play their instruments.

Today, the band members find themselves with a single on the radio, a strong debut album (In Case You Hear This) and sold-out shows across the board. This year, they were named the Zone’s Band of the Month. Is this something the band could have foreseen?

“If someone told me that I’d have a song on the radio in four years, I’d have told them to go fuck themselves,” said Jarrett before the show. The rest of the band laughed, but nodded in agreement.

Still, the Sunday Buckets have worked hard for their recent rise to local fame. It paid off in 2007, when the band entered a local Battle of the Bands contest and won.

From there, they kept a steady flow of gigs, including a set at the now defunct Steamer’s Pub. Their future producer, Matthew James, was in the crowd, and invited the band to record an album in his studio. The process is one that the band looks upon fondly.

“[James] taught us how to play together rather than against each other,” said McRae. “And in a six piece, you really can play against each other.”

If this ever was a problem for Sunday Buckets, it’s hardly evident. Their hour-long set was crisp and vibrant, each member playing off each other as well as the next.

During “Aftermathematics,” their leading single, Penny encouraged the crowd to sing along, as they knew the words just as well.

Their encore started with “She’s Waiting,” an Eric Clapton cover song and the tightest performance of their set.

The entire dance floor was alive with energy (vampires and werewolves alike) giving new meaning to what defines a true monster mash.

Having recently scored the coveted title of Zone Band of the Month, Sunday Buckets is eager and excited to keep the momentum going with a new album, and to push their success to new boundaries.

“This first album was more of a learning experience,” said McRae, “and now that we know — well we think we know what’s going on — our writing has improved ten-fold. We’re really stoked on the songs we already have toward this next album, and we’re really excited to see the songs that we’re going to write. I think we’re all going to be super proud of this next album.”

The rest of the band agrees, each of them chiming in with a chorus of “definitely” and “hell yea.” Sunday Buckets seem poised to reap the rewards of their work.

“It’s going to take an army to hold us back from trying to promote the shit out of it,” McRae said.