Nashville-based folk-rock group Sun Seeker is coming back to Oxford to perform at 9 p.m. Friday at Proud Larry’s.
The band plans to open the show with its new song “Churchill,” with Alex Benick on guitar and vocals, Asher Horton on bass guitar and vocals and Ben Parks on drums and vocals.
Benick, Horton and Parks started playing music in January 2003 and have been working their way up the industry ladder since the eighth grade.
“We used to go to downtown Nashville and play music on the street,” Benick said.
After a long time of getting to know each other and playing different types of music, the band members started to realize they could make something big out of it. They quickly became favorites on the Nashville scene.
Their music features a distinct country folk-rock sound with tight harmonies and raw, honest lyrics. The melodies fill the air with a sense of nostalgia and melancholy, calling back to a simpler time and reminding listeners of long summer nights spent driving down winding back roads, blasting the radio.
Fans of ‘60s legend The Band, ‘90s rockers Pavement and even the Beatles and The Beach Boys will find themselves tapping their feet and getting groovy with Sun Seeker’s hip beats.
Benick said the band members enjoy playing all the music they’ve written, but the one song they are particularly looking forward to performing is their single “Won’t Keep Me Up at Night.” He said they play it differently live than in their recording.
This will be the second time Sun Seeker performs on the Proud Larry’s stage.
Benick said he feels comfortable every time he goes on stage, and the band members hype each other up like they’re going to go play a football game.
He said the band name came from a Goodwill sweatshirt that had a picture of a Native American riding a horse.
“It was my favorite sweatshirt, and it said something like ‘Sunseeker,’” Benick said. “I am a fashionista.”
The band has been on the road since kicking off its tour Tuesday in Athens, Georgia. The tour will run through Dec. 5, ending in Indianapolis.
Court Blankenship, Sun Seeker’s manager, said the band will use the time between runs to record its highly anticipated debut album.
Benick, Horton and Parks said they like to connect with fans and deliver a positive message about music every time they go on stage.
“We are young people in a band, so we like to encourage young people to do what they can to make their band successful, not to think it’s an unreachable task,” Benick said.
Benick said they also want young musicians to realize that to be young and to play music is not an impossible dream; instead, it’s a goal that needs to be pursued without the need to be a stereotypical band.
“We really like to connect with show-goers,” Benick said.
Benick said the band is excited to sing new songs Saturday that fans have not yet heard.
Doors will open at 8 p.m., and tickets can be bought online on the Proud Larry’s website or Sun Seeker’s website. Tickets will be $8, and the event is 18 and over.
