Alan Steil of Suddyn

SUDDYN, an anthemy band of four young lads, two brothers from Montauk,
Long Island, and two Irish fellers on bass and drums, make quite a
sound.  And the lassies were out there in their summer gowns having
such a joyous time dancing in front of the stage at the Stephen
Talkhouse as dead-handsome Alan Steil sang and played his way
through song after song.  He’s the leader, a movie star to be, built
like a rock hard surfer (maybe he is, maybe he’s not: Montauk has
the best waves, best bottoms of any waves on the east coast of the
USA, south of freezing Maine, so most Montauk males are very exposed
to surfing), very comfortable careening out a vocal twisting the
mike cord around and around his wrist, supporting himself
on a ceiling beam, sitting down at the end of a song to play a lovely
coda on the electric piano.  His brother Jarrett plays electric guitar
and an electric keyboard with varying timbres, more like an organ, but
also with the sound of a synthesizer.  The drummer, Brendan Connolly,
reportedly is a ‘natural musician’ who can pick up any instrument and
just play it, even if he hasn’t played it before.  Super solid on the
skins, that’s for sure.  He did a drum solo and the sticks could be seen
like they were seven or eight as they whirred thru space.  One time he
lost a drumstick and groped for another one around the bend behind some other object and almost knocked it off the milk crate it was sitting on, which
would have been a disaster for a drum solo, but cool prevailed, no droppee
the ting, and the solo goes on and on, until bass player Colin O’Dwyer
came in to help finish up the piece.  O’Dwyer may be the best musician
in the band on his instrument, loved him when they did their newest song, I call it ‘Pick Me Up’ that they just composed last week.  I was lucky enough
to hear it twice, as they sound checked with an almost complete version
of this supple terrific song that of course ended SUDDYNly.  When they
performed it as their next to last song, O’Dwyer’s bass was louder and
more funky and drove the song through the bones and sinews of the Talkhouse
crowd – – that was loud.  But the band didn’t care, because they were way
louder.  But just not enough, under the borderline of needing ear plugs, which
I did bring along.

‘(Lay Down Your) Side Arm (For Me)’ is a pretty ballad that is band #3
on their ‘Dark Lights’ four song CD.  ‘Holding Up The Backdrop’ typifies
the band’s full harmonic caring sound.  ‘Closing Spaces’ was natchully
their closing song.  No encores.  A celebration of an evening for the
local boys come home.

SUDDYN already has enjoyed much success over in Eire, across the Atlantic
pond, being on TV, having top hits on the ole Irish radio, and now they
come to America to see what kind of fortune they can whip up.  Their
parents (Alan and Jarrett Steil’s) own the Montauk Bakery for the last
fifteen years, so that is one thing that should come very naturally to them.
Whipping it up.  I wished I was 21 and single in that crowd of young ladies
everywhere you looked, smiling and dancing languidly, and cheering and
putting their arms around each other, photographing each other on their
cell phones.  Alan Steil probably attracts much of this crowd, performing
in his tight white t-shirt and spiky blond hair, with a dog chain swinging
around his neck.

If they come by you, go see em.  Expect energy and melody and three part
harmony, but not that much syncopation, nor extensive lead guitar solos.
SUDDYN’s music is comforting, gregarious, pulsing, invigorating, yet
soothing at the same time.  The lyrical vocabulary is not too big, nor
is it easy to decipher what most of the words are, but it’s the music,
brothers and sisters, and these talented young men professionally
pumping out the tunes that will satisfy your soul over at least the
next decade.  Especially if they launch themselves in America with that
newest tune of theirs aka ‘Pick Me Up’ is what I reckon.