Local Heroes: Sunfall Festival - Citysearch.com

Debuting at the Soul Kitchen about three years ago, Amy Greetham, then a high school student, charmed everyone with her unique vocals, spunkiness and midwestern accent.

The Soul Kitchen has closed, and Wrapsody, along with The Cafe, supports an active local music scene in Provo. Sunfall Festival considers Wrapsody home base. Tonight Amy's wearing a straw cowboy hat with a red star and a string under her chin. When she talks she uses a funny cartoon cowboy voice, running all the words, and has everyone straining to understand. Far from being the somewhat withdrawn, quiet, singer she is at practice, she carries the show -- which is just as they intend.

Scott Wiley, who plays guitar and is the sound engineer, and Chris Petersen, the drummer, were looking for a female lead and wereintroduced to Amy. But, she's quick to point out -- she's not into girl-fronted bands. "I focused on male performers and how they throw their voices around. That's probably where I get a lot of my gutsy feel." You might say she's a tomboy, but still her voice is strongly feminine. She sustains a light and airy high pitch, which, by the end of a phrase, turns low and deep. Then, unexpectedly, when the tempo picks up, she turns her back to the audience and thrashes back and forth, bobbing her head.

"I try to make the music moody...not a rhythm with a tapped foot, not flashy...more complimenting what the rest of the band is doing," Chris says. Without necessarily bringing a focus with a beat, he tries to bring energy and emotion to what Amy writes. Though talented musicians themselves, the band consciously centers on her vocals.

Initially they were compared to bands like the Sundays and the Innocence Mission. "Our aim was to be so soft you could talk [over it]." They called themselves Sleepy. Today their music is tighter, more dramatic, emotional, and more pop. Each person brings individual style ranging from jazz to George Brunt's (basist) tastes like Sunny Day Real Estate, Elliott Smith, and The Promise Ring. Yet there is enough overlap that rather than creating conflict, it adds versatility.

After not playing for months, Sunfall Festival is all about performing whenever and however they can. "We used to be more exclusive," Scott explains, wanting the sound to be good, and the circumstances right. Now they want the practice and the rest isn't as important. Rather than just playing the easy crowds, maybe "drunken cowboys throwing bottles at us... so we can have the hard experiences that give us confidence to play anywhere."

Chris's connection with the music industry helped them find a lawyer who is working to find the ideal label. "I know the president of an indie label, and he said 'I'd love to sign you...but I don't think the Indy label would do you justice, because you're more mainstream.'" More obscure labels won't work because "we're not lo-fi enough, we're too hi-fi." They'd like to find a label soon, but there's no rush. George reiterates, "We want to be ready" when we invite a record company to listen to us. To keep themselves ready they keep a tight schedule, practicing four times a week.

There should be no shortage of opportunities. Absolutely Splendid, their first CD, has moved steadily through regional distribution and at the merchandise table at their typically sold-out shows. Sales of their follow-up EP, On the Verge, covered its production costs on the night it was released. On X96's new music program, "Now Hear This," their song "Modern Way to Go" got more votes than Radiohead's "Karma Police" and the Verve's "Bitter Sweet Symphony." They've performed at L.A.'s legendary indie club Spaceland, and have opened for the likes of Creeper Lagoon, Victoria Williams, Everclear, and David J. And, in the end of November they'll be at Kingsbury Hall with fellow Utah phenoms, Clover.
--Janet Knudson

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