Dan's Papers - April 24, 2009 -

Splitting their time between both sides of the Atlantic for the past several years - the East End and Ireland - Montauk brothers Alan and Jarrett Steil are back in the United States with their band, Suddyn, and gearing up for an April 29 gig in Manhattan. Fans of the group's fusion of Brit rock and American alternative rock can even hop on a chartered bus with the band for an easy commute to the venue, which is Piano's on Ludlow Street.

The group spent much of November in Ireland, writing and recording the songs that make up its latest EP, Dark Lights. So this will be the first time in months that the foursome has been on stage, which they've been itching to get back to. "Our live show is definitely a big part of us," said Bren Connolly, who plays drums. "We love playing live in front of people." The closest the group has gotten to being on stage has been in their garage in Montauk, as impromptu groups of friends have gathered while the group has been practicing for the upcoming show, said Jarrett Steil.

The Steil brothers (Alan on piano and vocals and Jarrett on guitar and vocals), who grew up in Montauk and whose parents own the Montauk Bake Shoppe, originally headed to Ireland nearly four years ago with their original line-up simply looking to book a few shows. But when they lost their original drummer and bass player and hooked up with Connolly and bassist Collin O'Dwyer, two friends from Tipperary, Ireland, they decided to stay. As an unsigned band, they had several songs hit the Irish charts - "Drowning Souls" spent two weeks in the Top 10, while "Gravity" and "Letting Go" made it into the Top 20. Well known British rock magazine, NME, even named them a breaking band to watch.

Used to splitting time between Montauk and Ireland, the group headed back to the East End last summer with the intention of staying for good. However, a record deal fell through and the group found itself back in Dublin working on the songs that would make up Dark Lights, which really shows how much the group has evolved over the past several years. "We moved towards a big, American sound with this," said Jarrett Steil. "It's more polished than anything you'd hear in Ireland. Bands there go for a more grungy, stripped down sound. Our sound hasn't changed, but it's more refined. It's the sound we've always been shooting for."

It also became apparent to the band that it needed to leave the insular and somewhat confining music scene of Dublin. The group has already played every major venue across that country and realized it was ready to take aim at the United States again. So the four of them headed back to Montauk. "The Dublin scene is a different style from us," Connolly said. "We didn't fit in. We're a different genre from a lot of the bands in Dublin."

Steil added, "Our sound is a lot bigger than other bands in Ireland. We try to make it as full and as big as possible. They're more stripped down. And we've been around everywhere Ireland. We're ready to try something new."

Suddyn is hoping the show at Piano's will grab the attention of some record industry folks. The group is especially interested in hooking up with a booking agent in order to set up an American tour to gain some more exposure stateside.

For more information about the band and to purchase Dark Lights, go to myspace.com/suddyn or suddyn.com. For more information about booking a seat on the bus heading to the group's April 29 NYC show, e-mail Linda@suddyn.com. For $40, you'll get a seat on the bus as well as admission to the show.