EP. 33 Sunbendr

Way back on St. Patricks day of 2024 we had great pleasure of having local legends Sunbendr come by the Barn to record a few tunes and talk shop. This was particularly exciting for me considering I’ve looked up to these guys since a young age. Brandon Parkhurst (guitar, vox) and Chris Cote (bass, vox) were in a band together called Kut U Up in their childhood. My bandmate in high school had the video (a gift from his dad) they made called “Riding in Vans with Boys” while on tour with Blink 182, Green Day and Jimmy Eat World. We were infatuated by the chaos and fun that they were having on the road, and dreamt that one day we might be able to live that life. Brandon went on to start an incredible band with our good friend Nelle called Yovee. Their beautiful songwriting and haunting harmonies earned them respect from surf filmmaker Taylor Steele who used their tracks in his film “Drive Thru: South Central America”. A copy of their EP was included with the movie purchase. Something we can’t even fathom now in the age of streaming. Later on in life Yovee was revived and included the great drummer Frank Dixon. As you’ll hear and see in this podcast Frank is not just a bad ass drummer that lives in the pocket, but he is one of the most genuine and best dudes you’ll ever meet. Every time I’m lucky enough to see Frank we have the best conversation. He cares deeply about his family and deeply about local music. A huge supporter who always stays to listen to the other bands on the bill and takes the time to ask them questions and help them with their gear. This power trio that is Sunbendr embodies local culture to the fullest and inspires the community in many ways.

Brandon is a part of an amazing group called Portal EXP https://www.portalexp.com/ , that focuses on mental health and community. If you don’t know them already please look into it cause it could change your life path. We all struggle and we all need support. No one is too cool to ask for help. We are in this together. They host regular events and have many great things they are a part of.

If you're from Encinitas/ Leucadia/ Cardiff, or just into extreme sports for that matter, then you probably know Chris from his work with The Encinitas Mag https://www.instagram.com/encinitasmag/?hl=en and The Monday M.A.S.S. Podcast https://mondaymass.com/ . Also when he’s not surfing, skating, playing music, etc. he spends time traveling the world announcing contests for pretty much any extreme sport. His deep roots in the culture and incredible personality have even taken him to announcing the Olympics. Chris has always been so supportive of this community that he was also so lucky to grow up in.

We know the Barn Time Podcast has been a little quiet lately. That’s only because we have been working hard to upgrade the studio and build out a really exciting new venture. We will be recording the pod on 2” tape from now on. Huge thanks to Jordan Andreen for helping us make our analog dreams come true. Keep your eyes out for a new “Radio” station in Leucadia... We hope to be interviewing many more awesome people and recording many more great bands soon! Thanks for listening, and huge thanks to the band and the crew for making this all happen! -Kyre

https://www.instagram.com/sunbendr.band/?hl=en

Thank you to our crew:

Andrew Ware- Producer/Sound Engineer

Kyre Wilcox- Producer/Host

Zach Benavidez- Producer

Nate Correia- DP/ Camera Op

Phil Pardel- Mixing Engineer

Recorded on QSC Touch-Mix 30 Pro https://www.qsc.com/products-solutions/mixers/touchmix-series-compact-digital-mixers/

Thank you to Prager Brothers Artisan Bread, June Lake Brewing, Bambucha Kombucha, Topo Chico, and Solento Organic Tequila for fueling the team and the artists! We really appreciate the support.

https://www.pragerbrothers.com/

https://www.junelakebrewing.com/

https://www.bambuchakombucha.com/

https://www.topochico.com/

https://solentotequila.com/