Eric Dansby- Drums
Mario Rosso - Guitar, Vox
Matt Wall - Bass, Vox
Lou Standifer - Vocals
Marcus Torigian- Sax
Michael Winton - Trumpet and Keys
Influences
Desmond Dekker, Alton Ellis, Laurel Aitken, Phyllis Dillon, Early Marley, Toots and the Maytals, Jimmy Cliff, Specials, The Jam, Northern Soul Music, etc., etc., etc........
Together in one form or another since summer of 2004, King Sugar was formed as the "relaxation project" for an exhausted group of guys from a phenomenal local band called BEV. A genuine love of rocksteady, ska and soul drove founding member and band leader Eric Dansby to search out some kindred spirits to put together this little "side project". Mario Rosso and Matt Wall, also members of BEV, rounded out the rhythm section. Soon after, Lou Standifer answered an ad for an audition and the core of KS was formed. Mario gave us our name, the boys brought together some pretty diverse influences to shape the sound. Almost 5 years later, this little "side project" has a bunch of shows under it's belt. We've played all over...Fresno, Northern CA and Southern CA, sharing the stage with Bad Manners, Let's Go Bowling, Los Hooligans, Monkey, The Chris Murray Combo and a host of other super talented ska/reggae bands from all over. We've also had the pleasure of playing with local cats like 40 Watt Hype, Mofo Party Band, Supercharger, DB and The Struggle and many others. It's been an amazing ride that has taken us through MANY band members (mostly horn players...go figure) and on to many stages. We've finally got "that sound" with the rock solid horns of Marcus Torigian and Michael Winton...long lost friends of Eric and Mario that found their way home...the end has most definitely justified the means. One thing hasn't changed. We LOVE this music and how it makes us feel when we play it...and how it makes you feel when you hear it. It's fun, it's different and it will love you unconditionally with no strings attached. Don't take my word for it, come out to a show and let us prove it to you.
I made this myspace background at
You can swing by our myspace site to check out our new videos!
For those who haven't heard, we'll be in the studio these next few months to record a new album with the renowned reggae singer, Eyon Irie. After that it's summer shows and writing songs for the next Orbits album!
In the meantime, if you don't have our self-titled cd yet, you can still pick it up on CD Baby and Itunes.
