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The Color of The Sun

Aron Ward is lead vocalist and songwriter in The Color of the Sun, whose eclectic songwriting and beautifully rich sound scapes have been impressing crowds around Bristol for just over the last year. Like Bowie or Cornelius, Aron has a chameleonic approach to creating a song. There's no shame in attempting to write the perfect pop song or delve into an introspective epic.

Aron felt it was time to flesh out the sounds he'd been recording over the last 4 years and enlisted Phil Collings– Drums, Vocals and Keys, Mirte van Geenen – Vocals, Clarinet and Samples and Tom Franklin – Bass. Older tracks have been re-interpreted and made more vital to what is happening today. The more electronic songs have taken on a more organic, avant-garde feel. Don't be surprised to find The Color of the Sun ignoring the common restraints of simply performing a set list to the letter but instead going hell for leather into a Can like, 15 minute improvisational piece - eminently creating a listenable marriage of sample mashing and live musicianship.

In the current trend of tuneless fret tapping sports rock or image over talent electro bands the Color of the Sun appear a fresh relief. Although proficient they concern themselves more with delivering aural pleasures and strong catchy songs to the listener. Combining all the slacker/post rock guitar "techniques" Ward developed back in California with carved up beats and frequent tectonic sub bass, the songs come together like puzzle pieces that The Color of the Sun persuade to fit regardless of their shape. Lush mellotron strings easily disintegrate into a brutal din then back to a catchy, Brian Wilson-esque chorus.

The last couple of shows have seen Color of the Sun supporting Icy Demons, Pivot, Teeth Mountain, Dethscalator, Gum Takes Tooth, Marvin, Iron Crease. In the past they've played with Safetyword, Kid Carpet and The Sea & Cake. Besides the constant gigging there are some sweet collaborations in the near future to look forward to making Color of the Sun something to keep your eye on.

THE SUN RISES

However, it’s a sound that has matured over the course of a long, trans-Atlantic (and back) journey...

Ward was born in the Midlands and spent most of his early life on the road, touring with his dad. Naturally he soaked up the music that accompanied their travels through his parent’s boom box - bands like the Beach Boys, Moondog and the Police. "The first single I bought was Call Me by Blondie. My dad hated it."

Despite his father not agreeing with Aron's pop tendencies he did teach him to believe in your work and play with conviction - "Don’t lie to yourself, if it’s not fun don’t do it." His band achieved much in a short amount of time, forging an entire genre along the way. But the constant touring and recording took it's toll on his father and the lifestyle was killing him quickly. So in 1981 Aron's family decamped to southern California.

In this melting pot of culture and sound, he became interested in anything that wasn't metal - early hip hop and breakin' music from Sugar Hill Gang or Herbie Hancock. A pivotal moment was when he heard Kraftwerk (Tour De France) through one of the breakin' compilations for the first time. Other early influences included Duran Duran (much against his dad's wishes), The Cure and Black Flag.

Making music was a natural transition. Shunning the parental push to learn drums, he chose guitar and began early forays into recording using a basic 4 track in the 6th grade. In the overcast, isolated surroundings of Eureka, CA, a healthy experimental scene was emerging from the local high school. While senior Mike Patton was gaining notoriety with Mr Bungle, Aron formed a band with Ben Chasny (6 Organs of Admittance). "In high school, we always went out to thrift stores and tried to find the craziest shit we could get our hands on. Most of us were pretty bored up there so we learned to entertain ourselves, normally with music that everyone else hated or would piss people off”. This leftfield breeding ground is apparent in The Color of the Sun’s genre-hopping sound. However, the tight knit community was also a small one, and with only so many people to play to and with, at 19 Aron decided it was time to move on. He held down 2 jobs long enough to save up some moving money and went back south.

THE SOUTH TAKES WHAT THE NORTH DELIVERS

He moved into an apartment with friends, who introduced him to the hardcore and indie scene in San Diego and Orange County. Bands from up north would sometimes stay at the house. But instead of starting up a new band he spent a year or so as a roadie, helping friends with their local shows or brief tours. For now Aron was happy helping his friends and soaking up what was going on around him. "I was going out to shows to watch bands like Unwound, Palace and Pavement. They screwed up the way I played guitar. I had to rethink everything I taught myself earlier."

From the O.C Ward moved to the relatively bright lights of the Bay Area. Before long he was playing drums in Scenic Vermont, with close friend Yoshi. This quickly became the guitar, and for a year or so they played around San Francisco, LA and Seattle. On one chance trip to Seattle, they met 764 Hero and Modest Mouse, which led eventually to Scenic Vermont releasing a single on the Suicide Squeeze label (which has since released the likes of Modest Mouse, Elliot Smith and Les Savy Fav). Another single, another EP and an ambitious tour of the States followed, but in between other band commitments and tension, the band split to pursue new avenues.

Diverting course once again, Aron focused his energies on all things electronic. This manifest itself through an unhealthy obsession with drum machines and samplers, when most indie kids still thought WARP was a bad word. However, the allure of an increasingly stale West Coast scene was fading, so Ward made plans to move to the UK, where the Electronic sound was burgeoning. That was 2000.

NEVER SETS

Once in England, he vowed to avoid making music that slotted comfortably into any one classification and stripped production back to raw samples and synths. He worked in a record shop by day, chopping beats on his lunch break and occasionally recording soundtracks for his friend, independent film director Adam Laity (Shortcuts). This was followed by recording sessions for Safetyword's Foreskin of the Heart EP and guitar work for local DJs such as Mr Benn and Distorted Minds. Although The Color of the Sun is Ward’s main project he DJ’s in Bristol often (as [aZa]RUMBOT or with his friend Daryl under RNDM SLKTR) and records friends from time to time. More recent work between Phil and Aron has been much more collabrotive than before. Aron bringing his loose guitar ideas and shambolic, unique collection of samples to practice while Phil brings his uncanny talent of arrangement and savy of all things Wilson. “There is a lot more talking and preparation going into the songs now. I think it’s a necessity now that we are currently only a 2 piece” explains Aron.
Phil Collings studied music tech at Bath Spa University. He has been playing drums with the Weary Band for nearly 7 years while concurrently writing and recording some of the most stunningly catchy and deftly arranged songs to grace this century under his solo moniker, Lord Edward Dark. He too has a DJ night with Morpho called Phantom Paradise playing psych, tropicalia, eastern European prog etc.