Denton's musical dry spell has been a topic of conversation as of late, but it hasn't affected the five members of Sundress. Since the release of their self-titled EP back in September, the band has been caught up in a deluge of deals from management and publicity companies, and even law firms ("We've got a lawyer named Craig," singer Ryan McAdams says).
McAdams is 23, which is actually kind of old in band years, but Sundress is on the cusp of something few indie acts are able to do: quitting their jobs and going full time. "It's just kind of been taking off ever since we put that [self-titled] EP out," McAdams says. "It's kind of been shocking because we're just having fun. I feel like we don't have any boundaries that we live inside."
Along with their lawyer, the band has signed a deal with Gold Mountain Entertainment, a company that once managed Nirvana, the Beastie Boys, Beck, Foo Fighters and many more. With their support, the band has planned a January headlining tour of the West Coast, and while McAdams doesn't expect a huge turnout, he isn't bothered because this tour serves an entirely different purpose than playing big shows.
Once the band gets to Los Angeles, they'll play a showcase for labels and agents, performing music from an upcoming LP McAdams says is already mostly recorded. He describes the music as poppier, not quite as psychedelic as the EP, with the potential to appeal to a wider audience. That's what he says 2012 will be about for Sundress: collecting more fans.
"We're going to do probably eight months touring," McAdams says. "We're going to be opening for larger national acts, and hopefully Europe in late 2012."
Local fans and friends should get used to Sundress being absent from the North Texas music community. Following in the footsteps of so many local acts before them, it seems that the band is itching to relocate. "I think we're all going to move out of the DFW area pretty soon," McAdams says. "We're just ready to get out of town."
However, he's quick to qualify that sentiment by saying the band loves Denton and will always claim it as their birthplace and hometown. For the time being, though, the band is focused on getting their business affairs in order, and that means finding the right label to put out their full-length record.
As the team of people looking to make a quick buck off the band grows, so does the burden to succeed. It's a lot for a group of college graduates in their early 20s.
"It's cool when you've got people helping you, but it puts a lot of pressure on you," he says. "The only thing I can think is, 'Holy shit, don't screw it up.'"
