Nearly a quarter-century after the music stopped, members of the band Underwater Sunshine have resurfaced to rock again with old songs tweaked to sound new and fresh.

The foursome had a following on the Vancouver music scene in the mid- to late-1990s, but things fell apart before an album was properly recorded and released.

Now, thanks to technology on a couple of levels, the band members have reunited to realize a dream of producing music again, even though they arenB次元官网网址檛 performing together right now due to, what else, COVID-19.

The original recording tapes had survived many moves and weathered various garages through the years, according to vocalist/guitarist John Nikolic. This year, the four guys started the tedious task of extracting the recorded tracks into todayB次元官网网址檚 usable technology formats and begin mixing the songs.

The result is Suckertree, an album of guitar-based pop to be released this winter.

Cleverly, features old photos, new songs and some pop-culture moments of the decade when the band was first active B次元官网网址� Mike Tyson biting Evander HolyfieldB次元官网网址檚 ear, tickets to Town Pump gigs, dial-up Internet, the Titantic movie, Elaine BenesB次元官网网址� crazy dance on Seinfeld B次元官网网址渢his week,B次元官网网址� eBayB次元官网网址檚 arrival and more. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 as if we are posting in 1996 or 1997, some references to that era,B次元官网网址� Nikolic noted.

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Back then, Underwater Sunshine attracted crowds with harmony-rich songs that appealed to fans of Sloan, the Grapes of Wrath, Treble Charger, the Posies and other bands of the day.

ItB次元官网网址檚 a sound the quartet began exploring as teens growing up in North Delta, where guitarist/vocalist Tim Bonikowsky still teaches. Drummer Blair Mitchell now lives in Greater Victoria, Nikolic is in Langley after a move from Surrey several years ago, and bassist Enzo Figliuzzi calls Vancouver home.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e keeping the name for a few reasons,B次元官网网址� Nikolic said, B次元官网网址渂ecause we had a pretty good following back in the day and weB次元官网网址檙e trying to get the word out to everybody 24 years later. ItB次元官网网址檚 a struggle to get back into the game.B次元官网网址�

The recording project was like digging through a time capsule, he says.

B次元官网网址淥riginally we were doing this just for souvenir purposes, after sitting on the tapes for 24, almost 25 years,B次元官网网址� Nikolic explained. B次元官网网址淭hey were never mixed, they were just on ADAT, which was used back then as sort of the first digital-format tapes for recording. So all the vocals, drums, bass, guitars, everything, it was separated and didnB次元官网网址檛 sound like anything, because you have to mix it all down, and we never got to that point.B次元官网网址�

Nikolic said some record companies showed interest in signing Underwater Sunshine, circa 1997, but a deal never got done.

B次元官网网址淪ome of the guys kind of got cold feet,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淵ou know, weB次元官网网址檇 been at it awhile and none of us had been going to school in the meantime, but I had, and they sort of opted to work on career and more of a solid future, I guess. It happens.B次元官网网址�

The band was once featured in a Surrey/North Delta Leader newspaper story headlined, B次元官网网址淔ab Four: Power pop goes listener friendly.B次元官网网址� Nikolic sent a screenshot of the story when he first contacted the Now-Leader about the bandB次元官网网址檚 reunion.

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B次元官网网址淲e were doing five or six shows a month around town,B次元官网网址� Nikolic said.

After the breakup, three of them went into non-music careers. Mitchell moved to Scotland to pursue social work, Figliuzzi continued to play bass professionally and later got into the construction business, Bonikowsky is a Student Services Department teacher at Delview Secondary, and Nikolic took over the family painting contracting company.

Of note, not long after Underwater Sunshine split, Mitchell played in a band that would become Theory of a Deadman.

B次元官网网址淭hat original grouping, they all worked at the Keg in Delta,B次元官网网址� Nikolic said. B次元官网网址淎fter our band split up, Blair went over there and saw the band also had its frustrations in their early days, so he went into social work and moved to Scotland, his parentsB次元官网网址� home country, then came back and moved to Vancouver Island.B次元官网网址�

The guys of Underwater Sunshine hadnB次元官网网址檛 communicated with each other much over the years, according to Nikolic.

B次元官网网址淛ust recently we rekindled a bit of a conversation. That opened up the idea to dig up these tapes and, you know, B次元官网网址楬ey, maybe we can mix a few of these songs, see how they sound.B次元官网网址� That was a process in itself.

B次元官网网址淚t resulted in some pretty darn good-sounding mixes compared to what we would have been able to produce back in the day, which was exciting,B次元官网网址� Nikolic added. B次元官网网址淭here was the technology change and also finding the right guy who understands the technology (Evan Morgan, with ), and it just really worked out. So here we are, and instead of a couple songs we have 16 or 17 we recorded at the time, weB次元官网网址檒l bring that down to 12, maybe, and hopefully will release those before the holidays here.B次元官网网址�

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Early this year the plan was to rehearse together but then COVID hit, just weeks before the first get-together. And so, theyB次元官网网址檒l have to wait a bit longer to plug in again, for gigs to be booked.

Just last week, in a full-circle moment, Big Star drummer Jody Stephens contacted Nikolic to green-light the bandB次元官网网址檚 recording of the Big Star song B次元官网网址淲hen My BabyB次元官网网址檚 Beside Me,B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淏ack when we were 19, we sent them a copy of the song and received a call from him all the way from Memphis, just to tell me how much he loved our version. Twenty five-plus years later, itB次元官网网址檚 going to be on our album.B次元官网网址�

ItB次元官网网址檚 all been an B次元官网网址渆xhilarating and funB次元官网网址� musical adventure, Nikolic says.

B次元官网网址淲e were just kids when we recorded these tracks, and to listen to them again is pretty trippy,B次元官网网址� Nikolic said. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e not doing this to really break any ground, weB次元官网网址檙e doing it for some fun and to see if we can rekindle some of that energy, for whenever COVID allows for live shows again, you know, and weB次元官网网址檇 like to finish off a few things we left unfinished back then, the fun of it all.B次元官网网址�

tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
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