Look Up Towards The Suns

The Suns Wake Up first spun 'round on my CD player a little over 2 years ago, and I quickly became a fan. With infectious melodies, memorable harmonies and elusive, intriguing lyrics, I found myself wanting to hear more from this Liverpool trio for several weeks in a row. About a year later, I acquired their first album (that's right, first is second), Warmth, and once again listened to their shimmering chords and mesmerizing lyrics into what felt like infinity.


The Suns have just released their third album, The New Normal and, as with their prior two releases, The New Normal is a collection of impressive songs, from the captivating lyrics to the intricate harmonies. Unlike the first and second album, The New Normal is a bit fast-paced and stinging, with song titles like "You Me Everybody," and "Dream About Nothing." It is easy to imagine the riveting inspiration and life-altering experiences that led to such songs being written. Comparatively speaking, The New Normal is fascinating and fresh and lends itself to a renewing sound for The Suns.

Markus Mulholland, Simon Garland and Dave Lloyd of The Suns

The Suns are comprised of Dave Lloyd (Lead Vocals and Guitar), Markus Mulholland (Bass and Vocals) and Simon Garland (Percussion and Vocals), and together they create music worth listening to for hours, then generously sharing with good friends. If you want a new favorite band whose songs have a completely unique and compelling sound, look no further than up: towards The Suns.

New Collages for June

Several new collages are up on katedana.com.

Thanks Cee for the push to get them posted. Enjoy!

SFSG + Mods vs. Rockers

Recently I attended two fantastic scooter events in San Francisco, the San Francisco Scooter Girls 5th Anniversary Party and the notorious Mods vs. Rockers rally/ride, the weekend of May 29th. I was honored when asked to create the postcard and flyer for the SFSG party, with a theme in the context of Hawaii 5-0. The results were well-received and the SFSG handed them out by the dozen.

Claudia, Violet and Shirley say "Aloha" to everyone.

The San Francisco Motorcycle Club was transformed into a Tiki Bar with grass skirts on the tables (and on the bartenders ahem Darren), Blue Hawaiians and Mai Tais poured to perfection and a generous colorful buffet including handmade Spamasubi, a traditional Hawaiian sushi roll made with Spam (definitely not for Vegans).

Spamasubi to the right, surrounded by the pink lei.

The morning of Mods vs. Rockers started with the tradition of Mods meeting at one pier and Motorcyclists at another along the San Francisco Bay piers. Each group rode out separately through the city, then converged at the Stockton Tunnel for burnouts, engine revvs and serious smokescreens.

DynOmite usually hates hills, but he seemed to like riding up this one.

The ride continued as a large group (scooters and motorcycles together) through Chinatown, up to Coit Tower, down through Little Italy, and out to Baker Beach for a mid-ride break with a fogged-out view of the Golden Gate Bridge. The Mods vs. Rockers ride finished with a winding route through the Mission (with a police car "escort" behind), ending at the 105-year-old motorcycle club for food and drink and dancing.
There was an impressive t-shirt offered this year; in years before MvR has only had a mere bedsheet patch, with the recent addition of an embroidered patch. It is good to know MvR is finally getting the commemoration it deserves as one of San Francisco's great annual scooter rides/rallies. I know I am going to try to make it next year, as it only stands to get better from here. Mods! Mods! Mods!