adrian varnam

This article was originally published in encore magazine on April 14th, 2010.

The history of rock ‘n’ roll is paved with youthfulness. Aging rockers and legendary icons aside, rock music has always been a reflection of youth culture, and with it comes the familiar themes of rebellion, restlessness and angst. The trick for some bands who care about such things is to somehow capture that spirit while making it their own. For Wilmington’s Fortune in the Sun, it seems that they’re on their way.

In listening to the band’s debut album, Where’s My Jetpack?, I’m struck knowing just how young they really are (college-aged). Sure, often the style of music sounds like something created by kids raised in the early 2000s, and every once in a while the lyrics reveal youth by being a little cliché, but the production, structure, and musicianship sound as if they just released their fifth album, not their first. In an industry where nearly everything’s been done before, Fortune in the Sun somehow have put together a very mature first record; one that reflects the differences in their personalities without sounding garbled or thrown together.

“I think that our sound is the juxtaposition of all of our backgrounds,” drummer Daniel Ziglar says. “Chris Keck (guitar) is a rocker, Attilio [Cardelli] (bass) is into crazy music, I come from a jazz background, and everyone has their specific type of music that they listen to. In my opinion it shouldn’t sound as good as it does together because we’re all so diverse, but it does.”

Diversity aside, the record is clearly a result of the classic equalizer in most of music: ability. Almost immediately, from the very first listen, it’s evident that each band member knows what he’s doing. From Brett Mondie’s nearly pitch-perfect singing, to every member’s careful musical contribution on each respective instrument (including a typewriter), what this group has produced doesn’t sound like a young band trying to be grown-up. It sounds like four really good musicians becoming one unit.

“Being in this band together has led to our own sound,” Keck says. “Daniel and Attilio weren’t our original drummer and bass player, but when we added them, the talent level was so much more incredible. Everything you’d want in bandmates, they brought to the table. As soon as they joined, we knew Fortune in the Sun was complete—we had the band we were looking for.”

And there is no question that the sound of Where’s My Jetpack? reflects their unified efforts. It’s cohesive, it seems to be equally contributive, and it’s complete and thoughtful, from beginning to end. But like even the most celebrated collaborations, the songs usually start somewhere and most often from the primary songwriter. Fortune in the Sun is no different.

“I think what’s cool is that the whole thing started with Brett sending us scratch-tracks of him just playing guitar and vocals, and the songs just came out of that,” Cardelli says. “In a lot of ways they’re just dressed-up singer/songwriter songs with an in-your-face poppy flare. It became a big production by the end, but it all started simply.”

That “big” production itself is what stands out most on the album. It doesn’t sound like a locally produced, independent record with a shoestring budget, and it doesn’t sound like an overly done tour de force either. The band managed to do what a lot of young artists often don’t: Put it all together in a package that highlights everyone’s ability, without sounding strained, while keeping the listener engaged. It’s a delicate collection of tasks in the recording process, but the band admits it was a combination of having enough time to experiment (but not too much), having an open mind to fresh ideas, and having an engineer behind the board who knew how to bring it all together.

“[Producer] Lee Hester was really good at working with us and our crazy ideas, even though the concept of this band is founded on that: crazy ideas,” Mondie says. “He was really cool about being flexible with us.” “Translation of ‘cool’ is ‘ridiculously patient,’” Ziglar adds with a laugh.

It works—and it’s a great debut. For all of their youthfulness, both individually and collectively, Fortune in the Sun have released a fine first album that stands alone. It’s a snapshot in the early life of a band that without question has the potential to put together many more as they continue to grow.

Interestingly, the over-arching theme of Where’s My Jetpack? may be exactly what Fortune in the Sun, like all artists, needs to internalize to make it to an ever-more-difficult next stage in their career: a second album.

“If there’s any central theme on this album, it’s facing life and its challenges and being strong enough a person to overcome them,” Mondie clarifies. “Sometimes life’s going to be trivial, and sometimes it’s going to be very serious, but you have to be strong enough and fight through it. Every single person is faced with that at one time or another in their life—they’re faced with the choice of being strong enough. If they want to survive, they have to be strong enough to keep trucking, regardless of what happens.”

It’s good enough advice for anyone. Or any band.

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