Sand Springs rock band The Sunday Finery performs first concert
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Sand Springs-based indie rock back “The Sunday Finery” played their first concert recently at the Vanguard music hall in the historic Tulsa Brady District. The band opened for Las Vegas alternative act “Amarionette.”
Formed in 2017, the band is composed of Cliff Scott and Matt Morrison on guitar, Eddie Rivera on bass, and Blake Bush on drums and lead vocals.
Sandite Pride sat down with Scott for an interview following the show.
“The first show went really great,” said Scott. “We had all of our friends there to support us. I thought there was going to be more mistakes than there actually were. We take a lot of care with preparing…we practice with in-ear monitors and a click track. (At the show) it was all just stage sound and monitors.”
“It was great to finally get these songs out because they mean a whole lot to us. It was cool to finally display those and say ‘hey, this is what we’ve been working on. This is what we’ve been telling you about for a year and a half.’”
Scott began playing guitar ate age twelve. In sixth grade he began playing euphonium in the middle school band, then in high school jazz band he played both trombone and guitar.
His first band was “The Jam Band,” which would perform contemporary and classic rock covers at high school basketball games at the Ed Dubie Field House. They also played a gig at the local Nazarene church.
After high school Scott attended Ottawa University. “That’s when I found out how much I really sucked at music,” says Scott. “I was eighteen, I had a huge ego.” He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in music with a concentration in Jazz Studies.
Scott returned to Sand Springs in 2016 and began talking with some old friends about making music. “We had been playing music together since we were in high school with our youth group.” Scott formed “Vantage Point” together with Bush, Morrison, Christian Stuckey, and Rachel Jackson. “We tried that for probably six to eight months and it didn’t really gel together.”
In the summer of 2017 Scott, Bush, and Morrison decided to try their hand at Indie Rock, adding Rivera to the lineup under their current name. Rivera is a San Diego native, but the rest of the band is all rooted in Sand Springs.
All four members of the Sunday Finery help compose the music, with Morrison, Bush, and Scott collaborating on lyrical content. “Sometimes I’ll come in with 75% of a song, or Blake will come in with 75%. Sometimes I’ll have just a line I really like.”
The band released a self-titled four track EP last year that is available on Spotify, iTunes, and other major streaming platforms. They also have another project in the works that they hope to release by the end of the year.
Scott describes the band as “under the indie rock umbrella” with elements of alternative rock, heavy metal, jazz fusion, and even contemporary worship.
Their Christian faith is a huge driver for the band. Morrison and Bush both attend Angus Church in Sand Springs and Scott plays in the worship band at CrossPoint Church.
Their Sand Springs roots are also important. “We feel a strong connection,” says Scott. “We love the town. We believe there’s a lot of talent here in Sand Springs.”
Scott also performs in Tulsa-based rock band “Handsome Sinners,” with former Sandite Jay White. The Sinners also released a new album last year titled “I’ll Be Damaged,” which can be found on Spotify, iTunes and more.
In July Scott got the opportunity to play a song with multi-platinum selling band Thirty Seconds to Mars at a packed Oklahoma City Zoo Amphitheater. Scott entered an online video contest and was selected to perform “This Means War,” a certified-Gold single that tracked No. 1 on the U.S. Alternative charts.
The Sunday Finery will play again at the Vanguard on Thursday, March 7th at 7:00 p.m. when they open for “bloom.,” a two-piece rock band from Boston. Tickets are $10 and the show is open to all ages.
