Sunburned operate as a loose collective of freaks, musicians and streetpunks. Typically utilising guitars, horns, poetry, electronics and masses of percussion to create improvised psychedelic funk jams that can inspire dancing, tripping out, and groaning like a dosed goat in equal measure.
Sunburned first became widely known as part of the New Weird America (taken from Harry Smiths Old Weird America phrase used in the Anthology of American folk music) or free folk scene, a rejection of the usual touring circuits and record labels, which manifested in self organised gigs and hundreds of self released CD-R's. All very hippy, however, Sunburned have a threatening vibe about them and a ferocity live, that comes across much more punk in attitude than new age. At ATP in 06 a vast Sunburned lineup including Chris Corsano (a Sunburned regular, and one of the two best drummers of the 00's) closed the festival to a packed crazy horse, swinging paper mashe bodies and heads close to the audience, wearing crazy tribal masks and drag gear and verbally berating Thurston (the curator) for the queues we had to endure over the weekend, Thurston was stood in the wings.
Wedlock stands as the best in the massive Sunburned catalogue, due to capturing the atmosphere of the Sunburned experience, and being as funky as shit. Wedlock is a double album which follows Sunburned from Brattleboro, Vermont free folk festival 03 (a major catalyst for the scene as a whole) to Alaska whilst taking in shows, impromptu jams and the wedding celebrations of two Sunburned members, including speeches! The whole package vibes from occasion, travel, friends and outsider attitudes, a is a necessary purchase for any serious understanding of the free folk movement.
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