The band Sunwashed is made up of sophomores Asher Fisk and Jacob Gubler, juniors James Leavitt and Vaughn Hughes, and senior Cannon Sinquefield. The majority of the band members attend Shadow Ridge High School. 

They came together, as the boys put it, “To share our musical ideas that people can relate to and just create our own vibe.”

And that’s exactly what they’ve been working toward ever since.

For Gubler, Sunwashed began in a moment of pure imagination. “It was because I was in the shower listening to music and a song came on that I really liked,” he recalled. That simple moment sparked something bigger.

“I started daydreaming about playing that in front of all my family and friends along with a crowd of people,” he said.

The more he thought about it, the more realistic the idea became. Gubler already knew “a whole bunch of musically talented people,” and soon he began pulling together classmates who, like him, loved music enough to take a chance on forming a real band.

The group wasn’t perfect at first, not everyone who joined stayed committed.

Gubler admits, “We’ve gotten rid of some of those people ’cause they didn’t show up,” but he believes that ended up being a blessing. 

“Now we have the people we’re in our band with currently, and at this point I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he said.

The current lineup, he feels, is the one that was meant to last.

When it comes to their message, Leavitt explained that their goals are simple but meaningful.

“We want to make music people can relate to and share with others,” he said, adding that they also “just vibe ’cause music is great.”

Their influences reflect that mix of emotion and energy, they look up to artists like Kanye, Dominic Fike, The Backseat Lovers, Weezer, Twenty One Pilots, and the Krooked Kings.

Creating the name “Sunwashed” was a journey of its own. Sinquefield didn’t hold back when describing their original band name, saying “the OG one sucked,” so the group scrapped it entirely. 

According to him, “We came up with something completely different and it took us almost a week to decide the new name.”

After each member shouted out suggestions, the name Sunwashed, suggested by one of them, finally stuck.

As far as goals go, Hughes said the band’s biggest focus is writing and performing their own material.

“The goal for the band is to do originals like our new song New Jersey,” he shared.

Building their own sound is something they’re proud of and want to keep expanding.

Of course, being in a band with five teenage boys comes with challenges, some more humorous than others. Leavitt joked that “the biggest struggle in the band is getting Asher there on time,” a running issue the members have learned to laugh about.

Even with the chaos, the boys love what they do and love doing it together. Sunwashed isn’t just about playing music, it’s about growing, experimenting, and learning how to collaborate. And although they still have a long way to go, one thing is clear, this band is building a foundation strong enough to take them far beyond the walls of Shadow Ridge.