James Leavitt, Jacob Gubler, Asher Fisk, Cannon Sinquefield, and Vaughn Hughes are all members of a band called Sunwashed. Leavitt, Fisk, and Gubler attend Shadow Ridge High School. What started off small has quickly grown, as the band has already played two concerts and continues to perform while creating, recording, and releasing their own music.
Leavitt explained how the band first came together. “Well, one day Jacob Gubler texted me and asked if I wanted to be in a band with him. I honestly didn’t have anything else better to do, so I said yeah.”
Over time, the band went through several changes in its lineup. “Originally it was me, Jacob, Asher Fisk, and a kid named Michael,” Leavitt said. “Michael gave up on us really fast, so it was just the three of us for a really long time.”
He continued, “We kept practicing and even started creating songs. We added my cousin William Leavitt as our bassist. As time passed, we agreed to do a gig for Halloween at a small house party, but we needed a singer. We asked my friend Cannon Sinquefield to sing for us, and he agreed. Then William told us he couldn’t do the gig, so we had to scramble for a bass player. I remembered an old friend named Vaughn Hughes. He was just a beginner, but we felt it was our best choice. That’s when our band was fully formed—me, Jacob, Asher, Vaughn, and Cannon.”
The band originally went by the name “The Bare Minimum,” but later decided to change it. They chose the name Sunwashed after one member disliked the original name, and the group agreed it was time for something new.
Mandi Abney, a friend of the band members, stated, “Listening to them practice and seeing them grow has been really fun. I’ve known most of them for a good amount of time, and seeing them form into a band, and being able to listen to their songs before they’re shared, is the coolest thing.”
Gubler said one of the band’s biggest accomplishments was performing at a stake dance. “One of the things I’m most proud of about the band is playing at the stake dance, because ever since I formed the band, that was our biggest goal at the time,” he said. “That was a huge milestone for us.” He added that the band has been together for almost two years, since he formed it the summer before his freshman year.
Leavitt reflected on how much the group has grown. “We’ve grown a lot. We used to sound kinda terrible, and we used to be super shy with each other,” he said. “Now we’re super close friends, and we hang out all the time.”
Not only has Sunwashed begun sharing their music and talent with others, but the members have also grown closer as friends and continue to strengthen their bond.
The band is currently working on creating and releasing original music while preparing for their next show. Their first single called “is sorry enough?” is set to be released on Friday, the 13th.
