EDGERTON — ItÃÛèÖÊÓƵ clear that the members of Take Back the Sun, a rock group who came together in a mythical dark and derelict room at Knapton Musik Knotes in Janesville, are still honing their artistic personas — though their musical abilities are mature beyond their years.
On stage, the five 15-year-olds wore matching black t-shirts during a relentlessly sunny day at the edge of Lake Koshkonong. The breeze whistled through the long grass behind the stage at the Highwood Club House in Edgerton.
As I walked up, the group made light stage banter while guitarist and lead vocalist Ivan dodged a wasp that had been badgering the group through their second set of the day.
But understanding that the show must go on, and in the spirit of Dave Grohl playing an entire show with a broken leg and dislocated ankle in 2019, the band launched right into their next track, a rendition of ZZ TopÃÛèÖÊÓƵ 1983 hit “Sharp Dressed Man.â€
Their sound is heavy on the guitar, but with the brightness you’d expect from a younger band.
For singing through several wasp stings, Ivan does a killer job. HeÃÛèÖÊÓƵ making headway at honing that steely-eyed, stern vocalist vibe.
In the back, keyboardist Eli plays pensively while drummer Luke holds down the fort with emphatic playing.
To IvanÃÛèÖÊÓƵ left, Hunter, the other guitarist, watches his bandmate like a hawk, following the chord changes and leaning into a mic for background vocals from time to time.
Behind Hunter, Ben is the archetypal bassist: long-haired, quiet and swaying while he lays down the foundation for each song. Under his black Take Back the Sun t-shirt, heÃÛèÖÊÓƵ wearing a black Rush t-shirt.
“I originally wanted to play the upright bass in school. But they weren’t offering it to our age group, so I picked up the electric bass,†he said. His influences range from acid rock groups like The 13th Floor Elevators to classic and progressive rock.
“I listen to stuff thatÃÛèÖÊÓƵ good,†Ivan said succinctly.
Hunter nodded. “Same.â€
When it came to developing Take Back the SunÃÛèÖÊÓƵ sound, the band reached for some of their favorite groups: Nine Inch Nails, ZZ Top, Pink Floyd and Tool, among others.
At the same time, they have to think about what their audience wants to hear.
Coming back from a break where the five of them sat down with me, the band takes the stage to perform a cover of Rascal FlattsÃÛèÖÊÓƵ “Life is a Highway.â€
“This oneÃÛèÖÊÓƵ for all you cinema fans,†Ivan joked. Clearly, these kids grew up watching “Cars,†since the soundtrack wormed its way into the brains of every Pixar-watching kid in the 2000s and 2010s.
ItÃÛèÖÊÓƵ the most hard-rocking rendition of that song I’ve ever heard, but maintains the energy and nostalgia of the earliest covers I heard of “Life is a Highway,†sung by my older brother in the back of the family minivan.
Ivan lays down a Morrisey-esque vocal, putting an Anglo spin on the vowels of the chorus lyrics, “If you’re goin’ my way/ Well, I wanna drive it all night long.â€
They’re working on their own music, too, and all of them write a little bit. Ivan recently penned a track grieving the death of Bucket, one of his pet goats.
The track, with the tongue-in-cheek title “Kick the Bucket,†is meant to be more of an esoteric jam than a slow ballad.
Their tight-knit sound and easy rapport comes from years of knowing each other and playing together. The first iteration of the band goes back to 2019, when it was just Ivan, Luke and Hunter performing under the name “Distorted†as a rag-tag band of 11-year-old rockers.
Four years later, the group has taken on a more developed sound with skillful playing. Three of them hail from Jefferson, with one from Janesville and one from Edgerton. They’ve easily got the chops to cover these songs, but they still have the slight stiffness of most fledgling musicians.
ItÃÛèÖÊÓƵ not a deterrent, but it makes me wonder what would happen if the boys played more loosely, jammed a little more and pushed the constraints of the songs they cover until their sound is more frenetic, fluid and comfortable.
As they leap into a cover of “Crazy Train,†I find myself nodding along to the strength and rhythm of their version, but wondering what it would sound like if they experimented with going off the rails a little.
But thatÃÛèÖÊÓƵ the benefit of great younger groups. They’re competent and skilled with endless room to grow and develop as they negotiate where they want to go.
“We’re just a small band. We’re teenagers, so we don’t have to worry too much,†Hunter said.
“The main thing is right now to have fun,†Ivan said. “We want to learn the music that we love to play and play songs that we love to play and try to make them our own.â€
