On Sun Maiden’s Facebook page, there’s a link to lead singer Johanna LeFever’s Soundcloud page, where she’s uploaded a handful of tunes. This is all that currently exists of Sun Maiden’s music. These are stark, melancholy folk tunes LeFever recorded in 2009, which she made just before hitting the road to go travel as much as she could—this travel bug is incidentally how she got her band name. A friend dubbed her Sun Maiden, as she was constantly chasing the sun in her travels.
Despite the sad, reflective overtones of her music, LeFever finds herself writing mostly while she is traveling and rock climbing, a time she feels happiest.
“A lot of inspiration comes from travel and adventure. I prefer to be in nature because normal life is a little overwhelming,” LeFever says. “Traveling is when I process my day-to-day life and relationships. I’ve been through some really hard times in the last two years, and I’ve gotten a handful of amazing songs out of it.”
The recordings are mostly solo, but there are some with drummer Keith Stocker. Recently, she’s expanded her group to include other members on guitar and bass. The material is still folk-inspired and self-reflective at its core, but it sounds much different.
“It’s definitely still melancholy, like wondering, sad, but the tempo is definitely higher, and a bigger sound. It’s danceable at times, which is new and different. I like the higher energy and the more complicated band arrangements,” LeFever says. “Basically the songs I play now, none of it’s recorded. We’re really dying to get that going. I have at least an album’s worth of new, good, pretty rocking songs.”
INFO: 9 p.m. Crepe Place, Wednesday, Aug. 5. 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $8. 429-6994.
