INTRODUCING RED RED SUN

The Story Behind the Sound

Red Red Sun started their musical journey in September of 1992 in Winnipeg Manitoba. The founding members are Shaun Proutt (lead vocals, bass guitar and keyboards), Glenn Antonio (lead, rhythm guitar and backing vocals) and Tim Epp (drums and backing vocals).
Tim and Shaun met in 1985 at a local music store where Shaun was employed at the time. Tim, being unemployed and not having a girlfriend, meant he was nearly homeless and was able to spend too many hours at the store.
It wasn’t long before these two would be hanging out together, discovering (between laughs) how much they had in common, especially when it came to music! 
As time passed, Swan (Shaun) and Tim would find themselves in several cover bands together, gaining the experience of playing music.  Working together they developed a tight rhythm section and a vocal blend/style that is truly part of the Red Red Sun sound.
Job opportunities (a girl) took Swan west, away from Winnipeg leaving Tim to his own devices, which is hazardous at the best of times!
Tim continued to work on various projects in the Winnipeg music scene for the next few years.  He was on the cusp of leaving music behind when a phone call changed everything. 
The receptionist, at the music store where he had spent so much time in those early days, called him up. “Are you currently involved in a musical project” she asked “my boyfriend’s band is looking for a drummer”.  As luck would have it Tim was free and thought why not!
It was in the spring of 1991 that Tim went to rehearsal with Glenn for the first time. 
As he had with Swan, Glenn and Tim formed an instant bond. 
Not only a bond musically, as it did not go unnoticed that Glenn was a talented guitarist, the two became like brothers and would spend weeknights and weekends together. 
Tim pitched the idea of starting a new band with Glenn, and he was receptive to the idea, but they were missing a few key ingredients. They would need a strong bassist (to help haul gear!) and although Tim could sing lead vocals, he could add more strength to the band with his powerful harmonies. 
Tim and Glenn were looking for a voice, one that had range with power that could front the band. 
Enter Swan, back in Winnipeg and ready to reunite with Tim. This guy could play bass and had a quality in his voice that fit the band perfectly!
It took one rehearsal to know that this yet unnamed band had something. They connected immediately…and it rocked!         
They soon discovered that while they enjoyed playing cover songs, they had a need to write original music. 
The material in those early days was written at Glenn’s house on Anderson Avenue. Initially, the music would be jammed out in the basement, and on the breaks the boys would retreat to the front porch to write lyrics and melody lines. This same porch is where we also decided the name of the band…RED RED SUN.
Things were going well however now it was Tim’s turn to pursue opportunities in another city he left Winnipeg in 1996. 
Although he would return to Winnipeg as often as he could, eventually rehearsals with the band became non-existent. 
The trio would never lose touch with one another as strong friendships had formed, and those friendships turned into a brotherhood that neither time and or distance could erode.
The members eventually found themselves playing music with other bands over the coming years, achieving a reasonable amount of success at a local level. 
While Glenn was in-between bands he began to reminisce about what might have been with his buddies from Red Red Sun. There was a backlog of demos recorded from the 90s on analog media that was beginning to deteriorate.
Unwilling to let go of those songs, Glenn was determined to try and revive the recordings. This took him on a voyage that fully enveloped him into the recording, mixing and engineering side of music. Through this process Glenn has become an extremely accomplished sound engineer.   
When it became clear that the analog tapes could not be salvaged, Glenn approached Swan and Tim to see if there was any interest in re-recording the original material using digital technologies.  Quickly and enthusiastically both agreed!
This may have been the best idea Glenn ever had as the three members went back to work and brushed up on the material in order to start the recording process. As with all good things, one thing led to another and an opportunity to perform a few songs together on stage presented itself. Over twenty years had passed in the blink of an eye but the performance at that show in 2016 was as fresh as it was in 1996!   
After that performance, a smoldering fire that was dormant had been fully re-ignited. Band rehearsals resumed as time permitted and the band began to perform again…then 2020 happened.
The roller coaster of the COVID-19 pandemic shut or closed venues temporarily and sadly, in some cases, permanently.  Restrictions prevented band members from gathering or rehearsing. 
All of the other musical projects the band members were involved with were disbanded or were put on hiatus. There was, suddenly, an abundance of time. 
The members of the band took the situation that presented itself and turned it into an opportunity. Glenn, Tim and Swan were able to utilize new technology to finish recording the tracks in a virtual environment. 
None of the band members were in the same room or even the same city when the recording was taking place. 
They were able to further leverage this technology to collaborate and write new material while still remaining compliant with the government’s health orders of the time.
To this day, committed to their audience and enjoying the ride, RED RED SUN continues to record and perform live. Tim, Glenn and Swan continue to collaborate, write and record new music both virtually and in person.
Enjoy the music!