The Sunny Era

How it all began
Music has been the constant in Eric’s life. He started playing clarinet in grade school and has played in many local bands in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, mainly behind the drum set. He holds a degree in Music Education as well as Audio Production and Engineering. By day, he teaches. He has been a pilot, professional snowboarder, and drum major. He is the guy who can build a deck, re-wire a house, diagnose and fix a troubled car, or build a web site.
Eric was the force behind the beginning of The Sunny Era and creation of the first CD, Connection Lost. He has been recording his own original songs for years – starting out with an analog 4-track and now using the latest professional pro audio production and recording equipment. Formally trained in music theory and self-taught on drums and guitar, he was able to compose, play, and record almost all components of Connection Lost.
And then there were two
Laila’s musical history began early. At 4 she began Suzuki violin lessons, first learning to play with a miniature cereal box, rubber band, and small stick. She eventually graduated to a real wood instrument and around middle school started piano and clarinet lessons. In high school the clarinet emerged as her favorite instrument - so much so that she considered attending a music conservatory to study clarinet performance. She played both violin and clarinet classically throughout high school and college and continues to play clarinet in local symphony orchestras today. Thanks to the clarinet studio at the University of Minnesota, Laila met Eric in college. The two began dating and haven’t looked back. In the early years of their relationship, Laila watched Eric play in other bands. It wasn’t long, however, before the two musicians started playing together.
For Laila, it was a big change and initially a great challenge to play the violin outside of the classical context. But she found it inspiring to play more freely to create original music, and collaborating with Eric on Connection Lost was a great beginning. Laila continues to play clarinet and keyboard, as well as developing her accordion playing skills.
The Sunny Era troika
Really, it is sheer luck or, you might even call it fate that Rob is in the band. Through completely random circumstances, Laila met Rob’s wife, Jenn, and mentioned that she and Eric were looking for the “right” drummer to join their newly-formed band. Jenn informed Laila that Rob was a drummer looking to play in the “right” band. Rob soon auditioned and it was obvious the right drummer found the right band.
Rob is the solid, rhythmic foundation behind The Sunny Era and prides himself on enhancing yet blending into the musical ensemble. His background as a percussionist starts somewhat typically – as a toddler he raided his mother’s kitchen cabinets for pots and lids to bang on with wooden spoons. When Rob was in second grade, his parents could take the racket no more and they enrolled Rob in private lessons. After years of lessons, Rob not only continued to play the drum set but also showed a passion for marching percussion. He has been a marching member and instructor in the drum and bugle corps activity and taught high school drum line for several years. He is a licensed attorney and a world-traveler. Ask him about the elephants who walked by his tent on his African safari or enjoying the nightlife in Mumbai.
And, here we are
Eric, Laila, and Rob have taken the foundation from Connection Lost and entertained an exciting development in their musical identity. Restructuring The Sunny Era as a three-piece ensemble, becoming more fluid in instrumentation, and approaching the creation of new music as a collective has allowed for greater musical variety and experimentation. Inspired both by independent rock and traditional Eastern world music, they worked together to create a new body of work, reflected on their second CD, This Darkness of Love. They have refined their ensemble playing and found an exhilarating energy behind their more worldly new sound. They hope you will enjoy the experience!