Hello Rock Stars! Today’s article is about our local music scene friends from Seattle, Washington called Cytrus!
They are an amazing 8 piece Psychedelic Powerfunk Band who will be visiting the Sand Dollar On Labor Day September 7th and I really think you should save the date for this show!
Their music is absolutely amazing and I’m so incredibly honored to be able to talk to them about their New Album, What the future holds for them and more!
Check it out guys and please save the date for their show this coming Monday 9/7! 🙂
Details:
Mon Sep 7th (Labor Day)
CYTRUS live @ The Sand Dollar Lounge
Las Vegas, NV
NO COVER! 2 sets!
more info: thesanddollarlv.com
VMS:
When did you start writing and performing your music.
What’s your backstory and current lineup.
Cytrus:
The inception of Cytrus began back in 2018 when two bands (HopSol & Bunk Foss) fused into one band, under the name HopSol. Prior to the merger, both bands shared a storage unit in Everett, WA. The city of Everett appointed a new Fire Marshal who deemed the storage unit as “unsafe for a band”. Which was true, as the entire studio was being powered via 2 circuits and daisy chained power strips. We were young guys who were using any space that was readily available to us. When the final day at the storage unit arrived, both bands joined together for a jam session. The chemistry was undeniable and both bands joined forces into one band, continuing under the name HopSol. As time progressed, the sound evolved into its own identity which necessitated the name change to what is now Cytrus.
Current Lineup:
- Jared Squires: Guitar, Vocals
- Luke Nevills: Bass guitar, Synths
- Owen Mayo: Keyboards, Guitar
- Trevor Church: Drumset
- Connor Merritt: Auxiliary Percussion
- Alex Dean: Synthesizers
- Sean Connelly: Organ, Vocals
VMS:
What artist or bands inspire you and your sound.
Cytrus:
We pull from a large variety of genres and artists, but to name a few:
- Pink Floyd
- Earth Wind & Fire
- The Motet
- Jamiroquai
- Herbie Hancock
- Tower of Power
- Lettuce
VMS:
What’s your writing process and inspiration for your lyrics.
Cytrus:
I think the easiest way to break this down would be by addressing the instrumentation and lyrical approach separately.
The writing process for instrumentation parallels collage style artwork. Sometimes it’s a demo created by one band member at home, but it can also be born in the midst of a jam session recorded in our studio. Sometimes it’s a combination of pulling a melody from one jam and a groove from a different jam. It’s all about collecting puzzle pieces and seeing what fits together.
Lyrics can also parallel that collage style, but the process can look different. I keep a note of catchy phrases, thesis statements, poems, or general feelings written down. Whenever I’m feeling a pure and unfiltered emotion, I try to jot it down. Not so that I can write a song on the spot, but rather so I can open it when I hear a piece of instrumental music that is bringing something out of me. Having those lyrical “sketches” gives me a platform from which I can feel more assured or guided when I creatively “jump”. Other times I’m musing. Imagining what I might feel if my life went a certain direction, even if I’ve never been there in real life. Just finding different ways to break my comfort zone and show vulnerability, but also leave it open for interpretation.
VMS:
I love your songs “Extraction”, “Standing Ovation”, “Duality of Man” and “Office Party”. What is the inspiration or story behind these songs.
Cytrus:
These are great examples that show a broad variety of writing processes!
Extraction –
This is an example of when jam(s) turn into a song. This song is composed of a few different instrumental jams that were pieced together to create one longer form composition. There’s the slow building intro, the massive guitar solo, the atmospheric break down, the bone crushing outro riff, and then finally the reprise jam. All different ideas from different jams, all brought together into one. The outro reprise jam was actually just our soundcheck jam in the studio. It was completely improvised and we decided to keep it on the album.
Standing Ovation –
This song shows how something as simple as a demo name can impact the final result. The songs instrumentation was composed by our keyboardist, Owen Mayo. He named the demo “Standing Ovation”. I read that and thought it was interesting…Much like my note with buzz words or catch phrases. I thought about the idea of receiving a standing ovation at a play and how it could be turned into a love story of admiration. Much like giving somebody their flowers, you can give them a standing ovation. That was the driving force behind the lyrics. It’s a love song of admiration.
Duality of Man –
This is one of our favorite pieces we’ve created as a band. The first half of the song was conceptualized by Owen Mayo and then finely crafted by the band, while the second half of the song was pulled from an old jam session. We always knew the album needed a title track and with the themes of Duality being the driving force, this song set the stage for an epic piece. The first half is in G Major while the second half is in E Minor. All the while the same melody is used throughout the song (little Easter egg for the theory nerds out there). The lyrical content explores the theme of duality and immortality vs mortality. I remember being heavily influenced by the Vietnam War during this time and I was listening to a lot of Pink Floyd and Alice In Chains. As for a definitive interpretation of the lyrics, while I do have one, I’d prefer to leave it up to the listener to decide!
Office Party –
This song was a collaborative “beat” by Jared Squires, Trevor Church and Sean Connelly back in 2017. It started on a computer and made its way into the live band and has become a funky staple for the band’s identity!
VMS:
Tell me about your EP: “Duality”. What was the inspiration and process of writing it.
Cytrus:
I think we always knew we wanted to lean into the Psychedelic Rock side of our sound, while still maintaining a sense of groove and funk. Psych Rock has always been in our DNA, which you can hear on our first album. The working title of “Duality” lends itself nicely to the Psych Rock genre as a whole. Both in lyrical content and instrumentation. We wanted to push our conceptual limits while exploring the songwriting element, which at the time of writing was still somewhat of a new thing for us.
VMS:
Which local artist would you like to work with and why.
Cytrus:
It would be awesome to work with the True Loves. They have such a classy way of nailing that 60s/70s funk and soul while keeping groove at the forefront. With such a hard hitting lineup of top tier musicians such as Skerik (saxophone) and Jimmy James (guitar), I think it would be treat to stand alongside them and craft a piece of music together.
VMS:
What’s your overall theme or message of your music.
Cytrus:
This can be a hard question to answer. I really think humans in general yearn for a sense of belonging or togetherness. Finding a purpose, or finding your “why”. Music has become our purpose and if the journey of chasing our purpose can help others find their purpose or sense of belonging, I think that’s the overall message we want to push. Be you. Find your own message and pursue it. Find community with common goals and chase it. Self belief and realization.
VMS:
Do you have a favorite song that you like to perform.
Cytrus:
This is going to change from member to member, but I think “City Lights” or “Temptation” might be up there for all of us. These are both unreleased songs from our upcoming 3rd album! More on that later! OR come to a show and see them live before they’re released to the public!
VMS:
Do you have any crazy or interesting stories from working in the music scene.
Cytrus:
Back in 2019 we won a Battle Of The Bands and earned a chance to play at Summer Meltdown in Darrington, WA. A festival that we’d all been fans of for some years! We were slotted to play on Sunday afternoon. On Saturday evening, all the bands had finished playing and all that remained were DJs. We could tell there was a large group of people who wanted a live band and some funk.
We grabbed one of our bass amps, a mixer, and headed over to the “Sensotorium Dome”, which was a sensory dome with all kinds of cool things to experience. Lights, moon sand, kinetic balls etc. but in the center was a piano. We plugged in the bass amps and mixer and we started renegade jamming. Within 10-20 minutes there was 200+ people cramming into the dome to experience what would end up becoming known as “Dome Jam”. The next day we had 500 people come out to our Sunday set. It was the craziest feeling and just goes to show that taking a risk and being spontaneous can sometimes be the best thing for a young band.
VMS:
What does the future hold for Cytrus.
Cytrus:
In 2027 we’re going to slow down on playing shows and really focus on the writing and studio side of our dynamic. 2025-2026 were explosive growth years for us! We released a new album, played 8 new states and the most shows we have ever played in a calendar year. We’re ready to shelter away and record our 3rd album…Which will be called “Temptation” and leans more into our ‘80s synth wave and disco side of our sound!
VMS:
What have been your personal pros and cons of being a band here in the music scene. What do you think the scene could improve on and what are your hopes for the future of the local music scene.
Cytrus:
Being a band in the PNW really presents its challenges in terms of geography. We can play up and down the West Coast without much challenge, but it makes venturing out into new markets on the East Coast quite challenging. As for what could our music scene improve on, I really feel as if our music scene is its own ecosystem. Being upper left of the country can sometimes make it challenging to have a ripple effect to the rest of the country. I think remembering the a rising tide raises all ships, and the more we can bring attention to our scene and spread what makes us special, the better.
For More Information about Cytrus please visit their website!
VMS 🙂