Single: Sun Salon – Air on a Minute

Folks, we here at Start-Track write a lot about music you should listen to. But rarely do we comment on music you must experience. And so while you may think Sun Salon is a band and “Air on a Minute” is a song, both are so much more than those labels. You really have to be present in the moment of the collective creating the song to know what Sun Salon’s all about.

Big disclaimer: I know Abe Brownell, the creator of Sun Salon, well. He is a poet and musician based out of Medford, Massachusetts, who has created a space for other artists to come together and layer spoken word poetry over improvised music. The collective welcomes a diverse crew of any talent level: The point of Sun Salon is free expression, deep listening, helping each other to sound good, and feel the fear, although at a Sun Salon show, there are no mistakes.

Abe and his merry band of artist friends have put on a handful of Sun Salon shows in venues across the Boston area, treating audiences to electric and organic experiences that can only be experienced once. But recordings such as “Air on a Minute” capture the beauty of Sun Salon, for anyone curious about what that feels like. 

The drums take the lead in this particular song, with the other instrumentalists joining in as they like, making whatever sounds match the spoken word, following each other’s energy, exploding and screeching and squealing with joy and excitement and passion before hushing to allow the poet to speak their truth, if only for a moment before causing the walls to burst at the seams once more.

As much as you can imagine the raw power of this music live, you must experience it. Visit the Sun Salon website to learn more about the people who make the music and future events in the greater Boston area. Of note: Visit the “How to Sun Salon” page to learn how you can make a Sun Salon wherever you call home.

To hear what kind of beauty a Sun Salon event can create, take a listen to “Air on a Minute” below.

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Written by Will Sisskind