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Sun King Rising Release New Wave of Southern Rock ‘n' Soul Music on 'Signs & Wonders'



Sun King Rising is the musical moniker of singer-songwriter and pianist extraordinaire, John Blangero.


The 21 songs of Sun King Rising's two albums colourfully illustrate his musical vision, borne of the great tradition of southern noir storytelling, told in a modern new form of the genre.


John first displayed his prodigious musical gifts when he started taking piano lessons at age five in his hometown of New Castle, Pennsylvania. Five years later, he had absorbed not only the fundamentals of classical music, but also gospel and rock music. He joined his first rock band at fourteen and was soon composing and singing his own music, eventually attaining regional popularity with his all-original band, Harlequin.


As the band began to enjoy success, John was called to put music on the back burner. He entered college, earned his Ph.D., and become a biomedical research scientist. Twenty years later, he had ascended to rock star stature within the international scientific community. But the music lying dormant within John’s spirit would not remain silent. Playing casually with blues bands in San Antonio at the turn of the 21st century rekindled John’s creative spark and prompted him to begin writing new songs.


When John’s friend, Nick Katona, heard his demos of these songs in 2019, he created a new imprint of his long-successful Prog label, Melodic Revolutions Records, dubbed it PeacockSunrise Records, and signed Sun King Rising.


In January 2020, John hired one of his early inspirations, Ace Acker of the 1970s rock and soul band, LAW, to produce his first album, Delta Tales. Released on October 2, 2020, the album has been highly acclaimed by critics and fans worldwide.


Now, PeacockSunrise have released his second album, Signs & Wonders on October 1, 2022. It is a quantum leap to a higher musical plane in every respect. He calls it, “The New Wave of Southern Rock ‘n Soul Music.” Ace served as the producer of the new album, too.


Lyrically, the songs of both albums are vignettes of love found, love lost, family, faith, historical burden, betrayal, sin, and redemption set in a southern cultural landscape. Within this mix lie universal themes, as well, that make all listeners think, feel, dance, and dream.


The album is being featured on our sister platform, Blues & Roots Radio's Album Of The Week show, and you can also listen to the presentation here on The Sound Cafe Podcast page at the links below.



Listen On Demand: Blues & Roots Radio: www.bluesandrootsradio.com/album-of-the-week








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