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Lancaster's Second Sky pushes into psychedelic pop


Concert

What: Second Sky concert, 21+

When: 8 p.m. Thursday, July 23

Where: Tellus360, 24 E. King St., Lancaster

Cost: $10

For more information: visit www.tellus360.com or call 717-393-1660.

Listen: http://soundcloud.com/secondsky

No, this isn't your dad's quirky "world music" collection.

This is psychedelic pop, and it's rising on the charts with increasing gusto.

In the vein of burgeoning acts like Temples, Melody's Echo Chamber and monolithic festival favorite Tame Impala, Lancaster's own Second Sky has carried listeners on a transcending journey since releasing "The Art of Influence" in 2011.

Second Sky is Billy Medina on vocals and horns, Wes Dilorio on bass and keyboards and Bill Speakman on drums, synths and production. While the trio has played in bands together since attending college at Millersville University, they didn't form an identity as Second Sky until signing to the label Rhythm and Culture in 2011.

For live performances, the group plays as a five- or six-piece, often joined by Todd Fulginiti on trumpet, Darnell Scott on trombone and Alex Banias on saxophone.

With the September 2014 release of "Touching the Surface" and an untitled EP in the works for the end of this year, listeners hear a progression of dreamier, fully-fleshed out songs. This 43-minute collection includes a myriad of uncommon instruments, including the Indian santoor (similar to a hammered dulcimer). The album was influenced, in a lot of ways, from personal excursions that inspired some of the more worldly musicians and instruments pulled in for this body of work.

"We didn't want to make the same album twice," Speakman said.

Many of the songs run just about four minutes. Speakman said the length resulted from the band's desire to focus on classic song-writing techniques, including building distinct choruses, bridges and layering vocals.

Speakman, who is also the music and events manager at Tellus360, said the group has come to love and embrace its hometown of Lancaster since it boasts such great music and arts community. Speakman cited admiration for area artists like Bells and Ton-Taun as reasons to love the city's scene.

The band, who does play in DC quite a bit, is also itching to play beyond the eastern seaboard. Medina's move to Seattle over the past year has challenged the band to arrange and record music from remote times and places.

"Because we've worked together [for so long], we have such a good understanding and rapport. We all have our own home studios, and we FaceTime during rehearsal and send things back and forth a lot," said Speakman.

In addition to getting local airtime, Second Sky's music has been generating buzz on stations in Burlington, Vermont and in Oregon.

The band has also drawn international attention — through fan videos and other online platforms, the band can see how far their sound reaches.

AUditors Domination, a band from Greece, a liking to Second Sky's music, often covering the band's title track from "The Art of Influence."

"We've actually become big fans of theirs through this, so it's neat having this on the other side of the world," shared Speakman. "It would be cool [to meet them] someday."

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