A Sunshower can be a rare occurrence, but when these opposing forces meet, magic and allure is in the air. This is exactly why the NYC-based rockers, Jupiter One, chose the title (inspired by the Japanese short film Dreams by Akira Kurosawa) for their upcoming Ryko album available September 15, 2009. Their far-out freshness mixed with timeless musical inspirations mesh together in a bittersweet indie-pop rock concoction - produced by the group and noted engineer Chris Ribando (Diamond Nights, The Black Crowes, The Fever).

This young quartet - all in their twenties - consisting of K Ishibashi (lead vocals), Zac Colwell (lead guitar), Dave Heilman (drums) and Pat Dougherty (bass), has a knack for unifying their contemporary style with a range of musical influences. Sunshower is the result of Jupiter One's experienced ear. For instance, the dancefloor-friendly "Simple Stones," filled with handclaps and soulful riffs, boasts a bass line for all ages while blending '80s Rolling Stones and MGMT. The epic opener "Volcano" resurrects the youthful spirit of the Beach Boys with The Flaming Lips, while delivering one of the disc's best choruses. And if Ishibashi conjures The Shins on "Find Me a Place," then he drops vintage, finger-picking folk on "People in the Mountain." Lastly but certainly not least, their current single "Flaming Arrow," a shimmering acoustic folk tune, shoots through with a bumping bass line and New Orleans inspired drum groove. This genre-bending approach creates a hook-heavy opus well suited for our A.D.D. times.

The band's chain of events since forming has been quite impressive, from selling out NYC's hot bed of music venues, to releasing their self-titled EP in 2005, to hooking up with music industry legend Jac Holzman (yes, the man who signed The Doors) who ended up sequencing their 2007 debut full-length.

And considering that most of America has already heard their music in NBC's hit show Heroes or in high profile TV ad campaigns for MLB's Opening Day '09, NASCAR Talladega Race '09, Madden NFL '08, Payless and Mazda, it's clear Jupiter One has come a long way from the traveling circus. Yes, Barnum Kaleidoscope is where Virginian-born K Ishibashi and Austin native Zac Colwell met as touring musicians, and where the two planted the seeds for Jupiter One. Having quit their day jobs, the new Jupiter One, with the addition of former STOMP member and New Jersey-born Dave Heilman and Delaware-raised Pat Dougherty, continue to rock stage shows Stateside and breathe new life into their ever-evolving sound.

If most bands build a reputation or long careers out of carving a musical niche, New York's Jupiter One is brave to follow the road less travelled. In fact, versatility is their guide to delivering an element of surprise on every track. Offering proof is the group's sophomore album, Sunshower, a veritable array of styles and influences. With soaring melodies, exuberant pop choruses, analog synth-tastic sounds and shocking stage bravado, Jupiter One breathes new life into the indie rock genre.

The songs comprising Sunshower - produced by the band and noted engineer Chris Ribando (The Black Crowes, Priestbird, Mary J. Blige) - blend contemporary styles with a myriad of classic influences, from Dylan and The Beatles to Pink Floyd and Fleetwood Mac to The Police and Talking Heads. But you wouldn't immediately hear them. The band has a knack for combining all of those influences into something utterly vital and wholly their own, as they've done on first single "Flaming Arrow," a shimmering, ringing acoustic folk tune shot through with a bumping bassline and New Orleans inspired drum groove.

If they had their way, listeners would ingest each track on Sunshower as they would a new chapter in a never-boring book. Says singer/multi-instrumentalist K Ishibashi, "We approach every song like, 'Will people be able to listen to this over and over again?'"

"Each song is like a little world," adds Colwell. "We're the same four guys playing the music on each track, but we just like to get way down in there and explore that little world."

What K Ishibashi (lead vocals), Zac Colwell (lead guitar), Dave Heilman (drums) and Pat Dougherty (bass) have created as a result is a hook-heavy album tailor-made for our ADD times. And that mix-it-up mentality suits the band, as its songs are written by either Colwell or Ishibashi, each of whom have opposing approaches to lyric and melody.

"K leaves things a little more open for the listener," says Colwell, who also plays keyboards and flute and adds backing vocals. "I consciously try to have a little narrative, and tell a story." Counters Ishibashi, who plays guitar and violin in addition to singing lead on Sunshower: "His songs are pretty dark. I write bright, fun stuff, a lot of it stemming from one really big emotional experience. I'm more analytical, more left brain, he’s more right."

"If there's a theme to the album, it would definitely be bittersweetness," Colwell continues.
"There's definitely some humor, playfulness, but there's also this twenty-something, we-have-to-temper-our-excitement sort of thing, especially being New Yorkers. Our elation is always checked, and some of the lyrics reflect that." Bittersweet can be contradictory in terms, but in this case, these four unique personalities colorfully complement one another.

The seeds for Jupiter One were planted in 2000 when Austin native Colwell and Ishibashi (raised in Virginia) met while working as touring musicians with a traveling circus, the Barnum Kaleidoscope. Bonding over their love for all music from soul to classical Indian, the duo began performing instrumental music in New York in the early 2000s, gradually working their way toward pop music incorporating vocals, and gigs at Pianos, Arlene's Grocery and other reputable venues around Manhattan. "We noticed that once we started singing, girls started coming to shows," laughs Colwell.

1. Volcano

2. Lights Go Out

3. Flaming Arrow

4. Made In A Day

5. Anna

6. Simple Stones

7. High Plains Drifter Finds The Oracle At Delphi

8. Find Me A Place

9. Come On

10. Strange Teacher

11. People In The Mountain, People Of The Ocean