What's Up! Magazine

Asking Sugar Sugar Sugar’s Andru Creature and Lupe Flores about their show from the night before has proven to be a small exercise in perseverance. “Good,” is the answer, followed by an awkward silence. Anything else? “(The venue) has a great sound crew,” adds Creature.

Mmm-hmm. And so it is with the band.

In a fitting metaphor, they, like their music, are straightforward, to the point and indubitably fun. Truth be told, that’s all one needs. The band has accomplished a lot over the past two and a half years since their inception.

Be it playing packed houses, earning the respect of their peers or garnering critical acclaim; for all intents and purposes, there was little left to be done when it came to adding to their vast resume. There was one thing, however. An actual full-length album had yet to be recorded.

Until now. And as it turns out, they stayed true to their sound on the upcoming Can’t Get Enough, eschewing slick production in favor of old school authenticity. Sometimes the cold, laboratorial feel of the recording studio poses a certain challenge to bands that tend to espouse more of a bare bones, retro style.

Not so for them.

“The rhythm section was done reel to reel,” Flores said. “We recorded all in the same room” as well.

“It’s a real raw sound,” added bassist and lead singer Creature. Guitarist Christopher Nunn rounds out the lineup.

Another hugely significant event that factored into the recording of the album was that the tragic deaths of Gunther Jose Frank and Sean “Donnkie” Mansfield happened around the same time.The new record is dedicated to them.

“It was hard, we were freaked out that we were never gonna see them again,” Creature said. “The recording captured the emotion.”

Following a few big local shows–including their CD release party and tour kickoff on Feb. 25 at Plan B Saloon–the band will embark on their biggest tour yet.

“It’s one week longer than any of our previous tours,” said Flores, adding that the planning was a bit tedious. “(Constantly) being on the computer sucks!” she said.

However, everyone in the band is obviously looking forward to the end result, which will see them venturing into Mexico for the first time. For a good portion of the tour, they will be coupled with the popular Tacoma, WA band Lozen, with whom they have a good history with.

“They’re always a huge help,” said Creature. “It’s a joint effort,” he added, referring to the sometimes dicey booking process.

“Plus, we have our own van now,” said Flores.

Then again, in the past, flying by the seat of their pants hasn’t necessarily treated them poorly, either. On their last tour, while the majority of it was obviously booked traditionally, there were a few instances where they simply walked into a bar and asked to play.

And all things considered, it turned out pretty well for them, especially at a Eureka, CA watering hole.

“We made a profit,” said Flores.

“You sell 10 CD’s, it fills the tank,” added Creature. “We actually booked there, this time, though.”

When it comes to writing the music itself, their formula is simple, if non-existent. “There’s no set way,” said Creature, adding that most of the time, the song writing process is a very natural thing for the band. Oftentimes, it all starts with an impromptu jam. He does write most of the lyrics, however.

None of that is surprising, considering their stripped down, timeless sound. Essentially any given tune of theirs would be just as appropriate at Leeds in the 60s as it would on the newest modern rock station. However, that’s not to say that their penchant for a classic sound is contrived, either. It’s just simply what happens to come out.

“I was weaned on punk rock… (our sound) just became what it is,” Creature said. “I also listen to classical, jazz…rap.”

So, at the end of the day, what exactly makes Sugar Sugar Sugar tick? Every artist has a driving force, a muse that inspires them to keep on keeping on. “We’ve all come to an agreement that we try to be what we would like to hear if we saw a live band,” Creature said. “We like the music to have a groove, but not so loud as to drive anyone out.”

Flores even digs a bit deeper with her take.

“We make each other tick,” she said. “That’s the reason we’re good live, we have so much fun together, we feed off each other.”

And Bellingham, for one, can’t get enough.