Q&A with Hail the Sun singer Donovan Melero

Hail the Sun is a band sans frontman.

Its members are all front men.

Guitarists Aric Garcia and Shan Gann take the spotlight, along with bassist John Stirrat. They serve as visual front men for the Chico post-hardcore progressive band, while singer Donovan Melero stays back, handling his vocal duties from behind his drum kit.

“But I also like to grab guest drummers and sing a few up front as well sometimes,” says Melero, who will be in town Saturday, Jan. 9, for a show at Strummer’s. It’s the second show on a two-week West Coast tour.

Here, Melero looks back on 2015, talks about his other band and gives a working definition of the Hail the Sun’s chosen genre.

Question: Let’s start simple: How did 2015 treat the band?

Answer: It was incredible. We supported Dance Gavin Dance, Poluphia, I the Mighty, Our Last Night and Palisades. We inked a deal with Equal Vision Records and started writing a new record. Probably the busiest year we have had.

What does the band have planned for the new year?

More touring and releasing the new record. But first we have to record it.

Progressive post-hardcore is serious music-critic jargon. What does that mean in laymen terms? And is it an accurate description of the band?

It means we like to sing loudly and occasionally “scream,” but instead of 4/4 behind us, we like to switch it up.

Yes, it is an accurate description of us.

I do hear some progressive qualities in the guitar work and drumming. How intentional are those things?

Very. But not to the point where in the writing we are forcing it. It comes rather naturally because of our influences.

At least two of you play/have played in other bands. Is it hard to balance those various projects, logistically?

I sing for a band called Sianvar. It’s awesome because I have a whole other avenue of expression. It’s more of a free-for-all in that band and we all will do things, experimentally, that we wouldn’t do in our other bands.

As long as our main bands always take priority.

Talk about Hail the Sun’s live show. How important is it to the band’s identity?

Its a strong aspect for us because I have been told our fans like to see the drumming and singing live. That is something that sets us apart from other bands in our genre. (The live show) is something we have worked on for the length of our band’s career – to get better and better.

This story was originally published January 7, 2016 at 4:00 AM with the headline "Q&A with Hail the Sun singer Donovan Melero."