When Gabriel Spadaccini moved from Delaware to Virginia, he never would have guessed that a (mildly awkward) chance encounter would lead to a new artistic endeavor. When he and his wife were on the hunt for a place to call home, they toured an apartment complex. Curious about the interior, they began peeking through the windows of one seemingly empty apartment. A man approached them, asking what they were doing.
The man was Michael Dunn, and it was his apartment windows they were looking into. They explained that they were thinking of living there and ended up moving in soon after—right next-door to Dunn. It wasn’t long after moving in that Spadaccini started to hear Dunn playing guitar through the walls. The two began playing together and soon joined forces to form The Sugar Hollows, along with Sean O’Reilly, Noah Yates and Hayden Chance.
View this post on Instagram
With Dunn as the front-man and Spadaccini on lead guitar, the two do most of the writing for The Sugar Hollows together.
“I’m the one with the home studio, so I’m always laying down ideas. Mike [Dunn] and I will start to develop some lyrics and put demos together from there,” Spadaccini explains.
Fusing the sounds of Americana, country, rock and folk, The Sugar Hollows formed a sound that is all its own. Radio Waves, the band’s second album, is a direct result of perfecting this sound to find its true voice.
“The first album we put out last year, we just wanted to put some music out there,” says Spadaccini. “This time around we had more of a theme in mind. There’s a lot of themes of traveling and moving on from a place or a person—of growth in general. I think the first album is a good foundation, but our sound is evolving into something that’s more our own.”
That evolution is clear to listeners, some of whom have labeled the genre “coastal country.” The folk influences are definitely present, but with lyrics inspired by East Coast beaches and a laid-back rock and roll vibe, The Sugar Hollows offers its own refreshing take on a genre that’s having a moment in the mainstream with artists like Hozier, Noah Kahan and Zach Bryan.
Radio Waves showcases a variety of tunes that appeal to rock and folk fans alike. Mellow melodies like “Slow Lane” offer moments of easy listening between high-energy tracks like “Headin’ South” and “Movin’ On.”
While the band is based in Virginia, Spadaccini hopes to play plenty of shows in the First State and has already managed a few. Most recently, The Sugar Hollows opened for Carly Simmons at The Queen in Wilmington.
“It’s always cool for me playing hometown shows,” he says. “I have a lot of friends and family out there still; a lot of them came out to The Queen.”
The Sugar Hollows has a lineup of festival appearances planned throughout the summer, including Mountain Run Jam in Virginia and Somerset Moonlight Festival in Kentucky. Spadaccini hopes to get The Sugar Hollows on the Rocking the Docks lineup in Lewes next summer.
Stream “Radio Waves” on Spotify or Apple Music.
Related: Sound Body Studio Is a Hub for Yoga and Community in Wilmington
