I am describing this Sunny Day press photo to you in such arduous detail because, roundabout 1994, this quasi-wedding-band pic was pretty close to the only available public information about the Seattle rock band Sunny Day Real Estate. I played that for you just now for four reasons: One, the synapse thing two, the wedding thing three, it’s a great song (OK, five reasons) four, I hear a lot of Sunny Day Real Estate in early Death Cab for Cutie, especially starting in the late ’90s, a lot of tonal similarities, the erudite arms-length intimacy, a bunch of stuff beyond just the wordy band names that I’m mildly embarrassed to say out loud and the fifth reason, apparently I’m just extra loopy this week. That song’s about being sad at a wedding. Here is a Death Cab for Cutie song from 2000 called “Company Calls Epilogue” that illustrates this alleged abuse of the word synapse: That’s unfair of me: I am not aware of any Sunny Day Real Estate songs that use the word synapse, I just always remember the time I was standing in a chattering circle of cool kids at a bar in San Francisco and my dear friend Nate started ranting about how emo bands shouldn’t be allowed to use the word synapse in their lyrics any more because the word synapse is, quote, “A pre-fucking-Fugazi fucking noun.” End quote. This photo looks like the groomsmen at a wedding became so overcome with emotion that they attacked the wedding band and stole their instruments and commandeered the stage, and now they’re regaling the shocked and confused but also pretty psyched wedding party with fraught and ferocious and super-intimate post-hardcore songs with lyrics that use the word synapse a lot. The fellas are dressed formally: white button-down shirts, ties, a couple suit vests (at least two the drummer’s not really visible back there). This is one of the more Midwestern non-Midwestern bands in rock ‘n’ roll history.
![best of sham 69 if the kids are united best of sham 69 if the kids are united](https://www.memorabilia-uk.co.uk/media/cache/memorabiliauk_product_large/19/c0/562be5e2045e63f61df77f8c4a91.jpeg)
Original classic lineup: We got Jeremy Enigk on guitar and vocals, Dan Hoerner on guitar, Nate Mendel on bass, William Goldsmith on drums. It’s a live shot, black-and-white, lush but also, uh, blurry with motion, so as to accentuate their intensity.
![best of sham 69 if the kids are united best of sham 69 if the kids are united](https://images.eil.com/large_image/SHAM_69_THE%2BVERY%2BBEST%2BOF%2BTHE%2BHERSHAM%2BBOYS%2B-%2BSEALED-349066.jpg)
![best of sham 69 if the kids are united best of sham 69 if the kids are united](https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.2113470029.2712/raf,750x1000,075,t,fafafa:ca443f4786.jpg)
All right, so I’m looking right now at what was, for several years, the only official press photo of the up-and-coming Seattle rock band Sunny Day Real Estate.