They’re one of the newer bands in town, but their work ethic is making them one of the more well-known.

Forming less than a year ago, the neo-soul outfit Sun.Dyle have already released an EP and just celebrated the release of their debut full-length album, Mirror, on April 20 with a show at Ambrosia Orchard.

Fresh off that show, they’ll return to the Hoagland orchard/cidery/meadery, just south of Fort Wayne on U.S. 27, on May 4 with seven other local bands for their inaugural Celestial Fest.

“You kind of see in other cities just how close-knit the local music community is, from bands to venues to promoters. Our scene is just as cool here, but I feel like there wasn’t really a festival that was doing that,” guitarist Luke Delgado said about the idea of forming the festival. “Venues will put on shows with complete local bands, like The Brass Rail and The Ruin, but there was no festival purely dedicated for local music and supporting local music. There are some around like Solfest, but we’re trying to gear it more toward local, original music. So, no covers. All original music.”

All that local music will come from Sun.Dyle themselves as well as Man of the Flood, The Be Colony, The Namby Pamby, Kangaroo Kourt, Augmentasia, Funayūrei, and Intrepid Cat.

Welcoming environment

Along with hosting Celestial Fest and the album release show at Ambrosia, the band also held their EP release show there Oct. 28. 

The reason they have such a strong connection with the orchard is an easy one: drummer Carlos Rosa’s sister, Blanca Bender, owns it along with her husband, Edison Bender.

“They opened it in 2018, and I’ve been out there a handful of times to play,” Rosa said. “That’s how we got the idea to host our Halloween show there. That just went so well that Blanca wanted us to come back, because she loves Sun.Dyle, obviously. The festival just worked out because she has the space to do it and we have the drive to make it happen.”

Both are definitely true.

While Sun.Dyle’s hustle is clear, the space at Ambrosia allows for live music plus the 20 local vendors that will be on hand, food trucks, and other entertainment to keep folks of all ages engaged for the all-day event. Doors open at 11 a.m., and Intrepid Cat get the music started at noon.

“It’s $10 to get in for an all-day event, and if the kid is 10 years or younger, it’s free,” Delgado said.

And with it being an all-ages festival, singer Emma Torres is excited to see some of her biggest fans get a chance to see her perform.

“I have six nephews that have not been able to come to all the shows,” she said. “So, it’s nice knowing there’s an environment where they will have something to do.” 

Another positive of having the event at Ambrosia is the Benders’ generosity. 

“All of the profits the vendors make, they get to take home. There are no cuts. Ambrosia is huge in supporting local people,” Torres said. “So, vendors get to take everything home, and bands get to take home whatever profit they make. There’s other festivals and venues that are putting on shows, but this is all just to put each other on, make some money, and have a good time. It’s a community event.”

And in the era of streaming music, local bands can use all the financial assistance they can get.

“It’s hard to make money making music,” Delgado said. “Our band, none of us take in cash, at all. All of it just goes into a band fund that we share and use to continue out escapades, if you will: like money for gas, money for lounging for out-of-town shows.”

And Sun.Dyle will need that as they embark on a summer tour that takes them around the Midwest.

Selecting bands

When it comes to the music, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more stacked lineup of heavy hitters: from Funayūrei’s synthwave, to The Namby Pamby’s indie rock, to The Be Colony’s ’70s sludge rock, to Man of the Flood’s “pixie dream pop,” not to mention the neo-soul/funk sound of Sun.Dyle and Augmentasia.

“We wanted to have a nice mixture of genres,” Delgado said. “That way we could have different kinds of audience members that will come out and watch the music. We didn’t want to choose one genre and have it be that way all day.”

And each band will have their day in the sun.

“Eight bands was really the most we could have in one day and still have time to give the bands time to do their own thing,” Rosa said. “We’re going to give each band a one-hour long set. So, that’s eight hours, and we need time in between.”

Sun.Dyle saxophonist Ash Morris was among the driving forces behind getting the festival going. So, when it appeared it would be something that could actually happen, it came down to selecting who would play. For that, the group, which also includes keyboardist Ben Francis (also of Kangaroo Kourt) and bassist Ben Beutel, went with who they knew.

“We know all these bands personally,” Rosa said. “Just about all of them, we’ve been on a bill with in the past and are good friends with and think they would be great people to have.”

Eager participants

A familiarity with the bands was key, and when it came to joining the festival, Sun.Dyle did not have to beg.

“They approached us about it, and when they told us who they wanted on and where they were having it, we were in,” said Atticus Sorrell of The Be Colony. “The lineup is all really fantastic local groups. I love all the artist/vendor showcasing happening, and I’ve always loved Ambrosia. We have a lot of respect for Sun.Dyle, and basically doing Celestial Fest was a no-brainer. Fort Wayne needs more small local festivals like this to showcase to the community how vibrant our music scene is.”

For The Namby Pamby, their commitment to the festival really shines a light on the tight-knit Fort Wayne music community.

“We fell in love with Sun.Dyle the first time we saw them,” they said in a group response. “Their performance and excitement, and (the fact they’re) band full of sweeties made us eager to support them through Celestial Fest.”

For Funayūrei, the prospect of reaching audiences that might not otherwise check them out was appealing. 

“While we love playing to our usual crowds at the usual places, this seemed like an interesting gig,” they said. “The list of bands, the local art, and food vendors, all while the arrival of spring has everyone itching to get outside. It seemed like a lot of fun and different from our norm, so we were quick to agree to play.”

Just as Funayūrei are eager to play, fans of local music should be eager to make the short trip south to check out a stacked musical lineup, local vendors, food trucks, and Ambrosia’s selection ciders and meads. 

And all of that for just $10.