GOLD HILL - When he first bought a house in Colorado, Jim Heekin built a studio in his new basement. Having played in various bands while living in Brooklyn, he wanted to build musical momentum in his new home.
From there, he made connections with other musicians in the area. Slowly, a lineup of people developed, and by 2013, the group had cemented itself as the lineup of a new project, Sun Jr.
Heekin provides guitar and sings vocals with banjo player Matt Kubis. Nod Norkus provides drums, Jeremiah Streets plays keys and bass, and Jon Schimek performs on pedal steel and guitar.
The group frequently jams together, connecting as players but also as friends. For them, playing music and hanging out go hand in hand, and because of how much time they spent playing, the band grew organically.
With the band’s combination of musical backgrounds, Heekin coins their stylings as “psych mountain rock,” with elements of rock, indie, bluegrass, and country combined into their jam band sensibilities.
The band builds its performances, including its original songs, from ideas that individual members bring in to create fully fleshed-out, often improvised pieces.
The band members all have different preferences when it comes to performing. Some of the members hope to keep building their live performances, while others are more excited to record albums of the original material they’ve worked on for years.
Sun Jr. is not a full-time commitment for any of the members, who all prioritize their day jobs and families. For them, making the band their primary commitment is not the point. What is most important to them is continuing to find the time to hang out and play music together.
Sun Jr. will be performing at the Gold Hill General Store, located at 531 Main Street in Gold Hill, on Sunday, November 2, 2025, starting at 1 p.m. For more information about the band, including their upcoming album The Many Moon Hex, be sure to head to sunjrband.com.
