In 2002, British industrial metal band Sunna, who had released their highly successful One Minute Science album two years prior, and contributed the song “Power Struggle” to the Hollow Man soundtrack, disbanded to the shock and dismay of their fans. They were slated to contribute another track to the Spiderman film that same year, and had only recently signed a new contract with Melankolic––owned by Trip-Hoppers Massive Attack––when they were suddenly dropped by the label. Sunna's demise however did not hit the fans harder than it hit singer and songwriter Jon Harris, who quickly followed an alcohol-fueled and drug-induced downward spiral as a result. Jon would disappear off the radar for seven years...

It was late October 2009 when I discovered that Sunna had just independently released a second, full-length album entitled: Two Minute Terror. Finding the band's new website, I purchased the mp3 album without a second thought. I didn't even bother reading any reviews that might have popped up. Unsurprisingly, I wasn't disappointed. Feeling quiet excited that the band had reformed, I began to backtrack via a few websites to discover the slow, re-emergence of the band, and Jon Harris' return to music. I also managed to get in contact with Jay Williams, Sunna's PR guy, to organise a quick little interview. I hope you enjoy.

Q1: Jon, I read on your last interview with Thrash Hits that after the band folded you took a downward spiral through drugs, a broken relationship, and lots of odd jobs. What urged you to get back up on your feet, and start making music again?

Yeah… things did go bad for a while. Thoughts of suicide and self-destruction had a real stronghold over me, but this has been a demon I’ve struggled with as far back as I can remember. I must say, I’ve never been one for giving in, but at this time in my life all this stuff had me beat! It really was a hard place to come back from, but I guess when one hits what feels like the end of everything, and really can’t sink any lower, the only way to go is up… Though at the time I loathed the concept, I have a very loving family, and everyone in it did their best to pull me up, it just took a while for me to reach out and grab their hand. My boy Sid was very young at the time, but although he was the youngest he probably had the strongest hand, it was him that made me stop.

I once read somewhere on a fan site a conversation between a couple of people, and one of them was saying they couldn’t believe I was the sort of person to hang up my guitar and just give in… when I read that it re-lit something in me, and those words have stuck in the back of my mind for a very long time! Thanks man! Who ever you are. Music is who I am, and for a time I lost my identity, but now it’s time to get down to some serious planet stomping!

Q2: I also read you use Pro-Tools for the programming side of Sunna. What other software and hardware do you use (or have used) for the electronic side of the band? And have you changed the way you create songs now, as opposed to the old days with the other band members?

Yeah, Pro-tools is the way forward, I still use my Akai MPC2000, but I shall soon be upgrading to the latest model, and I always record vocals through my Avalon valve compressor, it totally rocks. (The other band?) Ian MacLaren was the only member that was involved in the writing and recording. Flat line did overlay a couple of bits, but as for the other two, they were more like session musicians that joined the project for touring.

Q3: I ask this question to a lot to bands, but what is your opinion on this new age of file-sharing... AKA "piracy" to the recording industry?

I love the fact that it has brought anarchy to a monopolized industry! It’s really kicked those fuckers up the ass, and I say good on you, if you can take it why pay for it… BUT! On the other hand I can’t stand people who steal from the little man, and we all do it to each other. Why? It’s so annoying when you’ve worked hard for the basic things in life, only to have some sad fuck take it from you, because they can’t be arsed to work for it themselves. I know there’s a slight contradiction in what I say, and I am torn between what’s right and wrong, so personally I choose not to do it.

Q4: Even though the band broke up the same year the Spiderman film was released (2002), could the song Spider still have been released for the soundtrack, or were there legal entanglements that stopped your contribution?

Yeah, it could have and should have been used. I don’t know if there would have been legal problems, probably… but everything stopped anyway, I lost all contacts, all my great friends in the industry that loved what I was doing when I was signed soon disappeared.

Q5: Back to the Thrash Hits interview, you mentioned you had read the bible during your hiatus from music. What's your opinions on it, and religion in general?

WOW! Big question. First of all, these books of scripture are beautifully written and I love the way the entire Bible interweaves with its self! BUT! People can be so dammed manipulative and I feel that through it they pray on the vulnerable. You know it took around four hundred years for Christianity to take hold, and it was people walking across continents to spread the word. There were no phones, Internet, or TV, no cars… a few horses and camels maybe, but Sol (Killer of Christians) among many others certainly got around. The Scribes and Pharisees that killed Jesus said, if he is the true messiah then his teaching will live on no matter what… but it’s the no matter what that bothers me…!

Funny you know, but Jesus wasn’t a Christian, it didn’t exist then, he was a Jew, and from what I can clearly see from reading scripture is, he hated organized religion. Where do you think Jesus would be if he was (physically) alive today? Not in the fucking church that’s for sure… I reckon he might be in the pub, you know how he likes a drink… but his teachings are amazing, and it would be pretty cool to meet him. I feel it’s a real shame that people, even though we live in an age of reason and science, still close their eyes to fact, and believe the ramblings of vicars or preachers. If you want to believe in any of this stuff then read it for yourselves, if something happens for you then great, but keep it between you and God. Like the man himself said: Don’t let your right hand know what your left hand is doing. I hope this answers the question.

Q6: I'm a fan of industrial rock and metal, so Sunna's reformation really got me excited. I've noticed that England has a lot of talent in this genre of music, including bands such as Pitchshifter, and Justin Broadrick's (of Jesu) highly influential Godflesh (which oddly enough disbanded the same year as Sunna). Have you met or know any of the members of these bands?

Yep, I know them all. And last week I had lunch with the Queen, because England is such a small place and everyone knows everyone… No! I have met the drummer from Pitchshifter though (cool guy).

Q7: Jon, I suppose this question has been asked before, but your vocal stylings have a haunting reminiscence of Nirvana's Kurt Cobain. Was that intentional, and was that band a big influence on you growing up?

Intentional, no. I do really identify with Kurt’s plight though. Seattle Bristol, Bristol Seattle, they’re both twined with the moon. [Though] I didn’t like Smells Like Teen Spirit when it came out over here. It wasn’t until I was kicked off a Kibbutz in Israel and locked up for a week for slamming to it, and then fighting with 7 guys in the Kibbutz club, that I actually started to like it. It was after that, when I heard about his earlier stuff, like Bleach... wicked album!!

Q8: Now that you are independent, will you seek to acquire the rights to One Minute Silence for re-release? What about the b-sides? I really loved Weather Controller by the way.

I believe its all mine again after ten years anyway, and it’s science not silence! Yeah, Weather Controller I do with my other band Aereoplane. I’ll send you the version.

Q9: For historical-Wikipedia purposes, when were all of the band members (Jon, Ian, and Dave) born? You guys definitely need entries.

On our Birthdays… talk about a coincidence! That’s really shit isn’t it? Not telling you when our birthdays are, just seems so clichéd, but shit man we ain’t no spring chickens that’s for sure.

Q10: And finally... will you be playing Australia sometime in the not-to-distant future?

Funny you should ask, the day before you and Jay Williams had communications, I’d been chatting to my nephew Tom Harris, who is living in Sydney somewhere, with his wife to be, Kimberly Smith. They’re getting married in December, and I was coming out there to be his best man, just over the water from you on the Cook Islands. But unfortunately things have got so busy over here, I can’t spare the time, plus if I come out I want to be there for at least a couple of months, touring and kicking back! So to answer your question: YES we definitely want to come out to see you guys, and are looking for sponsorship to do so. I hear that Jack Daniels get involved with this kind of thing, Aah! JD.


Sunna - Power Struggle - Free videos are just a click away





Related Sites: Official Site/MySpace >> Free Download: Sunna - Ashes To Ashes (David Bowie Cover)