Hard rock band September Sky recently played the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis. To Hoosiers and football fans that remember the 80s well, this is not the soft-domed stadium later named the RCA Dome that the NFL’s Colts played in after moving to Indianapolis from Baltimore until 2008. This is a small, standing-room only concert venue in the Fountain Square neighborhood of Indianapolis, one of Indianapolis’ cultural neighborhoods. We sent photographer and Exclusiv Magazine Senior Editor Michael Lombardi to cover the show and conduct an interview with lead singer Scott Bernhardt. 

September Sky can be described as hard rock or metal. When asked to define their music, Scott said, “We’ve always tried to communicate emotion and life’s struggles through our music and lyrics. We seem to connect with our audience about the human condition. Music that makes you “feel” something is true art and that’s what we strive for.” He cites Metallica, Tool, Trivium, Ozzy, and “90s grunge bands” as the group’s musical inspiration.

The band formed about 10 years ago after Scott met guitarist Oz through work. They started acoustic and “slowly morphed into a heavier and heavier project.” September Sky “had a couple [of] line up changes over the years.” Their current lead guitarist, Rainey, first started out as producer on their debut album and ended up eventually adding guitar duties. Bassist Kevin and drummer Becket came aboard “about a year ago” to round out the current lineup. Bernhardt says they’re a “very solid group and we have great respect for each other musically/personally.”

That late summer Saturday night that we covered September Sky, Michigan-based band Eva Under Fire headlined. When asked about other bands September Sky has played with that they really liked, Bernhardt said, “Several come to mind. Honestly, Eva Under Fire was fantastic. Great vibe and sound coming from that group. Enjoyed playing with them the night we met you.”

Asked what they have on the horizon, the frontman said, “We have several things in the works. Acoustic album and documentary are [in development].” He also said September Sky has a handful of shows this fall, are getting ready to shoot their next music video, and are otherwise staying pretty busy.

When asked about songs that resonate the most with fans, Bernhardt said, “The Fight always connects. I think people can relate to that song. It really depends on the energy of the crowd and chemistry of the set. Ted and House of Shadows always translate well live, too.”

Wrapping up, we asked Scott how can fans best support independent music acts like September Sky.

“Our music is everywhere online. iTunes, Amazon, etc. Or go to our website and order it there. Online purchases is the easiest way to support us. We feel fans really have to listen to our recorded music and watch the videos to understand the music and message. To ‘experience the story’ as we say. That really helps bring the stage show to another level.”

You can go to September Sky’s website and get 3 free tracks in exchange for your name and email. Or find them on Spotify and YouTube as well.