MAKING A COMEBACK. J.E. Sunde will be back in the Valley this summer for two performances from songs in his new album, releasing June 16. (Photo via jesunde.com)

Making his way back to his roots, Jonathan Sunde – professionally known as J.E. Sunde – will be returning to the Chippewa Valley this summer performing songs from his new album, Alice, Gloria and Jon.

While his tour will take him throughout Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa, Sunde will be back in the Chippewa Valley twice. Sunde's first stop will be at Brewery Nonic in Menomonie on June 25 and then back again at UME Studios in Eau Claire on July 22.

Though originally from Amery, Wisconsin, Sunde has deep musical roots in Eau Claire. You may have originally heard of him when he was a part of the local band, Daredevil Christopher Wright, with his brother and good friend about 10 years ago.

"Eau Claire was a pretty incredible incubator for learning how to be in a band and just a very welcoming community for people
who wanted to make music."

JONATHAN "J.E." SUNDE

musician

“Eau Claire was a pretty incredible incubator for learning how to be in a band and just a very welcoming community for people who wanted to make music,” Sunde said. “So it was a really vibrant space to be creating in and learning how to create and learning how to be in a band, to perform live, everything.”

Alice, Gloria and Jon follows both fictional and non-fictional characters as they struggle to navigate adulthood. Sunde describes this album as almost a character study, exploring these themes through the characters, Alice and Gloria, while also showing his own experiences with the same feelings, thus the addition of his own name to the title.

“There are these narratives that we build up either explicitly or just kind of soak up by osmosis about how adulthood is supposed to look and then the confusion when maybe it doesn't work out exactly that way or the disorientation of needing to adjust that,” Sunde said. “And sometimes the disorientation comes from the fact that you actually never even articulated those expectations to yourself until you’re suddenly confronted with them.”

The album is in a stage of slow release, as some songs are being released as singles over time, but the whole album will be available for streaming on June 16 – right in time for his Chippewa Valley shows.

Learn more about J.E. Sunde and buy tickets for his upcoming shows at jesunde.com.