The Sunpilots

The Sunpilots are an Australian progressive rock band from Sydney. Born in Brisbane, Australia to a classically trained Sri Lankan mother, Raj Siva-Rajah began his music training at the age of 8. During highschool he played in alternative rock bands with friends whilst also learning the 72 basic scales of Carnatic music (the form of classical Eastern music his mother performed) at the same time.

Raj’s move to Sydney in 2006 and the befriending of musician Bob Spencer (guitar) led to the formation of The Sunpilots. The band released their first EP in June 2006 and despite originally being recorded as a demo, the release found its way onto the airwaves through Australian radio networks such as triple J and Nova. The resulting buzz saw the band’s MySpace and YouTube presence grow considerably over the year, eventuating in them winning the Producers Award at the Musicoz Awards.