Sunnysiders started as a duo by the singer, guitar, ukulele and harmonica player Boris Hrepić ‘Hrepa’ and the singer and percussion player Antonija Vrgoč ‘Rola’. In 2010 they won the 2nd Croatian Blues Challenge and in 2011 played in the semifinals of the 27th International Blues Challenge in Memphis, USA.
Following Memphis, as a full band, they recorded four albums: nominated for Porin Award Licence to Blues (2011), 10 kartolina s daleke obale (2016), awarded by Fender Mega Music Click Play (2017) and The Bridges (2020.) The Bridges reached position 117 at Roots Music Report’s Top 200 Contemporary Blues Albums for the year 2020 and received more than 40 great reviews from blues and rock magazines and portals from all over the world. Single You’re Not That Good For Me To Cry reached many radio Top charts and passed to semifinal of 2020 International Songwriting Competition in Nashville. Third album single Tiny Soul reached position 41 at Roots Music Report Contemporary Song Chart.
The American Goldmine (The Music Collector’s Magazine) included them among 10 favorites of the edition of American musical expression for 2020.
Rola and Hrepa wrote the song Keep the Blues Alive and recorded it, with Croatian bluesers and Croatian Youth Band, in Ardent Studio in Memphis. In 2020 they promoted the song, as vinyl and chocolate single, on Chanell 3 in Memphis.
They are proud to have supported and shared the stage with Johnny Winter, Ana Popovic, Eric Sardinas, Manu Lanvin, Mike Vernon, Eric Noden & Joe Filisko and Norman Beaker among others.
Boris was a long time president of Croatian Blues Forces, a Croatian blues society that received a Keeping The Blues Alive award, a blues mentor in Poprock School and Kids Blues Camp Lonjsko Polje, a member of Blues Foundation and European Blues Union and a art director of Thrill Blues Festival. He is also a international blues competition judge (International Blues Challenge, European Blues Challenge, International Mississippi Blues Trail Challenge)
Sunnysiders are performing as quintet, with Rola and Hrepa and Luka Banić on electric guitar, Tomi Novak on bass and Miha Vlah on drums.
In May 2022 they started to record their fifth album in Split with Miki Nopling as producer, and they finished and mixed it in Paris, at Studio 180, during March 2023.
In meantime they played at Blustracje Festival in Poland, Blues Festival Baden in Switzerland, Mostar Rock&Blues Festival in Bosnia, and Croatian Thrill Blues Festival and Kids Blues Camp Lonjsko Polje.
New album, 27 Stitches, with 12 original songs, will be released at Octobar 12th 2023 by Dancing Bear, and promoted by Frank Roszak Promotion.
„The best thing about this Croatian band is that the burden of blues history is not apparent from their songwriting or expression.“ – BluesBlast (USA)
„The vocal combination of Hrepa and Rola works really well, sort of a sand and silk combination. And the songwriting and music throughout is just wonderful.“ – Blues Bytes magazine (USA)
„Antonija’s voice is versatile, at times a powerhouse, at times nicely restrained, while Boris at times can be downright scary. The contrast when they sing together is intriguing and quite compelling. Blues from Croatia? Of course – the blues is an international language. Sunnysiders prove themselves to be fine songwriters, with fresh-sounding lyrics, and top-notch performers, and they deserve every bit of attention within and beyond their native Croatia.“ – Down at the Crossroads (USA)
„Rather fine European blues all around, this one.“ – Bits Magazine (UK)
„Fancy some Croatian blues? Of course! The self-penned material is largely acoustic based, but they can whip some rockabilly and blues rock when they need to.“ – Blues Matters (UK)
„This group have a very personal sound, a significant asset to stand out competition. In short, we never get bored.“ – Blues Alive ( France)
„The Croatian team of Antonija Vrgoc Rola and Boris Hrepic Hrepa combine vocals that sound like they were weaned on gravel, while Rola hits a mean tambourine, Hrepa plays acoustic guitar and harp. Chicago via Croatia! – Jazz Weekly (USA)
„Sunnysiders plays their own songs with a lot of originality and freshness that deviate to a large extent from the canons established in blues, but nevertheless the perfume of said genre plans are deep in their music“ – La hora del blues (Spain)
„Sunnysiders are a Croatian band led by singer Antonija Vrgoč Rola and singer/guitarist Boris Hrepić Hrepa. Rola’s voice is sweet, vulnerable, and emotive. The bluesiness often reads as a weariness, like she’s given us everything she has and there’s nothing left in the tank. Hrepa’s voice is grittier, more on the Tom Waits end of the spectrum. The two voices together are wonderful, different from each other, yet somehow meshing together like Legos. Sunnysiders nail the blues sound, but also create something new and lovely.“ – Working Mojo (USA)
“A series of individual solos, a lot of humor and generosity, choruses that are immediately memorable, incredible energy added to the talent makes this band instantly irresistible.” – Fred Delforge , Zizacine.net (France)
