2005 through 2009, Previous Bands:
When Rich and Amanda first started playing together in a band in Rich's garage in 2005, they bickered like brother and sister, which they still tend to do. Rich noticed that Amanda played the guitar more like a bass. and convinced her to switch. He had previously purchased a PA, bass, bass amp, and drum set because most of their band mates didn't have their own gear. Due to a constant revolving door of drummers and other musicians, the band changed names, regrouped and disbanded many times. The music never left the garage, but Rich continued to work on the music even when he was the only one left.
During this time, Kyle provided the backbone to many bands, including Scout 51, Zero Element, and Snatchrivet, playing gigs all over the Tampa area. He earned the reputation in the local music scene as a solid drummer with a knack for technically unique drum beats and a mop of long curly hair.
In 2008, Amanda and Kyle played in a band called Holli until late 2009. Holli was a 3 piece pop rock band with 2 bass players and a drummer (no guitar), which made for a very unique sound. The band also oriented the two of them towards each other's playing style. Kyle cut his hair short, but luckily this did not have the “Samson effect" on his drumming skills.
Late 2009, The Turning Point:
Amanda started to write with Rich again in late 2009, and it was apparent that both of their writing and playing styles had progressed and evolved into something that they knew had a lot of potential. They decided to split the vocal leads equally between Rich and Amanda, giving their sound more diversity than possible with a single lead singer. Soon, Kyle started writing and playing with them, and he was the missing piece to complete the triple threat of awesomeness.
2010 and Beyond:
They wrote their first 12 songs together in just a few months, perfecting each one of them over a year. Their “sound" is difficult to pin down because each song seems to come from a different band. Once, they were described as a blend of Tool and Fleetwood Mac. Another time, they were compared to the music System of a Down without the vocals. You'll find hard rock, blues, jazz, pop, and many other genres mixed in their music. Sunshine & Bullets has performed their intoxicating blend of rock on many stages large and small, from smoky dive bars to full scale live music venues in Tampa, St Pete, New Port Richey, Clearwater, Orlando, Gainesville, Miami, Jacksonville, Port Charlotte, Oneida, and Englewood.