What would Weight of the Sun do without Craigslist?

The core of post-hardcore screamo/metal band Weight of the Sun was powered and created by Craigslist.

The group, formerly known as Chanauk, not only found their lead singer, David Martin, by posting an ad on Craigslist, but through trades with local music engineers and producers, they built a recording studio — Back to Bassics.

The transformation from Chanauk to Weight of the Sun happened over several years. In January 2013, bassist Rob Jones placed an ad on Craigslist looking for someone to sing to some “non-douchey, heavy-ish music.”

East Coast transplant David Martin, singer for metal/hardcore band the 25th Hour, answered the ad and tried out for the band.

“It was the longest tryout ever, about three months,” Martin tells the Reader.

Martin got in and the transformation continued.

One guitarist moved to Texas, and the band was back searching for new members. Martin recommended Brian Goold, former guitarist for hardcore band Four Seconds Forever.

With the band fully formed, Weight of the Sun, whose influences run the gamut from Faith No More to the Deftones, was ready to record. So, they logged on to Craigslist.

Rob Jones, the band’s bass player, and Martin found a space in Miramar. They remodeled the space, installing homemade sound panels and a vocal booth. Then they began trading gear on Craigslist for the equipment needed to become a bona fide studio.

“It took about six months before we turned it into an ‘actual recording studio’ instead of a bunch of rooms with computers and Pro Tools,” says Martin.

The band then approached Matt Murphy, a local producer who recorded prog metal band Periphery, with a proposal: record their debut album and have free access to the Back to Bassics studio.

Murphy agreed and is currently recording prog-metal bands Corelia and Nukem at Back to Bassics.

The studio now has a steady stream of bands.

“We have a couple of house engineers and producers that keep the studio busy throughout the month,” says Martin. “It’s great to see other artists making rad music in a studio we created. It feels more like a collective than a studio.”

The trades and hard work by Weight of the Sun paid off in May of last year, when the band released their debut, Commons. Weight of the Sun plays the Soda Bar on January 18, with Streetgirls, Shyfox, and Sever the Century.