When Adam Shoenfeld and Katie Cook fell in love, they decided to come together and embrace a passion they both shared: music.
Together they formed the country music duo SunKat. The band will visit Gainesville Oct. 19 and perform at the annual Tom Petty Birthday Bash, a free local music festival hosted at Depot Park featuring over 20 bands.
Shoenfeld is known as a songwriter and producer, as well as the touring guitarist for artist Tim McGraw. Cook is also an independent musician and currently co-hosts CMT’s “Hot 20 Countdown.”
Both experienced artists in their own right, together Cook and Shoenfeld form an intimate country/Americana duo where they explore their passions for songwriting and merge them with their own feelings and experiences.
Shoenfeld describes the band’s music as some of the most personal he’s ever created.
“It’s kind of a musical dream come true,” Shoenfeld said. “It feels more right than almost anything I’ve done musically in my career.”
SunKat was invited to perform at the Bash after making a tribute song to Petty, whom they list as one of their biggest music inspirations. Shoenfeld said the pair are looking forward to performing at the event and recognizing Petty’s legacy.
“To do [the Bash] in his name is beyond an honor. We were in tears when Steve Ferrone [drummer for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers] called us and wanted to play the song on his radio show,” Shoenfeld said. “It means more to us than almost anything.”
The pair originally had no plans to share their tribute to Petty with an audience, calling Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ place in their heart “sacred.” Now they hope that their performance at the Bash will connect them with other fans of Petty and allow them to honor his musical contributions with the community.
“We’re going to be there celebrating just like [the audience],” Shoenfeld said. “There’s a couple of die-hard Tom Petty fans that have heard our song, and I know our song has touched them, and I hope we can touch some more people with it too.”
SunKat will be performing three covers of Tom Petty songs at the event in addition to their tribute. As for their own content, SunKat hopes to release a new album soon, perhaps by the time of the show.
“The beautiful thing about Tom Petty was the minute you heard his voice, you thought you knew him. You thought he was your friend,” Shoenfeld said.
The Bash will be held Oct. 18-20 at Depot Park. General admission tickets are free, but attendees are encouraged to reserve their tickets in advance to provide a headcount for the event. Tickets and special packages are available on the Bash’s website.
(L-R) SunKat members Adam Shoenfeld and Katie Cook will be performing October 19 at the annual Tom Petty Birthday Bash, where they will honor one of their biggest musical inspirations.
