Waves of heat beat down on the black truck bed shell of Firesky Future’s ocean blue Ford Ranger as it laid motionless in Chicago rush-hour traffic.

The black trash bag covering the windows act as opaque oven windows as the overflow of passengers and equipment bake inside.

“We had a walkie (talkie) so we could communicate between the front and the back,” Travis Cooper, drummer for the Firesky Future said. “I was driving, and I heard kssh ‘Sean has to use the bathroom’ kssh. I was like, ‘can’t you see we’re in the middle of downtown Chicago. We’re on the freeway, and we’re not moving. What do you want me to do?'”

“I filled up an ol’ Gatorade bottle,” said Sean Kelly, vocalist and rhythm guitarist for Firesky Future.

This could be a peculiar and embarrassing story for some, but it was just another day in the life of the Charleston born and raised pop-punk quartet Firesky Future.

Also in the fun-loving band are Andy Long, bassist and vocalist, and Cyrus Bardsley, lead guitarist.

You’re not alone if the name Firesky Future doesn’t look familiar in the recently growing list of bar band performances.

The band has been on hiatus while recording their debut album titled “Local Tragedy.”

“The timing on (the release) is pretty good. We’re getting ready for summer,” Long said. “We’re hoping to catch on, and start rolling on tour or doing whatever we need to do to get where we want to be.”

And rolling the band is with one performance this summer slated as an opening act for New Found Glory.

“It’s a show in Milwaukee,” Kelly said. “We’re kind of the opening for the openers.”

“Yeah, so we’re playing in the same building,” Long says as the band unites in laughter.

“We’re excited because it’s definitely the biggest show we’ve performed for,” Kelly said. “It’s going to be hands down three or four times bigger than the crowds we’re used to performing for.”

Firesky Future hopes that this summer proves to be pop-punk’s second rising with some industry giants such as Green Day, Blink-182 and No Doubt said to reunite or be dropping new albums.

“We all grew up here. There is a lot of good stuff in this town. If you’re trying to be a musician that plays pop punk music there just isn’t a whole lot of enterprise. That’s sort of what the whole record is about,” Long said. “Local tragedy is about people that I know that I feel there is so much lack of support. It’s nothing against them, but they just don’t understand. It’s almost as if people can’t wait to see you fail. It’s not exactly easy telling mom and dad, ‘Hey I’m going to be in a band.'”

Charleston maybe isn’t the best spot to try and make it as a pop punk musician.

Firesky Future certainly feels that pop-punk will rise once again in a new form of the genre.

“Its simply pop rock and pop rock will never die,” said Kelly.

Firesky Future, shown here at their Top of the Roc performance on January 23, will be playing at 10 p.m. today at Mom’s, located on Monroe Ave. next to Mike and Stan’s. (Photo Courtesy of Firesky Future)

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