10 Quick Ones with SLEEPWAR – January 2018
According to a recent press release: “Phoenix based, Indie Rock band Sleepwar has released the Official Music Video for their single, “Thousand Different Faces.” Originally premiered on Paste Magazine, “Thousand Different Faces” is the first single off of the band’s upcoming debut EP, When We Were, and is available for FREE download.” We get the band to answer to our 10 Quick Ones about new music, influences, and more…
1. Tell us a little about your latest release. What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through? Are there any hidden nuggets the band put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?
When We Were (2018) has taken more time to create than we thought it would. We wanted to make sure we were sharing something special, something that would create a connection with our audience. Any band can throw together and record 5 songs; it’s not hard to do. With When We Were, we decided to push ourselves past the mundane and explore the dark part of our pasts in an unflinching way. One thing that we really appreciate about this EP is that it tells a story. Each song is a puzzle piece that just came together perfectly. From beginning to end the tone goes from anger and doubt, to self loathing and self examination, into despair, recovery and finally renewal. In terms of hidden nuggets, of course there’s stuff buried deep. We love doing stuff like that. But, where would the fun be if we told you where to find them?
2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?
We all got into music at different points in our lives and for different reasons, though we all love the connection that music brings. We don’t do this because we think it will make us rock stars, we do this because it is our passion. We do this because we don’t know how not to do this.
3. Who would be your main five musical influences?
We all have different influences and that’s what makes this band special. Brendan loves AC/DC whereas Tim’s favorite artist is Tom Waits. One of our favorite things to do is share new music with each other that we dig.
4. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be?
Justin Bieber, because then we could all hang out and have a conversation and see what makes him tick and what is important to him and be completely honest and vulnerable. We would all create magic!
5. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before?
Indie-rock with synth pop and new wave influence and subject matter of addiction, recovery, despair, self-discovery and self-actualization.
6. What’s the best thing about being a musician?
The connections you make with other people. Bring up music that we like and we can have a great conversation that transcends the mundane.
7. When the band are all hanging out together, who cooks; who gets the drinks in; and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?
If a piano is available, Tim will be sitting on the bench in front of the piano messing around with ideas. Roger will mess around with beat and vocal ideas and James will be there writing down words for everything. Roger’s wife Megan cooks. She is amazing!
8. If you weren’t a musician, what would be your dream job?
That’s a weird question because we all have great jobs that we love. Maybe the better answer is that it’s 2018 and we don’t have to just have one dream job!
9. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over”?
Too many missteps to list here, probably. But “do-over”? No, we appreciate the mistakes we’ve made and have learned from. The thing to remember is that with every mistake you make you are always growing and hopefully becoming better. Tim worked on producing music for around a decade before Sleepwar was even formed. Nothing “just happens”. It’s all a culmination of your past that helps you create the present/future.
10. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?
The recording by Edouard-Leon Scott de Martinville of a woman singing ‘Au… Clair De La Lune’ on April 9, 1860. This was the first audio recording ever, the first time anything like this has been done. To be in the room when the record was played back would be electric, to know that you are part of the group of people who made something truly special and impactful. I wonder if they could have grasped how much they changed history.
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Category: Interviews