Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Interviews
Forum Description: Original interviews with Prog artists (which are exclusive to Prog Archives)
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=82500 Printed Date: December 22 2024 at 22:40 Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.01 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Sleepy SunPosted By: toroddfuglesteg
Subject: Sleepy Sun
Date Posted: November 04 2011 at 17:10
SLEEPY SUN were at the beginning formed as a five-piece bluesy garage rock outfit named MANIA by UC (University of California) Santa Cruz students Bret CONSTANTINO (voices), Matt HOLLIMAN (guitar), Evan REISS (guitar), Hubert GUY (bass), and Brian TICE (drums) in 2005. The young, promising quintet gradually expanded their garage rock style into eclectic psychedelia and around 2007 they naturally changed their band's name to SLEEPY SUN.
Three releases has followed so far and Matt Holliman gives us the story so far.
When, where and by whom was your band born ? Did
any of you have any experience from any other bands before forming Sleepy Sun ?
Why did you choose that name and what does this name means to you
?
The first incantation of Sleepy Sun came about in Santa Cruz, CA in
2004 where four of us met while attending UC Santa Cruz. Evan, Matt, and Brian
played in various bands in high school. The original name of the group was Mania
but changed the name to Sleepy Sun around 2006. The name comes from the track
Sleepy Son which was written during Mania era-- due to name conflicts with
another band titled Mania, the name was changed to avoid any future
issues.
How was the music scene in your local area when
you started ?
Santa Cruz has a very eclectic music scene, both today and when the
band formed in 2004. There wasn't any particular scene in the area: we had
everything from indie folk at the coffee shops to black metal in the forest.
Over to your two albums & three EPs. Your
debut album was Embrace from 2008. Please tell us more about this
album.
Embrace was written during our last couple years in Santa Cruz. Most of
us graduated in the summer of 2007 and we took the songs we had to Colin Stewart
at The Hive studios in Vancouver, BC. We had worked with Colin on a previous EP
for Mania which eventually paved the road for Sleepy Sun. Over the course of two
weeks the band slept and recorded in The Hive. Once the record was complete we
moved to San Francisco, and released the record for free on the internet which
definitely helped get our footing in the area. About a year later Embrace was
picked up by ATP during our first SXSW excursion.
Your second and most recent album was Fever from
last year. Please tell us more about this
album.
Fever was written back to back with Embrace. After we moved to San
Francisco we immediately started work on the tracks that would end up on Fever.
By the time Embrace was picked up by ATP we had a handful of tracks ready to
record in Vancouver, BC-- again with Colin Stewart. Another two weeks of
sleeping/working in the studio with a little break in between to run around on
the island of Victoria. We kicked off full touring for Embrace after Fever was
finished and then released it a year later with ATP.
You have also released the three Eps New Age,
Sleepy Son and Open Eyes. Please tell us more about these
EPs.
These are singles (some vinyl) which were released in conjunction with
various tour schedules over the course of two years. The Open Eyes EP has two
live tracks from our very first ATP festival in England during May 2009,
including our cover of Fleetwood Mac's The Chain.
For those of us unknown with your music; how would
you describe you music and which bands would you compare yourself with
?
Loud ones. Some soft.
What is your plans for this year and beyond ?
Right now we're wrapping up writing our third record and have plans to
record in December. Tentative plan to release in Spring 2012. Touring to
ensue.
Thank you to Matt for this interview
Their PA profile is http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=5579" rel="nofollow - and their homepage is http://sleepysun.net/" rel="nofollow -