If you’ve had an active interest in the local music community in recent years, there’s a good chance you are familiar with The Sleeps. For years, The Sleeps were a popular electro-rock trio who set themselves apart with their electronic drum sounds, memorable guitar and keyboard instrumentation, catchy two-part vocals, and glow-in-the-dark live performances. They played a ton of shows, and always seemed to be writing new music, so after a substantial period of time passed without any shows or any new music, I figured they were no more. To top it off, one of the members moved to Florida.
After months of hearing nothing about them, I caught wind that The Sleeps were playing shows again. I called them up and scheduled an informal interview with them at Coffee Corners in Middlefield to get the scoop on their renaissance.
During the first incarnation of The Sleeps, the band consisted of Ricky Fiske on drums, and Andrew Matco and David Strock sharing duties on the guitar and keyboard with both doing vocals as well. As two musicians sat before me, instead of the three that I was accustomed to, my first question was, “Is it just you guys now?”
Andrew – “Yeah, that’s what it is now. Dave headed down to Daytona Beach, Florida.”
The Sleeps have become a duo. A lot of changes have been made. Ricky remains on the drums, but Andrew now plays the bass instead of keyboard or guitar. The bass gets processed through many effects to create a full and interesting sound.
Andrew – “We pretty much had to completely retool, completely overhaul mostly out of necessity, and functionality. There was a period where I was dabbling on keys to kind of maintain a similar vibe as before. The keyboard is a pretty versatile instrument, so I thought it would work favorably, but it’s a little more stationary of an instrument. It’s not as interesting to look at. It’s not as expressive.”
Not only have they completely reinvented themselves instrumentally, they have written an entirely new set of songs. None of the old material is included in the new set. The new songs have a noticeably different feel to them lyrically. Dave and Andrew used to cowrite the songs. Now that Andrew is the sole writer, the songs have taken on a different personality. To me, they seem a bit more serious, more relatable, and slightly darker and less optimistic.
Andrew – “I don’t mind optimism, in fact I kind of envy it. I wish it came easier for me. I’m drawn to focusing on certain perspectives in life that are maybe not necessarily the most uplifting, but maybe enlightening, so to speak. I think it’s kinda like a blessing and a curse to be more or less the songwriter. It kind of caters to my own desires individually and personally, but at the same time you don’t have the feedback.”
Working with only two people could present a lot of challenges, but they really never considered trying to replace Dave. They like the chemistry between the two of them and are back to making great music.
Andrew – “I think I kind of enjoy working with the limitations of a two-piece because it forces you to be a little more inventive.”
Ricky – “You have to try that much harder. You have to fill that much more space. We like that new element.”
Since The Sleeps have been around, I’ve always thought they never got the recognition they deserved, even locally and regionally. I always assumed they would get picked up by an independent label of some sort, but like many good bands in the Cleveland area, they go largely unnoticed outside of their immediate fan base and don’t find music to be financially rewarding at all. They do find it to be rewarding in other ways though.
Andrew – “I feel like I’m in the wrong business sometimes. I’m just not a businessman. I’m not an entrepreneur as far as making it financially with music. That’s primarily what it is. It’s all about marketing and advertising. What ticks me off is that I can’t just step away from it. I remember after high school I went off to college, and I know it sounds cheesy, but it kind of beckons to you. It’s like you’ve got to have an instrument in your hands. It’s just become so ingrained in the person who I am that I don’t know what else to do with myself. You put so much time into this, and you’ve really just geared yourself for this to be a main part of your lifestyle. You might as well go with it. I kinda see it as an addiction. The first time you set foot on stage, it’s like you’ve got the itch. You get the taste of blood, and you don’t want to let it go.”
Ricky – “[Making music] is almost like a super power. You can escape into it.”
Andrew – “Music is the one thing in my life that I’ve continually come back to and consistently done something with or stuck with over these years, so I guess that must mean something. It does kind of feel like it gives me a sense of purpose.”
Ricky – “The way I see it is, don’t ever miss out on an opportunity. You’ll be old one day and regret not doing something. I think when we’re young, there’s no reason we shouldn’t take advantage of doing something that would be considered a dream (of ours).”
The Sleeps plan to release a self-titled EP of their new songs soon. It will be available for free at live performances and online. For now you can check them out online and on Facebook.
The Sleeps will be playing at JB’s in Kent on Friday, December 7, at 7 p.m. as part of their Rock and Snow event. They will also be playing at Summit Art Space in downtown Akron on Saturday, January 12. See you there!
Author: Jack O'Connell
Jack is an audio engineer, musician, and music enthusiast.