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In just two years time, Sleep For Dreaming have blossomed from a burgeoning upstart to one of the southwest’s (USA) brightest buzz bands thanks to an infectious and inventive sound that’s equal parts Pop/Punk, Modern Rock and Indie inclined. In fact, the group’s DIY ethos has brought co-founders Zoe Bohlen (singer/guitarist) and Bryan Singer (drummer) from their humble roots in Bismarck, North Dakota to shake up their surroundings in Raleigh, North Carolina and eventual settling just outside of Amarillo, Texas where the group cemented its nucleus with the addition of bassist Calvin Barker and lead guitarist Ismael Armendariz through a mutual manager friend (Ja’Miah Burnett, who continues to oversee the group to this day).
“It was really going on a limb as to how we all came together,” says Bryan of the players’ initial differences in geographic upbringings. “But as we all started talking about our personal goals, they quickly became band goals and everyone was instantly on the same page with 100% commitment.”
Feeling compelled to deliver an authentic, heartfelt brand of songwriting, Sleep For Dreaming have literally sold many of their possessions to put the money exclusively towards music making. With all that in mind, “Sleep For Dreaming” was certainly a natural moniker for the group to choose; not to mention having a curious ring to it.
“It partially comes from Hamlet’s monologue ‘to sleep, perchance to dream,’ but Sleep For Dreaming has a lot of different meanings to us,” verifies Zoe. “To us, the name is a bit ironic as it suggests that you are only dreaming when you sleep and not actively pursuing your dreams, but in actuality, that’s what we are doing every second of every day. Dreams take more than a night’s sleep to make happen, at least, those dreams that you want to see come true.”
After testing out those philosophies and their songs on the regional road, Sleep For Dreaming is gearing up for its national debut EP ‘Memories,’ which is built on a foundation of contagious hooks, anthemic power chords and emotive lyrics that speak of various coming of age elements, all wound around the guys’ personal observations. Fans of Jimmy Eat World, Blink-182, Paramore, Taking Back Sunday or Mayday Parade and will instantly be struck with the surging sounds, along with the melodic variety that’s simply textbook Sleep For Dreaming.
With a commanding title track ‘Memories’ (written in the wake of a relationship not working out) the three minute radio-friendly confection makes it simply impossible not to roll down the windows and sing along. Topical and stylistic variety comes from ‘Satellites,’ which serves as the antithesis to ‘Memories’ in the fact that it longs for falling in love with the right person sometime down the line, wrapped around a rootsy, Nashville-inspired sound. The fist-pumper ‘Something Greater’ keeps the pace fast and feverish, while most overtly showcasing the group’s dream chasing goals. ‘In Your Arms’ helps bring the project full circle in its thought-provoking, acoustically-framed motif, but also as it intertwines with the recurring theme of relationships and aspirations.
“We want to make people think about life and what they can really do if they put their mind to it,” sums up Zoe. “We’re just a bunch of guys trying to chase something down, which is the only thing we can think about. It’s about pursuing a dream that we’ve had for years and going through everything it takes to obtain that dream.”
- Mbrio music
In just two years time, Sleep For Dreaming have blossomed from a burgeoning upstart to one of the southwest’s (USA) brightest buzz bands thanks to an infectious and inventive sound that’s equal parts Pop/Punk, Modern Rock and Indie inclined. In fact, the group’s DIY ethos has brought co-founders Zoe Bohlen (singer/guitarist) and Bryan Singer (drummer) from their humble roots in Bismarck, North Dakota to shake up their surroundings in Raleigh, North Carolina and eventual settling just outside of Amarillo, Texas where the group cemented its nucleus with the addition of bassist Calvin Barker and lead guitarist Ismael Armendariz through a mutual manager friend (Ja’Miah Burnett, who continues to oversee the group to this day).
“It was really going on a limb as to how we all came together,” says Bryan of the players’ initial differences in geographic upbringings. “But as we all started talking about our personal goals, they quickly became band goals and everyone was instantly on the same page with 100% commitment.”
Feeling compelled to deliver an authentic, heartfelt brand of songwriting, Sleep For Dreaming have literally sold many of their possessions to put the money exclusively towards music making. With all that in mind, “Sleep For Dreaming” was certainly a natural moniker for the group to choose; not to mention having a curious ring to it.
“It partially comes from Hamlet’s monologue ‘to sleep, perchance to dream,’ but Sleep For Dreaming has a lot of different meanings to us,” verifies Zoe. “To us, the name is a bit ironic as it suggests that you are only dreaming when you sleep and not actively pursuing your dreams, but in actuality, that’s what we are doing every second of every day. Dreams take more than a night’s sleep to make happen, at least, those dreams that you want to see come true.”
After testing out those philosophies and their songs on the regional road, Sleep For Dreaming is gearing up for its national debut EP ‘Memories,’ which is built on a foundation of contagious hooks, anthemic power chords and emotive lyrics that speak of various coming of age elements, all wound around the guys’ personal observations. Fans of Jimmy Eat World, Blink-182, Paramore, Taking Back Sunday or Mayday Parade and will instantly be struck with the surging sounds, along with the melodic variety that’s simply textbook Sleep For Dreaming.
With a commanding title track ‘Memories’ (written in the wake of a relationship not working out) the three minute radio-friendly confection makes it simply impossible not to roll down the windows and sing along. Topical and stylistic variety comes from ‘Satellites,’ which serves as the antithesis to ‘Memories’ in the fact that it longs for falling in love with the right person sometime down the line, wrapped around a rootsy, Nashville-inspired sound. The fist-pumper ‘Something Greater’ keeps the pace fast and feverish, while most overtly showcasing the group’s dream chasing goals. ‘In Your Arms’ helps bring the project full circle in its thought-provoking, acoustically-framed motif, but also as it intertwines with the recurring theme of relationships and aspirations.
“We want to make people think about life and what they can really do if they put their mind to it,” sums up Zoe. “We’re just a bunch of guys trying to chase something down, which is the only thing we can think about. It’s about pursuing a dream that we’ve had for years and going through everything it takes to obtain that dream.”
- Mbrio music
Artist: Sleep for Dreaming
Album: Memories
Label: None
Release Date: 6/18/13
Reviewer: Cimarron Hatch
Buy The Album Here
Tracklisting:
1.Memories
2.Satellites
3.Something Greater
4.In Your Arms
Sleep for Dreaming is a band of four guys currently based in Amarillo, Texas. The pop/punk and indie rock influenced band is made up of lead singer and guitarist Zoe Bohlen, lead guitarist Ismael Armendez, bassist Calvin Barker, and drummer Bryan Singer. The name of the band comes from Shakespeare’s Hamlet’s monologue “to sleep, perchance to dream.” Memories is their first EP release, and they are hoping to gain some new fans with it.
The first track, “Memories,” shows off the band’s pop/punk side with pounding drums and searing guitars. The lyrics focus on remembering what life was like before taking off on tour with a popular band and having to leave a significant other behind. Basically just reminiscing about a summer spent with someone: “Memories like photographs inside my mind / reflections of the summertime.” Next, “Satellites” is a very sappy indie rock love song about really pining for someone and wanting them to feel the same way. There are very cute and sweet lyrics such as: “I saw you in the moonlight / you looked so beautiful… / …and the satellites and the full moon saw / how amazing you are.” Swoon; am I right?
“Something Greater” is a slower song about looking for God and then finding him as a reason for everything. The instrumentation includes lots of subtle guitars with piano and drums. The bridge takes the song to a fuller rock sound that continues to the end. “In Your Arms” is yet another love song, but this time it’s a slow acoustic number. It seems like a lullaby to try and woo a girl. I really enjoyed the echoing piano.
Overall: Sleep for Dreaming is a promising new band, and this EP is sure to bring them some attention. Their instrumentation is all very well done, and their lyrics are thoughtful and never cliched. This band’s sound reminds me a bit of Paradise Fears, who is currently becoming quite a popular act. I believe this Memories EP has brought a perfect sampling of what we can expect from Sleep for Dreaming in the future, and I hope to see a full-length release soon.
Sleep for Dreaming - Memories, 4.4 out of 5 based on 7 ratings - Indie Vision Music
Discography
Memories-EP
Photos
Bio
In just two years time, Sleep For Dreaming has blossomed from a burgeoning upstart to one of the southwest’s brightest buzz bands thanks to an infectious and inventive sound that’s equal parts pop/punk, modern rock and indie inclined. In fact, the group’s DIY ethos has brought co-founders Zoe Bohlen (singer/guitarist) and Bryan Singer (drummer) from their humble roots in Bismarck, North Dakota to shake up their surroundings in Raleigh, North Carolina and eventual settling just outside of Amarillo, Texas where the group cemented its nucleus with the addition of bassist Calvin Barker and lead guitarist Ismael Armendariz through a mutual friend.
“It was really going on a limb as to how we all came together,” says Bryan of the players’ initial differences in geographic upbringings. “But as we all started talking about our personal goals, they quickly became band goals and everyone was instantly on the same page with 100% commitment.”
Aside from sharing many musical similarities (more on those in a minute), the guys are also clearly united in the idea of pursuing their dreams to the fullest. Not only did the foursome all feel compelled to deliver an authentic, heartfelt brand of songwriting, but they’ve quite literally sold many of their possessions to put the money exclusively towards music making. With all that in mind, Sleep For Dreaming was certainly a natural moniker for the group to choose, not to mention having a curious ring to it.
“It partially comes from Hamlet’s monologue ‘to sleep, perchance to dream,’ but Sleep For Dreaming has a lot of different meanings to us,” verifies Zoe. “To us, the name is a bit ironic as it suggests that you are only dreaming when you sleep and not actively pursuing your dreams, but in actuality, that’s what we are doing every second of every day. Dreams take more than a night’s sleep to make happen, at least, those dreams that you want to see come true.”
After testing out those philosophies and their songs on the regional road, Sleep For Dreaming is gearing up for its national debut EP Memories, which is built on a foundation of contagious hooks, anthemic power chords and emotive lyrics that speak of various coming of age elements, all wound around the guys’ personal observations. Fans of Jimmy Eat World, Blink-182, Paramore, Taking Back Sunday or Mayday Parade and will instantly be struck with the surging sounds, along with the melodic variety that’s simply textbook Sleep For Dreaming.
“The hardest question to answer is who we sound like, and I can’t give you a definite answer who or what our genre can be, which I think can be a good thing, although if you like any of those bands, you’d probably be into checking out our music as well,” notes Bryan before Zoe continues. “I kind of shy away from comparisons because we want to be our own group. We’d like to be our own thing completely and see where it takes us.”
One major point of distinction is Sleep For Dreaming’s songwriting smarts, which starts out with the attention commanding title track “Memories.” Written in the wake of a relationship not working out (but don’t worry, it was for the best), the three minute radio-friendly confection makes it simply impossible not to roll down the windows and sing along. Topical and stylistic variety comes from “Satellites,” which serves as the antithesis to “Memories” in the fact that it longs for falling in love with the right person sometime down the line, wrapped around a rootsy, Nashville-inspired sound. The fist-pumper “Something Greater” keeps the pace fast and feverish, while most overtly showcasing the group’s dream chasing goals. “In Your Arms” helps bring the project full circle in its thought-provoking, acoustically-framed motif, but also as it intertwines with the recurring theme of relationships and aspirations.
Even though Zoe’s the primary songwriter, all of the guys have distinct personalities that contribute to the clever chemistry of Sleep For Dreaming. We’ll start with Bryan, the laid back patriarch of the band who everyone else credits as the glue which holds the guys together. “Music has always been a huge passion in my life,” he admits. “I started playing drums when I was 13 and got my first kit when I was 14. I grew up in an athletic family, but when my brothers were playing basketball, I’d bring my drums and play in the pep band. I always preferred that over trying to be a terrible athlete. I always had the personality of holding things together and keeping everyone’s head on straight while trying to keep on my own.”
His long time friend and fearless front man Zoe certainly evokes charisma at every turn, which only makes sense given his incredibly extroverted upbringing. “I’m used to performing since I was a kid,” he shares. “My parents went to college to be in theatre, raised me in acting and I even played Peter Pan in a theatre production. In a sense with Sleep For Dreaming, I’m taking that to the next level. I’m not super grea
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