Sleepover

Gavin: Hey guys, first off, tell us a little about yourselves.

Lydia: My name’s Lydia, I’m pretty good at killing zombies, and I’m Twee as fuck.

Braden: Well, the names Braden. I'm a human development family studies major at the University of Utah. I like otter pops and Donkey Kong Country. That pretty much covers it.

Stephen: I'm Stephen Walter and I play drums for Sleepover. I'm a twenty-three year old male.

Gavin: What got you interested in music, and who were some of your favorite acts and musical influences growing up?

Braden: When I was a young teenager I got super into 80's punk like Circle Jerks, Angry Samoans and Operation Ivy. But when I was 15 I heard Mirah's song "Sweepstakes Prize" for the first time on a KRCL's Kicking Judy (R.I.P). It totally blew my mind. After that I started to get into more indie pop stuff. Now a days, I'm into whatever. I really like 60's girl groups and classic stuff like Bo Diddley. Basically I'm a sucker for pop music.

Stephen: I've been in love with music since my dad bought me a boom-box and a copy of Abbey Road. I still feel like I'm growing up, but I think Beastie Boys and Pixies have probably been my biggest influences personally. Just listing two groups seems silly though. I listen to all kinds of music and always have. For instance, my iTunes player is pumping "Blue Train" by the Coltrane himself. I think that listening to all types of modern music is why all three of us get along in the first place.

Lydia: I mostly remember listening to this Misfits tape my oldest sister had when I was pretty young. The first album I bought was Weezer's Blue album, which has definitely shaped the way I write music. As a teenager, I listened to Teenage Fanclub, The Pixies and Mazzy Star. I should have been born ten years earlier.

Gavin: How did you all get together to form Sleepover?

Stephen: We formed Sleepover not too long ago, but we three have been playing music together for a little over a year now.

Lydia: I’ve been pals with Beej and Steve for over a year now, which has involved us playing music together. A few months ago, Twee was calling all of us together, in a way that would help us see the world as a cuter place, and we realized that was the only option.

Braden: I've know Steve since I was twelve and we've been rocking out since Junior High. Met Lydia a little over a year ago and things just clicked. She's a rock star. We started Sleepover because Lydia and I are suckers for cute indie pop and wanted a twee band of our very own.

Gavin: In talking with you a bit about the music, how did Twee play a role in developing your sound?

Braden: We'll, we like Twee and wanted to be in a Twee band. Lydia naturally writes songs that sound like they are from 1993. So things just happened. We actually practice in this band, so we keep getting tighter each show. It's been real fun.

Lydia: Well, Twee is the basis of our sound. Just straightforward pop music with cheesy lyrics about the girls you fall for. And sometimes kittens.

Stephen: Twee is the beginning and the end of Sleepover.

Gavin: What's the general reaction you get from audiences so far, and what do you think of the small group of people who have been coming simply to dance to it?

Lydia: People seem to have fun listening to it, which is good, because I have fun playing it. And seeing people dance makes the energy flow really well at shows. It’s nice.

Stephen: Dancing is what people do when the music makes them happy. Our music makes people happy. It is a great feeling to make people happy. Sleepover is that feeling.

Braden: A person dancing to your music is the best feeling in the world. Our music is super straight forward and pretty simple to play, so we aren't looking for any big reactions. We are having a good time with it and just hope that others will too. But ya, responses have been way positive so far, it feels nice.

Gavin: You've been together a few months now, has there been any talk on recording anything, or are you sticking to playing around for a bit?

Braden: We've got twelve songs ready for an album. We will record in November.

Lydia: Yeah, we already have all the songs written for a full-length album.

Stephen: Sleepover will be putting out something next year on record. We want to capture the Twee-happiness and bottle it.

Gavin: When you do record, will you be doing it DIY or looking to go more professional?

Stephen: Anything worth doing is worth doing alone.

Lydia: Between Sleepover and all our other friends that play music, we have enough equipment to record ourselves. And Braden has an amazing space for recording. We all kind of have a DIY ethic, I think it makes it more honest and personal when you’re fully responsible for what you’re recording, rather than paying some random person who has limited knowledge on your musical aesthetic to do it for you.

Braden: We will record it in my apartment with my buddy Seth's help. Always DIY, all the time.

Gavin: A bit state-wide, what are your thoughts on the local music scene, both good and bad?

Braden: I think there are plenty of good bands, but there are not a lot of people interested in what's happening. Sure, the Alt-Country scene is alive and well in Salt Lake, but there are other things going on in the city that I think people could get excited about it if they gave it a chance. All in all, Salt Lake is a small town, so for its size I guess there's no reason to get too stressed. I just like playing music and seeing my friends play what they love.

Stephen: Local music is the best. There is nothing like hanging out with friends and making music. More people would be into it if they knew how fun it is.

Lydia: It’s disappointing to me. I feel like there aren’t enough people listening to different types of music, or, at least the people who are interested in different music don’t have interest in looking for local musicians. Can’t say I blame them, though. As far as someone could see, the only music that’s coming out of salt lake is Bar-Rock and Alt-Country. And that’s what’s a shame really; because there are a lot of talented kids here.

Gavin: Is there anything you believe could be done to make it bigger or better?

Lydia: Sure, if the people who run the venues make better booking choices with touring bands and work to promote more people than just their friends or their own bands.

Braden: I remember in high school all the good shows would be at Kilby, but it seems now a lot of the bigger touring bands play and Urban Lounge. I'd love to see a lot of those shows at Kilby or other all age's venues. Mainly I just wish there was a thriving all ages scene again.

Stephen: Making local music bigger? Possibly just getting people that never go to local shows to go. When the realize how much fun live music is, they will be unable to stay away. Finding those people isn't easy. Maybe if there were a more inviting environment for youth to get together and listen to each other perform.

Gavin: What's your opinion on the current airplay on community radio these days and how its affecting local artists?

Braden: First off, want a give a shout out to Circus Brown. He's way good at promoting and playing local bands of all kinds. I know each show has its niche, but I feel some of the more prime time stuff forgets there are other bands besides Band Of Annuals and their crew. But Circus seems to play it all. He's a real genuine dude. But ya, I love KRCL, we are lucky to have such a good community radio station.

Stephen: I listen to KRCL religiously. KRCL's new format has an amazing mix of music that is as eclectic as it is refreshing. I don't think that a lot of people listen to KRCL (or any of the other local stations). It has influenced me a lot. I am constantly calling in and talking to the DJs. I will write down artists to go home and listen to all the time. Maybe there are a lot more people that do that, but I just don't know. One of the best things that KRCL has going for it is Circus Brown's Friday night show. He loves having bands play on his show, and his sound guy, Connery is amazing.

Lydia: Well, KRCL is a great community radio station. They do a great job of supporting local acts, by giving them airplay, and also letting them play live.

Gavin: What's your take on file sharing these days and how it affects you as a musician?

Stephen: I admit to nothing.

Lydia: I think it’s great. If a band tours here, and I like them, I try to buy their album, that way they’ll get the money directly, but I’m a big fan of sharing music; I guess I see it similarly to buying movies. You wouldn’t buy a movie without seeing it, even if it was from your favorite director. In the same way, I wouldn’t buy an album without listening to it first.

Braden: I like it. Personally I usually don't buy anything unless I listen to it first. I feel a lot of people are that way as well. I actually run my own web label, Magic Goat Music and all the music there is free to download. So I guess I'm all for file sharing/stealing. But ya, still go to shows and buy records when you can. It's nice to support bands that need it.

Gavin: Aside yourselves, who are your favorite acts in the scene right now?

Braden: Seven Feathers Rainwater is by far the best band in the city right now. Its nuts. They got this great mix between early Animal Collective and Deerhunter. Totally mind blowing. I just listened to S.L.F.M for the first time on MySpace yesterday, that was pretty fun. It's fuzzy ukulele with super cute vocals. Felt pretty twee to me.

Stephen: Aye Aye, Stag Hare, Mario Kart, Navigator, WYLD WYZRDZ, Grizzly Prospector, Silver Antlers, Sparks & Spools, and Ronald Raygun.

Lydia: Seven Feathers Rainwater, Navigator, Aye Aye, Stag Hare, Crystal Antlers, and Tenants.

Gavin: What can we expect from you the rest of the year and going into next?

Lydia: Well, we have a few shows lined up, including SLUG's Localized in November. If anyone wants us to play at their house, we’re more than happy to! Next May we’re going to be doing a west-coast tour.

Braden: We got a few shows lined up, recording our album, then a tour in May. Maybe online sitcom?

Stephen: We hope to play a show hosted and promoted by Gavin.

Gavin: Awwww! And finally is there anything you'd like to plug or promote?

Braden: New Mario Bros Wii is coming out in a few weeks. It's going to be great. Also, go see Zombieland while it's still in theatres. So good. And Diego's in Provo is the best Mexican food in the state.

Stephen: A daily dose of FailBlog.org and Hasil Adkins

Lydia: Famke Janssen, Mélanie Laurent, Jill Valentine, the Uroboros Virus, and local artist Evan Jed Memmott! He did our posters for our last show and is way talented.

(original interview found here - - http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/blog-2432-gavins-underground-blog-matt-ben-jackson-sleepover-ben-shepard.html - -)
- City Weekly

"We’re twee as fuck.” One probably wouldn’t associate that kind of confident vulgarity with the super cutesy indie pop offshoot of twee, but Sleepover singer/songwriter/guitarist Lydia Worden’s assertion makes the sometimes-maligned genre seem legitimately bad ass. Before this email interview conducted with the newly formed Farmington/Provo/Salt Lake band, I had no idea what twee was, but the enthusiasm each member shared for the genre and for the music they are creating was definitely refreshing. “We are a twee band, and we pretty much just play twee music,” said bassist Braden McKenna.”Ya know, simple 90s pop songs about crushing on girls you’ll never get.”

Sleepover has only been playing shows since August, but McKenna and Steven Walter grew up with each other and have been playing music together before they were even in real bands. “Every day after school in 9th grade we’d play punk rock in [Steven’s] basement for hours.” Since then, McKenna and Walter have been part of various musical projects, including Aye Aye. McKenna is the mastermind behind the experimental ambient music of WYLD WYZRDZ and the stylistically schizophrenic Navigator while Walter helms the one-man garage band Ronald Raygun as well as Kalnas, which he describes as “a doom metal thing.”

When McKenna discovered that Worden was as fanatical about twee as he was, it seemed only logical to introduce her to his and Walter’s musical cabal. “I remember me and Braden having a few conversations about Tiger Trap, and somewhere after or before that I found a Go Sailor 7”, which made me really want to be as cute as Rose Melberg. So me and Braden pitched the idea of having a twee band to Steve, and he was into it.” Worden says, “We were in a noisy 90s band, which dissolved pretty quickly. I started writing some songs for a solo project, Cousin Songs, but it was way depressing. Somehow, these adorable falling-in-love-with-cute-girls-then-letting-them-break-your-heart-because-you’re-such-a-sap songs started pouring out. And there you have Sleepover.”

It was clear to the members of Sleepover that they had natural chemistry. Since forming the band, it has become the primary musical project of all of the members. “All our other projects are pretty casual and basically personal projects that we get our friends to help us out with, but Sleepover functions like a real band,” says McKenna. The band practices weekly (though they admit much of the time is spent consuming Mexican food and watching Richard Pryor movies) and has played a number of shows at Kilby Court in their brief existence. The band doesn’t have any recorded material as of the writing of this article, but expect that to change soon. “We have twelve songs for our debut album ready to record. We’ll be doing that during the first half of November,” Says McKenna. “Our plan is to shop it around, see if we can get anyone interested in releasing it. If not, we’ll self-release it through our friends’ labels as usual.”

Sleepover comes from a unique place both musically and geographically, and, as such, perceive Utah’s local music scene differently than most of the Salt Lake-centered community. “I don’t think too many people even think about Utah’s music scene in the first place. There are a handful of super amazing bands from the area that even locally get no attention,” McKenna says.

“Salt Lake is an urban center, by virtue of that fact people from up and down I-15 meet in the middle. I live in Provo, but is seems like every week I am playing in Salt Lake.” says Walter, “There are some really popular bands in Utah that most alternative Utah media outlets (SLUG included) don’t know about, or don’t write about, because these groups don’t have the sound that they are looking for.” Even though they’re cutesy on the outside, Sleepover is indeed pushing preconceptions of what valuable local music sounds like and where it comes from.

Despite their newness, the members of Sleepover have big plans for the future. Besides the aforementioned album, the band is planning a tour for next May. “One of the plans for Sleepover is that, while on tour, we’re having a competition to see how many girls we can make out with.” says Worden, “Oh, and if we play house shows, there’s an understood commitment on our part to have a sleepover at the house that night.” As for what to expect from the band’s Localized performance, Worden described the band’s collective mindset thusly: “We just have fun, and think about cute things like taking naps in the sun, and kittens and napping with kittens in the sun, which does pretty well to set the mood.”

“I guess I’d just describe our shows as cute.” says McKenna. “Plus, Lydia usually wears a dress, so there’s some eye candy as well.” - SLUG MAG