Sleepy Age - Featured Artist October 2009 (RDU RoundUp Winner+Free Download)

sleepy age josh Indie Rock
Contact: Josh Burgess Ph: +64 27 3400 513
www.myspace.com/sleepyageband

Congratulations to the winners of the 2009 RoundUp band competition, Sleepy Age who are October's Featured Artist. Their first single 'Catface' has been mixed and mastered and is available for free download at their myspace (photo c/o Chris Andrews).

Sleepy Age is a four-piece indie pop band who create a melody heavy pop music in an rock band setting. Tinkling bell/organ melodies teamed with driving bass drums and guitars organise nostalgia and excitement similar to that of 1950's suburban American housewife in 2009 watching Fedel Castro's infamous Ed Sullivan appearance while listening to modern rock music.

Will Edmonds (Guitar/Vocals) ex Insurgents and Boyfriend approached Josh Burgess (Vocals/Keys/Guitar) who was on tour with Bang! Bang! Eche! at the time in London to gauge interest of staring a pop band with himself and friends in Christchurch. Citing influences such as modern day indie bands such as The Pixies, Mystery Jets and Band of Horses but also from pop rock greats such as The Beatles and Randy Newman.

A lot of Sleepy Age's songs started as short pop songs written on computers to kill the time on long flights home from tours for Burgess. When returning home and pairing up with Edmonds to help complete these pop demo's it became apparent Edmonds also had a back catalogue of demos ready to be evolved into a band setting. Teaming with Josh Black (Bass) and Hayden Williams (Drums) Sleepy Age was awoken.

Black and Williams both children stars of McDonalds young entertainers reaching the height of there success coming when performing a free jazz performance of Chzecislovacian composer Josef Suk's composition 'Sousedska' to an unprecedented Eastern European television audience of two and a half thousand people.

Sleepy Age where the overall winners of RDU 's 2009 'Roundup Competition' at the tender age five weeks old, winning the title on the narrowest of margins from the tied second place getters - the youthful country stylistas The Unfaithful Ways and the slamming T54. The release of there first single 'Cat Face' is scheduled for a limited 7" vinyl split release with fellow Christchurch band O'Lovely in tandem with Sleepy Ages Video for 'Cat Face'. The band are scheduled to play Southern Amp in November as well as a Red Bull Studio live to air in December in tandem with a pre Christmas Hanukkah theme New Zealand tour.

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INTERVIEW

While the band are wading their way through their RoundUp prizes, Jeff Fulton caught up with lead singer / keyboardist Josh Burgess...

josh burgess 1. Well done on the recent RoundUp win, how was it for you guys?

It was great! We are truly humbled to win as all the bands that preformed throughout the competition were amazing T54 blew us all away as did the Unfaithful Ways on the night. It’s great to see all of Christchurch’s talent come out for what makes a great month of music at the Dux, to be honest it didn’t really feel like a band competition more like a big party with our favorite bands and good friends.

2. You guys have performed in some great local indie bands in the past, tell us how you got together?

I was talking to Will while I was overseas and we really seemed to be on the same page musically we all loved the same bands and were both super keen to start a new project back in Christchurch. I started writing music while I was away on a laptop heaps of it actually on planes to pass the time. When I got back home it all just fell into place with Hayden and Josh Black joining us. We never formed to enter RoundUp and win prizes it just a good thing to work towards and is always a great thing to be apart of.

3. Seeing you guys at the RoundUp final your sound has some similarities to The Pixies, who are your influences?

Me and Will show a lot of similar influences mine edging towards English music and Will closer to American music. Will loves bands like American Football and Band of Horses and that totally comes out in the parts he writes twinkly guitars and stuff. As for me I adore really classic pop like The Beatles and more recently indie bands like the Strokes, I actually have been listening to heaps of Randy Newman he is amazing.

Josh Black and Hayden are a musical enigma! They share this intense love for Eastern European music especially a Czechoslovakian composer called Josef Suk, it’s all they talk about.

4. You've scored a great prizepack with RoundUp including recordings, video's, festival dates and even a haircut, what your favourite prize?

Recording at The Sitting Room was so great, those guys are totally the nicest and most talented people at recording music I have ever met. It was more than anything a great connection and friendship we have built with those guys that will last a thousand years collectively. We are actually all going to Stewart Island for new years to record some tunes and rough it with the land.

5. We look forward to seeing you at Southern Amp in November, in the meantime any last words?

We are releasing a split 7inch with O’Lovely in November be sure to grab them quickly as we are doing a limited run! See you at the show and check out our myspace.

UPCOMING SHOWS
Sat 17 Oct - The Media Club with So So Modern @ The Media Club
- with Tourettes @ the Dux
Thu 12 Nov - Southern Amp

RELATED LINKS
Sleepy Age win RoundUP 2009 (18Sept09)
Sleepy Age Perform at CHARTFEST 2010 (28May10)