Interview with The Sleeping lead vocalist Douglas Robinson

Douglas Robinson, lead vocalist for alternative rockers The Sleeping spoke with me recently about the band’s newest release, The Big Deep. This is the group’s fourth full-length release and it quickly got under my skin and gained my attention; I could not help but listen to more. These guys play a brand of infectious rock that is packed full of great big harmonies and catchy grooves. The CD is immediately radio friendly and more than approachable to fans of all genres of rock. Here is how the conversation went.

You guys are currently on the road with The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. How is that going so far?
Douglas: It hasn’t started yet, but it will be awesome. We’ve toured with those dudes before and always have a great time. They’re really great people and it’s always a pleasure partying with them.

The name of the band, The Sleeping is interesting to say the least and sounds as if there is a story behind it. Where did the name come from and what is the story?
Douglas: 7 years ago, we basically gave up our whole lives to do this. We quit everything and just went for it. We named our band The Sleeping as an ode to those who are too afraid to sacrifice certain things in order to live out their dreams. We tried to set it as a symbol for those who stay zombified doing things they despise just to make money. We are firm believers in stopping at nothing for a dream.

Now that your brand new CD, The Big Deep is complete how do you feel about it? Are you satisfied with the outcome?
Douglas: Absolutely satisfied. The Big Deep is, in our opinion, the best thing we have ever written. We have finally managed to become what we feel we have always wanted to become. We are completely in tune individually and as a whole and I couldn’t be more stoked.

Different groups have unique ways of writing their songs. How do you guys go about writing your music? Is it a collective effort or is it more the efforts of one particular member of the band?
Douglas: Definitely a collective effort. It’s usually just one big jam session, even vocally, and when we feel something right we stick with it and try to build off of it. Then once all of the music is finished I start with the lyrical aspect. I am a firm believer on writing in the moment. Some people take lyrics from stuff they wrote in the past, which is totally respectable, but I just can’t do that. I need to write what I am feeling and usually what will bring that out is the connection my brain and heart make with the song I’m writing to.

When you are on the road for a while I am sure you see and experience many different things you might not even have known existed. Are there any stories that stand out in your mind as being exceptionally strange or odd?
Douglas: Tons of them… I still always think about being shot at, fights with tow truck drivers, a bum doing a back flip off of a wall after someone betting the bum he couldn’t do a back flip off of a wall, a 10 year old kid and his 7 year old sister walking down a highway at 4 in the morning because of family problems… that still gets me. All of these and more. When you travel the world for a living, crazy things come like clockwork.

When you are out on the road anything can happen and often does. Can you think of any disastrous events that happened while out on tour? How did you solve the problem?
Douglas: In all honesty, good and disastrous things happen all the time but what solves any problem is knowing that you are out doing what you love with your family. You will die for them and they will do the same and you get to travel to different parts of this world and connect with people who want a connection and who believe in what you do. So when something awful happens… you pick up the pieces and you pull through. Your friends become a shield and protect.

The public perception of life on the road differs greatly from the reality of it. Can you tell me a little bit about how you travel? (Bus, Van etc…) What accessories do you equip your ride with to make the time go by? What are the living arrangements like while on the road?
Douglas: We have been in vans and buses and Winnebago’s and planes and whatever other means of transportation I didn’t list. As for arrangements, we don’t have anything specific. You pretty much fall asleep where you fall asleep and drive when you feel like driving. Our band has a very chaotic way of living on the road but it works extremely well and our friends love to comment on that all the time. Most bands nowadays are always so formatted but when it comes to us it’s just do whatever and live however… just make sure the band is your life…. and it works.

This is your fourth full-length release. Do you guys spend a lot of time trying to vary the music from disc to disc or is it something that just comes about naturally?
Douglas: Completely natural. I mean there are things we will say we wish we had done differently on previous records but that’s just means of critique. When it comes to putting out the next record… we just want to better ourselves for ourselves. When time passes, with anything you do in life, you grow. It’s natural. Your next adventure in life will never be the same as the previous because you’ve gained more knowledge and experienced more life as a whole. There are bands out there that definitely stick to what they’re doing because it makes them money and others happy and to me that is the only time I feel unnatural change in the world of music. You can usually see right through those bands and it’s sad because a lot of people in the world stopped realizing that music is art. It shouldn’t be some money machine. It’s art and art is a release and release is growth.

How is the current economic slump affecting your band?
Douglas: It affects everyone but if you love what you do then you just have to think positively. So many tours and festivals have downsized and merch obviously takes a hit but things will come around. Obviously our band is a business, I would never deny that… but it’s way more than that to us so we do it no matter what and wait for things to come around.

How much roadwork do you expect to be doing this 2011?
Douglas: Every year… tour for life.

Any closing words?
Douglas: Check out The Big Deep on September 28th and if it is out by the time you read this then please support and check it out. Follow the sleeping on Twitter @thesleepingNY.  [ END ]