Sleepwalker, an alternative rock band from Austin, Texas, is coming to Dallas Nov. 13.
Earlier this week, the Campus Weekly staff got some answers from Brian Blevins, Sleepwalker’s lead vocalist, on what has made the band what it is today.
SMU Campus Weekly: What inspired you to become musicians?
Brian Blevins: “All of us come from families who loved music and had bands like Queen and the Beatles played around the house from a young age. As we got older and started having friends show us different artists for the first time, it really led us on this quest for knowledge that morphed into a strong desire to create our own songs. We all see music as a meaningful outlet for a variety of thoughts and emotions, and couldn’t help but be drawn to it.”
SMU CW: Where’s your favorite place to perform?
Blevins: “We very much enjoy variety as far as venues to play. Anywhere we haven’t played yet is a place we’d love to do so. That being said, we’ve played a few spots on tour that gave us a level of hospitality that blew us away. The Tin Roof in Charleston, S.C., Lewis & Clark Brewing Company in Helena, Mont., and Metro Bar in Salt Lake City, UT all left lasting impressions on us that make us want to play there whenever we have the chance.”
SMU CW: What are some tips to aspiring artists?
Blevins: “Don’t rush anything! Show your songs to your friends/family when you’re ready to do so, play shows when you’re confident in your performance, and hit the studio when your music is at a point where you can’t wait for complete strangers to hear it for the first time.”
SMU CW: What’s life been like since choosing to be professional musicians?
Blevins: “Have you seen any of those videos full of girls twerking, Lamborghinis, $100 bills, and champagne showers? Not like that. Being a professional musician has a stigma that comes along with it, and rightfully so. We’ve parked our van in Walmart parking lots across the country to get a decent night’s sleep, we’ve turned down jobs, promotions, relationships, and other opportunities that most people would jump at–all because we know it takes a level of flexibility and mobility to be a musician. It certainly has its rewards, though.”
SMU CW: When did you start playing?
Blevins: “All of us started playing from pretty young ages, dabbling in different instruments along the way. I myself started singing in the school choir back in elementary school, picked up a bass guitar at about 13 years old, and then was asked to try out as the singer of a band when I was 15. Since then, I have gone only two weeks of my life without being the committed member of one band or another.”
SMU CW: What was the first song you learned?
Blevins: “I remember teaching myself some AFI and Norma Jean riffs on bass, but I would say the first song I really taught myself as far as vocals go was “London Dungeon” by The Misfits. I had a karaoke machine and recorded myself singing along to that song on a cassette tape to get a feel for how good (or bad) I sounded before I agreed to try out for my first band. I wasn’t very good at all but I did it anyways, and 12 years later it seems as though it worked out.”
SMU CW: Who are some of your inspirations?
Blevins: “Our band has different inspirations depending on who you ask. Freddy Mercury, Michael Jackson, The Beatles, Smashing Pumpkins, AFI and Thrice seem to be common inspirations among us.”
SMU CW: What are some of your best memories of the road?
Blevins: “Some of our best memories on the road occurred in the midst of the most trying times. We’ve had to leave our trailer and a few band members on the side of the highway in Oregon while the others went to get a new tire, we had our first van’s transmission go out while on the road to meet up for our stretch of Warped Tour, and we had a van breakdown and show cancellation on the same night in Nashville, leaving us stranded with no income for the night. All of those moments resulted in us putting our heads together to work through the challenges, and once we got to a point where it was out of our control, we came to terms with that and found a way to have fun.”
SMU CW: How do you balance music with other obligations in your life?
Blevins: “Carefully! We understand that having an income gives us money to take on tour with us for food and emergency van/trailer expenses, but we also don’t want our jobs to get in the way of music, which is why we sometimes have to turn down promotions or take time off during a busy season. Social lives and relationships work in a similar way; we aim to find inspiration in the people around us and the places we frequent when we’re home to help evolve and expand the scope of the music we write, but those people in our lives have to have a sort of flexibility about the amount of time invested when we could be leaving for weeks at a time every few months. There is a lot of give and take with our lifestyle, but it provides us a great deal of satisfaction and we wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
SMU CW: Do you ever get nervous before a performance?
Blevins: “All the time, every time. The adrenaline rush is part of what makes it addicting. Every performance is a chance to showcase what we work so hard on behind closed doors, and we don’t take those opportunities lightly.”
Sleepwalker’s newest album, “You Are the One,” is now available, and the group will be performing at the Prophet Bar in Dallas on Nov. 13.
