Sleepy Sun, who've already been picked up by the indie music hype machine, are poised to become one of the darlings of this year's Noise Pop festival. We ventured to their Outer Sunset apartment yesterday to catch up with the five guys (minus Rachel) and talk music, inspiration and cats (they have a surprising fascination with cats).
Originally from Santa Cruz, the band moved up to SF and bypassed the obvious neighborhoods like the Mission (they wanted no distractions), to settle in the sleepy avenues by the beach. Informed by both '60s and '70s classic rock (think Creedence Clearwater Revival and Neil Young) and acid rock (think Pink Floyd), Sleepy Sun has definitely carved a niche of their own. Throbbing rhythms mix with raw guitars and haunting vocals on their debut album Embrace, which is featured on iTunes as an Indie Spotlight and will be released nationally in May. "White Dove" leads as the paranoid strung-out rock anthem while "Duet with the Northern Sky" acts as the calmly acoustic denouement.
Off stage, the band claims they find inspiration wandering Ocean Beach and in the Sutro Baths. Obviously.
Current listens? The Birds and the Verve. Other locals they think we should look out for? Citadel, Lumerians and Man Miracle. When asked what advice they would give to other up-and-comers, vocalist Brett offers, "Go outside and take a walk." The other members chimed in with the practicalities, "Just follow your vision, stay focused and practice a lot."
Catch them at Bottom of the Hill on February 25 and brace yourself for a spectacle of "noise and intense visual projection."
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