Tim Woodbridge (producer and keys) of Sleepwar found a few moments to chat with Ryan of Music Matters Magazine about music and band goals. We want to express our thanks to Tim and to the band for taking the time to speak with us and if you haven’t heard of Sleepwar or want to know follow the link  https://sleepwarmusic.com/signup/ for more information on all the exciting stuff Sleepwar has going on.

Ryan: How long have you all known each other? How did you meet?

Tim: Roger and I met through a craigslist ad I put out looking for singers.  I put up a similar ad sporadically over the years prior to us meeting and worked with a variety of people.  Roger and I met late in 2015 and starting passing ideas back and forth.  Roger knew James and Mark from earlier in his music life/ career and Brendan we all met through craigslist as well.  We need to get paid by Craigslist for basically advertising for them. *laughs*

Ryan: When did you form your band?

Tim: Early 2016 is when Roger and I took the ideas we were working on and actively started getting people together so we could play these ideas live.

 

Ryan: Who writes most of the lyrics for songs?

Tim: Roger writes most of the lyrics, with a lot of help from James.  I wrote the lyrics to Forever, which I am both proud of and a little embarrassed of because of how over-the-top sad it can be.

 

Ryan: Could you describe the music-making process that you guys use when putting together a new song?

Tim: I start by producing a rough instrumental idea which I then send to Roger for vocals/ song structure.  From there it goes to the band for everyone to kind of write their own parts.  In the beginning of the band I would write every part and have strict guidelines about sticking to what I wrote but I really don’t like that anymore and find that the songs are MUCH better when people do their own thing (with some help and guidance, of course).   Micro-managing is a bad way to go; it’s much better to encourage people to do their best work.

Ryan: What are you most proud of in regards to your sound?

Tim: I really like that it is different than a lot of stuff out there.  I like putting weird synths into songs that sound just a little off.  Tobacco was an influence in how I did synth work.

 

Ryan: How has your music evolved since you first began playing music together?

Tim: When we first began playing, we were writing for a fairly strict 5-piece indie rock band.  I put piano and stuff like glockenspiel in the songs but no synths.  I was also playing guitar, which if anyone knows my playing was not a good thing. *laughs* Really though, besides the sound changing, we have become much better at writing together and being on the same page.

Ryan: How can fans best keep up with the band and your music?

Tim: Sign up to receive free music and other great offers at https://sleepwarmusic.com/signup/

 

Ryan: What kind of music do you like?

Tim: We all like lots of different kinds of music.  I think it depends on the mood.  Sometimes some downtempo trip hop is great, sometimes some bright and happy pop is good, and sometimes some aggressive rock metal is appropriate.

 

Ryan: where would you like Sleepwar to perform at the most? (venue or stadium)

Tim: We are working on getting more people to come out to fill the places that we are currently playing.  We would love to play big venues but ones that are pretty packed, you know?  There’s nothing worse than playing a big venue and only filling up 25% of it.

 

Ryan: 2018 is just starting and there is a lot of time to achieve and conquer goals, what are some for Sleepwar in this new year?

Tim: We are always working on writing new and better songs.  I would like to get an album’s worth of material done, but the more important thing is for the songs to be great and sometimes it is detrimental to try to rush that process.  In today’s culture, it seems people are rewarded for mediocrity (e.g. the more content you have, the more people will pay attention).  We don’t care about that.  We want something that is truly special and remarkable.  Then, even if we only have a few fans, at least we can say we did something that we are proud of.

 

Social Media Links:
http://sleepwarmusic.com/signup/
https://www.facebook.com/SleepwarOfficial/