By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times
Sleeping With Sirens
Area fans of the band Sleeping With Sirens are in for a treat this weekend.
Sleeping With Sirens has embarked on a North American underplay tour this Fall in support of its new album “Gossip,” which will be released September 22 via Warner Bros. Records.
The four-week tour kicked off August 31 in San Francisco at Slim’s and will touch down in Philadelphia on September 17 at The Foundry at Fillmore Philadelphia (1100 Canal Street, Philadelphia, 215-309-0150, www.thefillmorephilly.com).
An underplay tour is when a band books a brief run of shows at smaller venues to get ready for an album release and/or a longer tour at larger venues.
For the band, it is like a pro sports team’s pre-season. For fans, it’s a special chance to catch the band live in an intimate setting.
“Gossip,” the band’s fifth studio album, was produced by David Bendeth (Paramore, All Time Low) and is loaded with catchy riffs and intricate beats.
Sleeping with Sirens — Kellin Quinn (vocals, keyboards), Jack Fowler (lead guitar), Nick Martin (rhythm guitar), Justin Hills (bass), and Gabe Barham (drums) – have made an 11-track LP that explores new ground while still maintaining the vibe that has resonated with fans since the band’s 2010 debut album.
The first single, “Legends” has been named the official song of Team USA for Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.
“With ‘Gossip,’ we got into the studio in January to write,” said Hills, during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon from a tour stop in Pittsburgh.
“We were working with producer David Bendeth at his House of Loud Studio in (Elmwood Park) New Jersey. We started in Jersey and then went to L.A. to write some songs there.
“We went back to Jersey and then to Nashville in April when we recorded drums and bass at the House of Blues Studio. We finished the recording there. We spent three months making the album in three different cities.
“We finally finished the mixing and mastering in July. It definitely took a little bit of time. It’s finally coming out at the end of September.”
Opting to work with Bendeth was a big plus for the band.
“The stars started to align for working with David,” said Hills. “It was the right place at the right time. He knows what he wants and what he wants to get out of you.
“Right from the start, we looked at the strengths and weaknesses. He was with us pretty much the entire way.”
Sleeping With Sirens started fresh with the new album.
“Starting off, we didn’t have many songs because of all the touring we had been doing,” said Hills.
“When we started, we began with the lyrics and the guitar parts. Then, we took a break, went out west and continued writing with friends in L.A.”
Sleeping With Sirens had its start in Orlando and spent time in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
“Dave Aguilar, our first rhythm guitarist, and I were in a previous band together,” said Hills. “Then, I met Kellin a week later. That band didn’t last very long.
“A little while later, I got a call from Kellin. He said, I’ve got a band – come down to Orlando. So, we moved down to Florida. Now, we’re spread all over. Gabe and I are in Michigan. Jack is in Orlando and Nick lives in L.A.
Despite the geographical challenges, Sleeping With Sirens was able to come together to make a strong new album.
“It’s the best we’ve done,” said Hills. “It’s more mature. We sound our age. You can tell that we put a lot of time and effort into it. And, we had the time to make the album sound cohesive.”
Video link for Sleeping With Sirens – https://youtu.be/9FYnizimf0s.
The show at The Foundry will also feature Sleeping With Sirens’ Warner Bros. labelmate Chase Atlantic.
Chase Atlantic
Chase Atlantic is a trio of two brothers and one longtime friend who personally write, produce and perform dark alternative pop punctuated by rock and R&B.
The trio – Mitchel Cave, Christian Anthony and Clinton Cave – came together in Cairns, Queensland, Australia a few years ago. Since forming in 2011, the boys have packed multiple headline tours across Australia and amassed an impressive digital footprint of followers
Chase Atlantic released two successful independent EPs, “Dalliance” (2014) and “Nostalgia” (2015), and spawned a viral single with “Friends” – a song that garnered an incredibly large count of Spotify plays.
Earlier this year, the trio dropped its first three-track release, “Part One,” which earned acclaim from Associated Press. The group followed with “Part Two” this summer and now has released “Part Three” – and premiered a video for “Keep It Up” from the latest EP.
The band’s music traces its roots back to Cairns, an urban area with a population of less than 150,000. Cairns, considered the gateway to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, is a city in tropical Far North Queensland.
“We’re a long way from Sydney and the other major cities in Australia,” said Clinton Cave, during a phone interview last week from a tour stop in Pittsburgh.
“It’s the land that ‘Finding Nemo’ is from. There was no big music scene there so it forced us to be creative.
“Michael and I have been doing music together since we were in primary school. We were in concert bands and jazz bands in high school.
“After high school, we decided to start fooling around with self-recording. Michael always has been the lead vocalist. A lot of recording stuff was software-based along with sax and guitar. We stated with Logic and went to Ableton. Now, it’s cross-platform.
“In the beginning of 2010, we started doing cover videos on YouTube. Then, we did a vocal tribute ‘High Flyer’ and it went viral. It had 13,000 hits in one day.
“We got drawn into that and thought it could be something. We just kept doing it. And, we kept getting better.”
The evolution had begun.
“Michael and Clinton were in separate bands at one point. From there, we created a different band. We were called K.I.D.S. before we became Chase Atlantic. That was a really bad name so we ditched it.
“At the end of 20145, we started thinking about a new name. We played a Christmas show in front of 10,000 people and then moved to Brisbane. Now, we’ve been living in L.A. for the last eight months.”
The band’s home has changed – and so has its music to some extent.
“With the music, the mentality has changed,” said Cave. “Instead of making pop music, we’re making music we like – music that fits our lifestyle. We listen to hip hop a lot – and we’re influenced by a lot of 80s stuff.
“We’re influenced more by production style because we’re a production band. We definitely come at it from different angles. At the end of the day, it’s great to have creative control. We want to keep doing it ourselves,”
Video link for Chase Atlantic – https://youtu.be/r0MpHn6zFws.
The show at the Foundry, which also features White Noise and Palaye Royale, will start at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25.
Penny and Sparrow
On September 17, the World Café Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1400, www.worldcafelive.com) will host a show by Americana duo Penny and Sparrow.
The band’s name conjures up images of two pleasant-looking female singers garbed in neo-folkie outfits playing acoustic guitars.
In reality, Penny and Sparrow is a twosome featuring a pair of guys from Austin, Texas — Andy Baxter and Kyle Jahnke.
“We’re both originally from the Dallas Metroplex area,” said Baxter, during a phone interview last week as the band traveled to a show in Asheville, North Carolina.’
“We used to live in Austin. We actually met at the University of Texas in Austin. We were almost done school. I was in a five-and-a-half-year track and Kyle was getting ready for grad school.
“My friend Sarah was friends with Kyle. I needed a pace to live so I moved in at his place and we became best friends.
“We never thought we’d do music full-time. We were doing it just for fun. Kyle was learning guitar after being a drummer previously. Soon, we go asked to play at events for non-profits.
“We had no delusions of grandeur. We both had real jobs so this was just for fun. Now, we’re working as full-time musicians and it’s become lucrative enough.”
The band’s first four albums were “Creature” in 2011, “Tenboom” in 2013, and “Struggle Pretty” in 2014 and “Let a Lover Drown You” in 2015.
Penny and Sparrow are now touring in support of their new album “Wendigo,” which was released on September 1 via I Love You.
“Wendigo” is a collection of 14 artfully-arranged songs that combine Andy Baxter’s introspective lyrics with Kyle Jahnke’s soaring harmonies and lush arrangements.
“We recorded some of it on our home studio and then finished it in San Antonio,” said Baxter. “It took months to make. We finished it about eight months ago so it’s been sitting around for a while.
“Some of the demos we’ve had for two years. We went in the studio with 17-18 songs. We ditched a few, chopped some and held up some. In the end, we kept 14.”
“Wendigo” touches on themes of love, darkness, urban legends and death but still remains rooted in comfort and hope. The result is a compelling depiction of life, what it means to unearth your deepest fears and discovering the beauty and strength that lies beneath.
“There is more of a theme to this album – trying to examine stuff you’re scared of,” said Baxter. “It’s emotional therapy. We sing about death because that’s a thing Kevin and I are scared of.”
Video link for Penny and Sparrow — https://youtu.be/U5RWdCweTx4.
The show at the World Café Live, which has Lowland Hum as the opening act, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15.
