INTERVIEW: I AM SLEEPWALKER

Describe I AM SLEEPWALKER in twenty words or less.
Melodic powerhouse with heavy hitting lyrics and goofy riffs.
What is Windsor’s local scene like? Do you find there’s a lot of support for local bands?
Honestly, Windsor’s scene can be hit and miss sometimes. A lot of the old faces you’d normally see there have moved away, so the ones who are still around don’t really go out as often as they used to. It might be because we don’t have the same kind of venues we used to have back in the day either. There are really only three places where you’ll ever see a metal show and they aren’t particularly big.
The band has gone through some changes recently, with Chris Montpetit becoming the band’s full-time vocalist and the addition of Jeff O’Rourke on guitar. Do you feel like the band is finally becoming a solid unit?
We couldn’t be happier to have Jeff in on guitar. We tried to keep Chris on guitar, but we feel that, in this direction, we’ll be able to push our music in a more technical aspect. Jeff is an amazing guitar player who we feel is only going to elevate the band to a much higher place. To say the least, it’s almost like we swapped out the engine with something with more horsepower. The change has made us a lot stronger, given us a lot of confidence and a more appealing stage show.
You recently put out your debut EP, Messages, this past June. What has the response been from listeners?
We’ve gotten a lot of great feedback from people, especially [regarding] the vocals and drums! People really seem to enjoy the lyrics and guitar work and that means a lot to us. We’re taking a lot of the feedback we’ve [received] and are putting it towards new songs to keep us striving for the future.
What was the recording process like?
Recording at Sound Foundry Studios was a blast, other than having to spread it over a lot of weeks due to our work schedules. Brett Humber was great to work with and helped us out through the entire process. You couldn’t ask to work with a better producer. We took a lot of time to make sure we got the perfect sound out of everything we did. We did a little bit of experimentation on some of the tracks, which is something new for us, but we feel like it gave us a unique sound.
Where do you normally find the inspiration for your lyrics?
Lyrically, we pull our inspiration [from] real life experiences. All of our songs have something personal to our own lives and situations and that’s something we want to put out in our music. Music is something that people look to relate to on some level [and] this was just our way of doing the same as so many of the bands we’ve looked up to have done for us. If someone can relate to something we’ve written and benefit from it in some way then we’ve accomplished something.
What band would you like to tour or collaborate with one day?
Chris: It Dies Today. Those guys have been my biggest inspiration in metal, from lyrics to writing. Hell, even to collaborate with Nick Brooks (the band’s vocalist) would be a dream come true.
Lars Beaudry: I’d love to play with The Amity Affliction, For The Fallen Dreams or The Ghost Inside.
Jeff: Veil of Maya and Meshuggah.
Jordan Horrell: Periphery, hand downs. Super envious of their creativity and innovation.
Where do you see I AM SLEEPWALKER in five years?
In five years, we really hope we’ll be playing in the US. We really hope to accomplish that much.
What’s your opinion of the music that’s currently on the radio?
Chris: Music on the radio? I feel like music has almost gotten to [the] point of laziness - and I mean that it’s not very well written lyrically/musically. It’s all about how fast something can be pumped out, rather than the quality. Of course, there will always be expectations.
Do you have any guilty pleasures (TV shows, music, movies, etc)?
Chris: I guess you could call it a guilty pleasure… I like cartoons like Adventure Time and The Regular Show. I’m also a huge video game nerd.
Lars: I’d have to say my guilty pleasures have to be Netflix and video games.
Jordan: [My] guilty pleasures would have to be video games and more video games.
Jeff: Game of Thrones.
Who would play you if a movie were to be made about the band?
Chris: I think the only person I could see playing me would have to be Chris Pratt. His character on Parks and Recreation is a lot like me.
Lars: Charlie Day.
Jordan: Jason Sudeikis. [He has] my sense of humour down to a tee.
Jeff: Seth Rogan!
Final question: what is your go-to karaoke song?
Chris: Don’t Stop Me Now – Queen
Lars: Don’t Stop Believing – Journey
Jordan: Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen
Jeff: Shake That – Eminem/Nate Dogg
You can purchase Messages on I AM SLEEPWALKER’s Bandcamp, and make sure to follow the band on Facebook and Twitter.
By Clare Fitzgerald
