Hi there, where are you today and is the sun shining?
Fifth (?) album, do you still feel as ‘fresh as daises’ being in this business?
Haha! I don't know if daisies would be the metaphor I would associate most within the plant kingdom. I've always though of us as more of a tough shrub. I guess we're still learning lots of things and having fun as we go along though, so there is an element of "freshness" either way.
What do you think are the major changes on ‘Hello Hum’ and where did the album title come from?
I think perhaps the most noticeable difference is the Fridmann mix, which is quite a lot more psychedelic than our previous records, and stranger, & just immense & sort of its own universe. A very significant difference maker too was the collaboration this time around with Dave Fridmann & Tony Doogan on the production side. We had a lot more home time with this record, when we were working on it in the initial song writing stages, as well as extra time actually recording and mixing it. I think there is something a little more comfortable about it, or "fleshed out" about it, probably due to all those aspects.
You grew up on the East Coast, not in the big Cities so, how did you get inspired to start a band?
I’ve always thought of small towns in the middle of nowhere, far away from big cities, as fertile grounds for starting a band. You can either look at it as being a place to work with no distractions, or perhaps more cynically, a place in which there is not much else to do. All my friends were into music, and all my brothers were into music. And it was just a natural pathway into starting something like a band. I remember my brother Jon coming home with a guitar when I was 12 or 13, and a few months later showing me a recording he and his friends made, and that was it. I was in awe: You can do that? Just write some little thing on that guitar and bring it to your friends, and they add parts to it, and it becomes this completely other thing. So yeah, I found myself some friends and it went from there.
What albums did you swap among friends during your School / College days and do you still play those albums today?
Afghan Whigs "Gentleman"!! Eric's Trip "Love
I believe the new record was recorded in upstate
That is where Dave works from. It is his studio. His hometown. It was great doing it there. No distractions. Wake up, grab a coffee, play badminton, shower, and start recording. Perfect.
In hindsight was your Juno award a positive for your career as a band?
Yes. It gave us a great boost right when we started touring “Welcome to the Night Sky”. Along with the radio play, it introduced us to a broader audience in
As we come out of the Olympics bubble in the
I'm a synchro diver during off time. Loel has a mean javelin throw regiment. Tim is an avid pole vaulter. Jon is our pommel horse pro. Mike runs
The band were hand picked by Paul McCartney to be one of two acts to open for him a while back...how did that happen and how was the show?
I think we were submitted with a bunch of bands. In all honesty, I'm not sure why he decided to go with us.
We love touring in the
Questions from Pete & our
Wintersleep’s new album, Hello Hum, which will be released on 01October
The band also have a
2nd London Bush Hall
3rd Birmingham Hare & Hounds (venue 2)
4th
5th
6th
7th Manchester Deaf Institute
A free download of 'RESUSCITATE' available via the band’s website