Austin – Sleepy Sun released the exquisite record, “Maui Tears” in late 2013 and has been touring since. The five piece has an old school rock aesthetic that is rare, especially for a nostalgic band. Where many bands have gotten back in to warm sounding harmonies, Sleepy Sun has a dark tone extenuated by the powerful voice of front man Bret Constantino. Watching them perform over a river at Austin Psych Fest, you could see the interaction of Constantino being at once moved and lost in the audience, as the audience got lost in the music. Wearing pure white, Constantino leaned over the crowd, his voice scaling the hilled outdoor amphitheater. I spoke with Constantino earlier that day about how he knows the audience is being moved and how he ensures he moves the audience. At this performance, you couldn’t help but be moved by the melodic guitars, electric harmonica, and his snarling voice rising into the night.
Ilyse Kaplan: What’s your impression of Psych Fest so far?
Bret Constantino: It’s dusty. A lot of noise pedals. A lot of costumes. Good bands though.
IK: What are some favorites that you’ve seen so far?
BC: Without a doubt, Quilt. They were amazing. That was the first thing I saw Friday on the river stage.
IK: You’re about to play the river stage tonight, a very fitting stage. What can we expect from your set tonight?
BC: We just got back from Europe, three weeks in Europe. We played some of the best shows we’ve ever played, so I think we’re on one right now, which is good. You’re not always on one. I’m not sure about what the sound will be like on that stage, just gonna try and put the festival to bed.
IK: I’ve seen you live and you have a very old school aesthetic, you’re a powerful singer and you’ve got a back up band that does a lot of jamming. I understand you came from a garage background, how did you progress to the sound you have now?
BC: I think as we’ve grown individually as a band and as friends, I think the most significant point of change has been that with the right type of music, it can move the listener and the space. We have the power to make music that isn’t just straightforward; it doesn’t have to be a verse chorus verse chorus structure. We could create compositions with bizarre structure that doesn’t make sense to most people. I think preserving a very naive perspective is good. Realizing that there are really no rules, or that you can break the rules.
IK: You mentioned you like to see the audience moved when you play, how can you tell when the audience is being moved and how do you engage them?
BC: It’s hard to say; it depends on where we are. Sometimes, I’ll think, these people are so closed off, they’re not moving at all. They’ve got their arms crossed. Sometimes I’ll find myself with my arms crossed too. It’s hard to tell sometimes. You’ll find out later the crowd was really in to it, they were just so transfixed. Sometimes, I try to make eye contact and feel it. Sometimes, it’s more apparent than other times. Some people will make an excuse for the crowd, you’ll talk to them after and they’ll say ‘I’m sorry the crowd was so shitty.’ Sometimes I can feel it’s just not there tonight. There’s so many variables, sonic variables, lighting, acoustics, space. Sometimes, we’re just not reaching the audience and all we can do is focus on this small space we have on the stage.
IK: Did you have any shows on your recent European tour where you could really feel the audience being moved?
BC: Yeah. Several actually, it was great. It happens more over there than here actually. They really show up to a show. They show up knowing that they’re going to be entertained or know they’re going to be entertained. I don’t know why that is, I’ve been puzzling it for five years now.
IK: At Psych Fest there’s a very broad spectrum of Psychedelic music, how do you feel your band fits in to that spectrum?
BC: I hope we don’t fit in too well. I don’t ever want to become part of something that’s out of our control. I’m happy that we appeal to the people that are coming to this festival, or I’d like to believe that we will. It’s fun; we know a lot of people that are here. It also makes me very anxious being around all these people, it’s a shit show, but that’s half the fun I guess.
IK: You released your latest album “Maui Tears” fairly recently, can we expect any new music coming from you soon?
BC: We’ve been touring a lot. We have stuff that didn’t make this new album that we have ready so I think if we have the opportunity to get in to the studio this coming year, we will. We have stuff that’s been on the backburner. I would like, if we have the time, to record a new record.
IK: Your band began in Santa Cruz and later moved to San Francisco, how do you feel your band has contributed to those music scenes?
BC: I like to think so. San Francisco is a tough one. I never considered us to be a local band when we were living there. We never played San Francisco more than we played London. I wish we did, it’s not the kind of band we were. In Santa Cruz we were more of a house party band, we were more of a community-based band when we were in Santa Cruz than when we moved to San Francisco. I like to think we still influenced people. We made friends that were probably more of an influence on the scene. Maybe we influenced them or were influenced by them.
Photos By Ilyse Kaplan
Ilyse Kaplan
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