Recently, Sleepy Sun got a huge breakthrough when they were announced as the opener for one of the hottest names in indie rock, Austin’s The Black Angels. Though the tour isn’t going to commence until April, the band is doing its best to build on the momentum of this announcement. With their sound described by NME as “a record filled with rampant guitar sustain, elegiac squalls of harmony, wood-burning vocals,” and the Los Angeles Times proclaiming them to be “Black Sabbath for the modern Flower Child,” Sleepy Sun are on the way up. Recently, Bestnewbands.com caught up with Sleepy Sun’s Matt Holliman to chat about the upcoming tour, where he’s most excited to play and the band’s plan for a rockin’ 2011.

DK: Are you excited to be on a high profile tour with The Black Angels?

MH: Very much so. We’ve been fans of the band since Passover and have had the chance to see them live a couple of times. The first time we actually met them was in Oslo, Norway during the Oya Festival – there we talked about playing their 2011 Austin Psych Fest, which we had to deny the previous year due to schedule conflicts. We’re ecstatic to play this year and hang out in Austin, Tx for a few days since we’re skipping SXSW.

DK: What made this tour so appealing to band?

MH: It’s always different touring with a band that’s in your same scope of sound. At least the audience knows what they’re getting into, otherwise half of them have that what-in-the-hell?-look on their face. That’s fun also.

 

DK: What are these some of venues the band will be playing?

MH: The El Rey in L.A. and The Loft in Dallas, Tx are venues we’ve previously played. Oddly enough we’ve never played the SF venue (Slim’s) outside of this tour.

 

DK: How would you describe your sound in your owns, instead of the glowing press reviews?

MH: Glow Rock. Dirt.

 

DK: Do you have any surprises in store on the Black Angels tour?

MH:Right now we’re working on a handful of new songs, so this coming tour will be the testing grounds for a lot of those ideas. Of course they’ll change, scrap some, put a few on the backburner, etc.

 

DK: What are your goals for 2011?

MH: Tour. New record. Jam. Party. Party jams.

< With a great opening slot, don’t be surprised to see the California natives bask in their chance to shine in front of a new audience.