Our beloved weak bearded photographer Mr. Mark Stetsko, recently had the opportunity to speak with The Sleeping vocalist Douglas Robinson at their recent stop in Philadelphia, PA. During the interview, they touched on a number of subjects such as Doug's obsession with vegan cheescakes, advice for aspiring bands, and the inner workings of the band's upcoming full-length, The Big Deep. So, let's dive in...
Mark@RRR: I’m here with The Sleeping. How are you enjoying your time in Philly?
Doug Robinson: I love it actually. I think South Street is one of my places to be. Our keyboard player has lived in Philly for a long time. Its cool I’ve been here without being on tour. It's an awesome place, I love the vegan cheesestakes at Giovanni’s, its right down the road and I'm always stoked to eat that shit.
Mark@RRR: You are doing quick tour run right now. How has the tour been so far?
Doug Robinson: Yesterday [August 13th] was the first night. It’s been cool. It’s definitely a different crowd for us. I mean the band we’re on tour with just got off a tour with Metallica. Yesterday was our hometown [Long Island, NY] show, it’s definitely a different vibe with the difference between the music but we like playing with different people. It’s definitely a cool thing for sure.
Mark@RRR: Your latest album, The Big Deep, is set to drop on September 28th What are your emotions as the release date quickly approaches?
Doug Robinson: I think right now I'm more nervous than anything. I know it’s a very different vibe with music in general. I hope people aren’t totally lost in the world of music. I hope people understand that people still make records so people can still have a message. A lot of bands coming out right now are so artificial, just very lost in what they’re doing that I hope people understand that there are still bands out there, whether you like them or not, that are very honest bands. I'm nervous because I hope people understand that we’re one of those bands that are very passionate about what they do, and just want to make a great record for people to connect with.
Mark@RRR: The time between Questions And Answers and What It Takes was three years. However, it has only been a year since you released What It Takes. Why did you decide to record and release another album so soon?
Doug Robinson: The reason why it took so long with What It Takes is because we lost our original guitar player Cameron [Keym] and it took us over a year to find our new members, which wound up not just being a guitar player but an organ player as well. I think a lot of that time was just perfecting and making sure we got the right members. It shouldn’t have been that long but we are really keen on who we get, our sound is very important to us and I think the intricacies what makes us The Sleeping is a big reason why we took as long as we did. I wish it didn’t take as long as it did. I wish it didn’t take that long in some aspects because we definitely did feel at one point that there was a low ball in a sense but I think this record has made it all worth it for sure.
Mark@RRR: Was writing and recording The Big Deep any different than before?
Doug Robinson: Actually it was way different than anything we’ve ever done. We’ve done four records. The first two were done with the same people who did this record: Mike Bernbaum and Chris Bitner. What It Takes was done by a different dude in Baltimore named Brian Mictiernen who owns Salladay Studios. It’s definitely a way different vibe; Baltimore at the inner harbor is very urban. Where we are in Woodstock, New York for every other record we’ve ever done, it is a very hippy-like environment. This record was way different from every record because this was our first record we’ve ever recorded in the summer time so we were able to go into Woodstock and see how people in Woodstock live. It’s really crazy but I think it helped make this record what it is. I think sometimes you need chaos in a sense to bring order, and with this record we definitely had a lot of this that were chaotic in the sense of traveling and recording. I think it was way different but it made the record.
Mark@RRR: Why did you entitle the new record The Big Deep? Is it based off the conceptual part of the lyrics?
Doug Robinson: In a sense, yeah but what inspired it was there was a spot that all of us together would go to at the end of each recording session. It was a very big swim hole and it was called the big deep; it’s famous. It also conceptually covered what we were trying to attack with the new record; it’s a big deep, a very vast field of emotions, a very big hole of emotion to sink into yourself. We thought “Fuck man not only where we came from in the sense of the record but where were coming from lyrically and emotionally it all connects together why not call it the place where we’ve been learning about each other again as friends.” My band, we’re a bunch of tight knit people but this is our second album with the new dudes so now its just getting into that comfort zone. Being able to go somewhere together and swim together and jump of cliffs into together, The Big Deep ties in more than just physically its an emotional thing too I think that’s where we got it.
Mark@RRR: What is the significance of the album artwork? How does it relate to the content presented by the music?
Doug Robinson: It’s crazy because Jeff Ramirez who did the album artwork he runs a website called allinvisiblethings.com; he’s one of my best friends back home. My band is very big on getting the right people for the job and I knew Jeff could channel what we wanted him to channel without hearing the music, because when we sent him all the ideas. We just sent him all the lyrics and we were like “we don’t have any music to show you right now but we have a whole bunch of lyrics just read them and get the vibe.” He understood that the whole record lyrically is not only a journey physically but a journey emotionally as well. When you look at the suitcase on the record, you realize that one person reading this will notice it’s a journey physically and mentally trying to get someplace before they are lost forever. That’s what entitles the suitcase to be in a very weird terrain, out of its element. As you open the layout on each page it’s a different terrain. And then on the back cover, it’s a suitcase on a wood floor as if the listener returned home. He really pinpointed the vibe of the layout, it’s the fact that everything is kind of in a sense tied together where you go through a whole bunch of shit in life but you wind up finding yourself.
Mark@RRR: How would you describe the progression from What It Takes or any of your previous material to The Big Deep?
Doug Robinson: It’s hard to pinpoint what type of progression it is. All I can say is we’re a band and we’re gonna do whatever the fuck we want all the time. We like what we like, we are fans of music, honest music, not just fucking bands that are trying to get out there to make money, sound heavy or whatever. We’ve been a heavy band our first two records, some of the last record as well, but we’re not these close-minded people. We’re big fans of rock; rock and roll is what makes us tick. This new record is very rock and roll as you’ve heard. We wanted to make people feel heavier in a lyrical and atmospheric vibe rather than just heavy breakdowns and intricate chords. That’s great but what really matters to us is you take a song home and be like “I’ve fucking been there” and you could sing it in your head for the rest of the night. That’s what matters to us. We want people to remember this shit. That’s what differs from the other records. The other records were like let’s just do what we do. Let’s make awesome music and let’s fucking flip out. But this time, we were like “Let’s make awesome music and lets flip out, but lets channel this energy into a message. I think that’s what we captured on this record.
Mark@RRR: If you want your audiences to internalize one message conveyed to them by The Big Deep, what would it be?
Doug Robinson: That’s a great question. If I can talk from a lyrical aspect, I think I want people to get the message that everyone has their own personal story. This whole record is about what I’ve been through in the last year and a half, from the BP gulf oil spill to moving from New York to LA in a matter of days and losing my mind. I want people to really get the fact that everyone has their own thing to deal with, and you need something to keep you going. You need that positive outlook. I just want a message for people. “No matter what, don’t get lost forever.” I think that’s a very important thing.
Mark@RRR: With the release date in September, when can we expect new songs from the band to premiere?
Doug Robinson: In the next couple weeks or so. We have a lot of great things coming up, television performances and stuff like that. I think very soon you can expect stuff. We have YouTube updates; there’s a whole bunch of Woodstock footage mixed with recording mixed with a lot of the song clips. I think you’ll be able to hear new stuff very soon in video games and movies and stuff like that.
Mark@RRR: What are you touring plans to support The Big Deep? Will you be promoting it as a headliner or as support?
Doug Robinson: We’re going to do some support. I think we have a really awesome solid line up right now tour wise. I can’t announce some of them right now because they’re not totally booked. I think we’re also going to do some headliners and I think the headliners we’re gonna do are going to be full record headliners.
Mark@RRR: Obviously, you guys are a seasoned band with lots of experience. Getting into this business can be quite difficult. If you could share some advice with a young band, what would it be?
Doug Robinson: I always get this question and I always say “If you’re asking a band that does well how to get big, don’t ask and don’t play.” No ones in this business to get big. Yeah, people are in this business to get recognized in the sense of getting their music out, but the bands that last forever and make it happen are the bands that aren’t expecting to be this rich money band. I don’t give a fuck where I play for the rest of my life as long as I send a message out and there’s enough people out there who I realize understand the message. That’s all I give a fuck about. I'm not going to be mad if I'm not playing Madison Square Garden for the rest of my life, but I want to play where’s there’s people who understand my life and who understands their lives and connect. My advice would be to just do it for the right reasons, don’t try and do it to impress anyone, do it to feel good about yourselves and to spread something.
Mark@RRR: What would you say sets the Long Island scene apart from any other market?
Doug Robinson: I don’t know, I think every market has their own qualities. I just know that it’s a very tight knit group on Long Island; it’s such a small place that everyone is very close to each other. The thing I love about Long Island that I don’t subject to anywhere else in the world is that everyone on Long Island tries to be original they want to be themselves, but I think that happens everywhere. It’s really hard to say what I think separates other than the fact that it’s a very small area and people are very connected with each other.
Mark@RRR: Being a veteran band also means you have toured a lot. Therefore, you must have a ridiculous tour story that you’d like to share. No need to be shy. This can be as wild as you want it to be.
Doug Robinson: I don’t know. I think when I pissed on Chris from Bayside’s drum kit and drum case and getting kicked in the chest while I was pissing by my tour manager was a pretty good one. I think throwing picnic benches over 50 foot balconies are pretty awesome. I think getting in a fight with Gallows in the UK and then becoming best friends was another cool one. I think puking on friend’s shoes mid show is another good one. I don’t know there’s a lot. That’s the thing The Sleeping. We’re not just a band we’re a family; we’re a life force. We live and deal with all of our own shit and things happen and the next day we hate each other for 5 minutes because what one of us did to the other and then 10 minutes later we are all like ‘fuck it who cares’
Mark@RRR: Thank you for doing this interview. Before I leave, would you like to add anything else?
Doug Robinson: The Big Deep comes out September 28th and I’d like to thank you, Mark, for interviewing us.
The Sleeping's upcoming release, The Big Deep, is set to be released September 28th, courtesy of Victory Records. Pre-order for the album can be found here. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled on the band's MySpace for upcoming tour dates in support of their new album.
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