Wintersleep

Left Hip writer Kristen Cudmore interviewed Paul from Halifax band Winterlseep about the bands albums, how they got their start and more.

I am reading a lot of news about Wintersleep and how your music is now soaring over North American airwaves; did you ever think when you first started jamming your songs with Loel that it would turn into this?

No. Initially it was just a fun thing for both of us.. loel was really good at recording and had a great little setup.. fun weekend stuff but we weren't planning on doing records, certianly not more then one - initially anyway..

The Beginnings of Wintersleep

How long did you spend constructing songs before you decided to get other people involved?

The first batch of songs were pretty much written before we recorded.

We didn't think about playing shows until after we made the demos and realized that it was something that we wanted to pursue more. we have changed the writing process quite alot since then as it has grown to be an actual band..

It says on your site that you started out with Loel and then used friends Tim and Jud to fill out the sounds. How did you know each other?

Um.. well, Tim and I have been close friends since childhood and he was in on it from the beginning also.. Loel really brought it altogether with his drumming though and I think that is when we started taking it seriously as something we could do live. Loel was in a band called contrived [still active] and Tim and I were in a band called Kary. We played lots of shows with Loel, got him into bars: Jud did artwork for both bands and played bass and was an easy fit personality wise as well as bass playing wise.

You are originally from Yarmouth, so when did you make the move to being in Halifax and starting Wintersleep?

Tim, Loel and I moved to Halifax for school and also because of our bands then.. Wintersleep started pretty late [3 years] after I moved up..

What was your very first gig?

We played at a place called the And.. this art space that sold booze after hours and held little shows every once and a while. The owner, Tobin was kind enough to let us play..

Who did you admire as musicians on the Halifax scene at the time you were forming Wintersleep?

Hmm... Dependent Music was a little group of bands that we were associated with but also that we really took alot of inspiration from. CRD.. Motes, Brian Borcherdt,trephines, heavy meadows. North of America was another one that we were all pretty huge fans of..

What are some subjects you use to write about in your songs?

He.. i don't know.. lots of things are inspirational in this world.. books.. girls? i don't know what a good answer is to this question although i am sure that this answer probably isn't one:

Do you or any of the other fellows have any musical training?

Tim played piano until he got his first guitar.. he's got chops.

Wintersleep's 2003 Release- Self titled

You recorded your first album in the Lunenburg opera house, which is very old. Did you ever feel that you could have had an audience of a ghost or two?

Yeah. i think we all went a little nuts.. james tried to also do strange stuff just to scare us.. which ended making us more scared of him than we were of potential "ghosts":

Did you record the album before you started playing lots of shows?

Yeah.. we weren't really a band when we recorded the first record and you can tell =: charming at some points, embarrassing at other points.. kind of a work in progress even still.. feels like we are learning more and more how to be a band and just working on the kinks at a pretty natural pace..

Whose idea was it to use the Lunenburg opera building to record your first album?

James, the engineer of the record, just kinda was asked to be the custodian i guess.. so it was kinda luck..

Where did Wintersleep go on their first tour and did you tour with any other bands?

We started touring pretty heavily after our second record was released,.. 2005.. our first tour to toronto was pretty depressing.. our first tour to newfoundland with by divine right was really amazing.. really free spirited people,, happy people with this great sense of adventure.. really made me want to keep touring.. a great band.. really took care of us..

Do you have a really memorable performance from when you were on the road supporting the first album?

Hmm. we met lots of great people. every show is fun for different reasons... playing with the constantines was another pretty memorable little tour out east when we were touring the first record.. i don't know how we ended getting to play with them at that point. pretty mind blowing:

lovely band..

When you say you toured for two years, how much touring in the two years did you do and where did you go?

We only started really tour touring recently,, like 2005... we went across canada 5 timess. germany, switzerland, italy, Uk.. NY, Texas, Atlanta// Portland..

Wintersleep's Second Album Untitled

Where did you record Untitled?

Halifax NS at Sonic Temple and at idea of East

Wintersleep is now on Labworks Records and has distribution in the US as well as Canada. Do you feel that you are getting a good response from the US market?

We've only played about 10 shows in the US but the last little stint with the tragically hip went really well. also, we toured with the slip and they were great.. great crowds so far that seemed to enjoy it..

What do you think about the scene in Canada? How do you think a band can make it in Canada with the music scene like it is today?

I think as long as you tour consistently and keep developing as a band creatively and don't mind being broke you can do it.. doesn;t matter so much where you're from.. th drives are really long in canada... you have to be patient and be ok with going a little batty.

You have played along side: Broken Social Scene, K-os, Pearl Jam, Metric and are now touring with The Tragically Hip and The Slip. What other bands would you like to share the stage with?

Too many.. i don't know.. mogwai? tragically hip? constantines. the books?

Does Wintersleep usually hit the road alone? Or do you tour with other bands?

We like to tour with friends when we do our own tours but right now we have been doing lots of opening slots and festivals which are fun too..

What do you think when people compare you to groups such as: Radiohead, Mogwai, Low or Hayden?

We like these bands lots. we also use similar instruments.. guitars. basses... drums.. so, sure: we get compared to pearl jam a frickin heck of alot also: comparisons are helpful to people looking for new bands so if it turns anyone on to check us out i am happy...

http://www.wintersleep.com/

Kristen Cudmore