INTERVIEW: Caleb Hodges from ART OF SLEEPING

ART OF SLEEPING are off to a cracking start, with their single 'Empty Hands' being the seventh most-played song on Triple J in April, as well as getting the supporting slot for Owl Eyes' Crystallised tour later this month. Our Allie Speers had a chat with frontman Caleb Hodges about men's Y-fronts, crying to Tina Turner, and why YouTube will never replace live gigs.

Purple Sneakers: Your new single 'Empty Hands' was seventh most-played on triple j earlier this month. Have you guys adjusted from being an unknown Brissy band to becoming such a success?

Caleb Hodges: We're just starting out, really, so I think we still have a long way to go, but we're grateful for all the airplay! I honestly would have been happy with getting a few spins; it's so great to hear people actually enjoy our music! Funniest Home Videos still haven't not played the video I sent in of our manager dancing naked and crying to Tina Turner, so at least we're getting all this great support from Triple J!

PS: Has growing up in Brisbane influenced your music in any way?

CH: My father has always played music for a living, and when I was young, my family lived in Texas, so I got to hang out at all these great jazz bars around Dallas where my dad would play. These days, people can access a whole world of music with a click of the mouse, but I don't think anything will ever compare to the experience of watching talented artists play live. Something magical happens when people get together and share music that a computer screen will always fail to capture. This is why people still love to go out and watch music live, when they could easily just sit at home and watch it on YouTube. So, really, I think that the people in a place have an imperative influence over one’s musical influences, more so than the place itself. Here in Brisbane, there are a lot of talented musicians and a rapidly-growing local live music scene with an eclectic mix of great music venues popping up around the place. There are also so many really successful music festivals around the area that wholeheartedly support the local scene and also bring in some amazing international acts.

PS: Where are you most looking forward to playing at and why?

CH: This might sound weird, but we love playing in really small intimate venues were you can actually talk to people in the crowd (as long as the sound is good, of course)! I would much rather play in front of twenty people that are really enjoying the music that in an arena where everyone is on Instagram and playing Words With Friends on their phones, haha.

PS: Your upcoming tour supporting OWL EYES is getting us all in a tizzy. What can we expect from your live show?

CH: Well, we're also in a bit of a tizzy, because we've been itching to get out and play some places around Australia where we haven't been yet! Playing live is by far our favourite part of the whole musical process; there isn't any nudity -- sorry -- because we like to let the music speak for itself. We try to create a musically dynamic atmosphere and put on a great show, but the most important thing to us is that our performance has an element of honesty that people can connect with.

PS: Best gig ever?

CH: There is no best gig really, every time we play, it's fun for different reasons. We're still pretty keen for some panties to be thrown on stage, we'll be happy even if it’s a pair of men's y-fronts from Lowes. Maybe we need to pull out a cover of Tom Jones’ ‘Sex Bomb’.

PS: Worst gig ever?

CH: There have been a few fails! I won’t say where, but my mic wasn't on for the first 3 songs! Disaster! There was also another show where, after frantically beckoning the sound guy for at least two songs, I realised that I hadn't plugged my guitar in. I'm pretty cool like that.

PS: How do you see your groups dynamics meshing whilst on tour?

CH: We've all been friends for a long time, so we're really looking forward to getting on the road, to be honest. If there are any disagreements we will handle it like gypsies, with shirts off, broken bottles, and razors, or we might just throw rocks at each other and cry.

PS: Where do you see ART OF SLEEPING in a year’s time?

CH: That is a hard question to answer quickly, but broadly speaking, we'd all love to be playing music full-time. We also have a whole heap of unreleased material that we're itching to get out! We're super keen to get in front of as many people around Australia as we can. so I guess we'll go for whichever opportunities come up. As long as I’m not selling dry car wash products at a servo, or wearing a clown suit in a fast food store, I'll be smiling.

Interview by Allie Speers