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| Source: http://site.sleepingwithsirens.net/photos/ |
One of my all time bands is Sleeping With Sirens (depicted at the left) as part of my college course I was tasked to compile a biography for them. It turns out what I've written is too long but I didn't want half of my work to go to waste.
So here it is, I applaud you if you read to the very end as it is quite a read. If you don't you should still check them out on ALL their social media and YouTube. They are going on tour soon so go grab yourself some tickets too!!
Sleeping with Sirens (SWS) is an American rock band from
Orlando, Florida currently residing in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The group is primarily
known for the versatility of lead vocalist’s, Kellin Quinn, tenor leggiero
vocal range; this allows them to have a fluid music genre of pop rock, alternative
rock and post – hardcore.
Guitarists Jack Fowler and Nick Martin, bassist Justin Hill
and drummer Gabe Barham forge a vibrant collage via instrumental backdrop;
always in service to the song and the powerful audience connection their songs
create.
Quinn’s angelic voice and the easy-going affability of all
five guys endears them to a diverse audience, people more friends than fans in
a sense. People who connect with the singer’s personal tales of childhood woe
(“Free Now,” “Trophy Father Trophy Son”), tender love letters (“If I’m James
Dean, You’re Audrey Hepburn”), and direct encouragements to seize the day
(“Scene Two – Roger Rabbit”) and triumph over heartache (“Feel”) and pushback
against the hater brigades (“Congratulations”).
SWS were signed to Rise records from 2009 until 2014 when
they changed label’s to Epitaph. Since then they have released their fourth
full-length album Madness in 2015. They are currently on track to set off on
their Madness world tour. Acts that have collaborated with the band are Pierce
the Veil, Machine Gun Kelly, Matty Mullins from Memphis May Fire and We Are
Defiance.
The band has sold over 720,000 albums across their
catalogue, but their earliest beginnings are vividly relatable to anyone who
has been in a band. Quinn joined an early incarnation of the group even as its
line-up was disintegrating. Barham and Hills were working restaurant jobs in
their native Midwest when Quinn, who they had played with in bands before, asked
them to join Sleeping With Sirens. They sold everything, strapped Hill’s bass
cab on the top of a car and headed South with nowhere to live and no real plan.
The three of them made SWS debut album together, which was released on 23rd
of March 2010. It debuted at number 7 on Billboard 's Top Heatseekers chart,
and at number 36 on Top Independent Albums.
With Ears to See and Eyes to Hear featured the
old line-up’s guitarists, but Jack Fowler and Jesse Lawson were on-board in
time for Let’s Cheers to This,
which shook the scene in 2011. The 7th of April 2011 was the release
of their first single off the new album, ‘Do It Now Remember It Later’. Later
in the month on 28th, the next single "Fire" was released.
The first two albums and relentless touring resulted in a
solid profile as a top-tier band in the worlds of screamo and metalcore, but
SWS had bigger aspirations. The subtle, down-to-earth acoustic performances
they’d quietly assemble outside of clubs after their set started to draw more
people outside than whoever was headlining inside.
The intimate, communal vibe of these interactions with fans
and the exploration of bigger melodic hooks led to the acoustic EP, ‘If You Were A Movie, This Would Be Your Soundtrack’
released on 26th of June 2012. The album debuted at no. 17 on the Billboard
Top 200 charts, selling 17,486 in the first week. As a Halloween special
the band released a new single called "Dead Walker Texas Ranger"
which was recommended for use on a movie sound track by a very popular online
blog with a sizeable following.
In January 2013, the band entered the studio to record their
follow up album to ‘Let's Cheers to This’ with an estimated release date of
mid-2013. The group’s newfound comfort in their embrace of giant melodies was
apparent with the massive crowd pleaser, ‘Feel’, which demonstrated a wide
range, from debut single “Low”. The album debuted at number three on the U.S.
Billboard 200 chart.
A few years earlier, SWS was an opening band. In 2013, they
sold out a 5,000 capacity club in London. In support of the new album, the band
played Kia main stage at the Vans Warped Tour 2013. They released the second
single from ‘Feel’ was "Alone" featuring Machine Gun Kelly on the 21st
of May.
Wins and nominations for Artist Of The Year (APMAS 2014,
Alternative Press 2013), Best International Newcomer (Kerrang!), Album Of The
Year and Song Of The Year (APMAS) are all emblematic of the groundswell SWS
built at what feels like a lightning pace. Facebook likes tripled to over 3
million since 2013; each of Quinn’s social media profiles has 1 million
followers; Alternative Press, Rock Sound, Kerrang!, Outburn and Blunt regularly
feature them on the cover; they’ve been a main-stage act for Vans Warped Tour
and UK’s prestigious Reading & Leeds.
On the 16th of October, guitarist Jesse Lawson
announced his departure from the band, citing his desire to spend more time
with his family and start a new musical venture. The Feel This Tour (SWS, Memphis May Fire,
Breathe Carolina, Issues, Our Last Night) introduced Nick Martin to the fans.
Martin’s tenure in Underminded and post-hardcore super-group D.R.U.G.S. lends
sharp experience to the raw energy already present in SWS, resulting in the
most potent incarnation of the band yet.
On the 6th of July, 2014 the band released
pictures of them in the studio recording new music with John Feldmann; who has
worked with acts such as: Good
Charlotte, The Used, Cute is What We Aim For, Circa Survive’s Anthony Green,
Saosin, Four Year Strong, Plain White T’s, Panic! at the Disco, Neon Trees, All
Time Low, Escape the Fate etc.
Quinn’s “King For A Day” collaboration with Pierce The Veil
was certified gold. This prompted the band to announce they would be headlining
a world tour alongside Pierce the Veil, with supporting acts Beartooth and This
Wild Life.
In August of 2014, the band stated they were parting ways
with Rise Records and working on as an independent band. However, on the 10th
of November 2014 it was announced on Alternative Press that the band signed to
Epitaph Records and released a new single called "Kick Me". The band
followed the release of "Kick Me", with their single "We Like It
Loud", on New Year's Day. It was available for free download for 24 hours
through the band's website.
Falling on the more melodic side of the post-hardcore world,
Sleeping with Sirens create a whirlwind of emotion with their yearning and
aggressive blend of metal and emo influences. They have taken to referring to
themselves and their fellow outsiders as Strays, a concept immortalized in the
song of the same name on the band’s Epitaph debut. Madness is an electric
celebration of all that is SWS and everything they represent. It’s a reminder
and an exclamation point as to exactly why so many consider this band to be the
voice of their generation, a hilarious happenstance considering SWS humility
and humble beginnings.
No matter how large Sleeping With Sirens has become, Quinn
and his cohorts haven’t backed down from their offering of only the most
courageous examinations of what they are as people, expressed nightly on stages
around the world through marvellously intimate songs.
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