It is Saturday evening, about six o’clock, the sun is making its way into the western horizon and band Sleeperstar takes stage during “Rockin’ on the Docks” at The Harbor in Rockwall.
Sleeperstar began the show like most bands with a standard mic-check. But what made this particular check unique was the over-used “check, check one, check” was seldom heard. Rather, lead singer, Chris Pearson, belted out harmonies to make sure the mics were at the right volume and frequency.
With their start in 2007, Sleeperstar has definitely made themselves into a band that is not only a joy to listen to, but also a spectacle to go and see live.
Sometimes bands will sacrifice their live shows to make a phenomenal studio recorded album. These guys have both.
“If we could, we would practice 17 times a week, but we all hold down other jobs in order to funnel all monies back into the band,” Pearson said. “If you paid 10 dollars to come see us, we want it to be the best 10 bucks you ever spent on a live show, and we won’t be satisfied until it is.”
Beginning the show with a barrage of guitar riffs from sea-foam-green guitar wielding guitarist, Nick Box, and Pearson, the crowd seemed to know they were in store for an entertaining set of music.
Members include Pearson on lead vocals, guitar, and piano, Jake Lester on vocals, pads, piano, and strings, Box with lead guitar and vocals, Brandon Rosas on bass and Shaun Menary blasting on
the drums.
With ambitions to have their own sound, Sleeperstar joked that they would love to remind people of Tina Turner, Run DMC and Otis Day and the Nights. With an actual sound like early Coldplay and U2, Sleeperstar is still able to mix their own originality in enough to give it a “Sleeperstar” sound. Which is a good one.
One song in particular stood out to me, and will have me looking for it on their next album is “Carry You.” The lyrics sang, “If you cannot move, I will carry you, if you cannot breath I’ll be the air.”
These guys have no problem causing young ladies to swoon.
The crowd, some in lawn chairs, some on blankets all were enjoying the show. Taking a look around the audience showed young and old alike, bobbing their heads and looking intently at the show that was Sleeperstar.
And the old man singing the “ooh, ooh, ohh’s” after Pearson’s request seemed to really like this band of twenty-somethings.
The lyrics delivered by Pearson and company were a refreshing escape from the mainstream drab most people are subject to in their car radios. The talent is obviously not only in instruments but writing as well.
Working as a group, a band of brothers if you will, they write collaboratively. Pearson, Lester and Box come up with the basic idea, outline, melody and lyrics and then the song is passed on to Menary to put some beats to it and then to Rosas to add the bass parts.
During the show, Pearson said their lyrics are mostly based on love, hope, and faith. Which a listen to their album, To Speak, To Love, To Listen would make that
quite evident.
At the end of song number 10 of their hour and a half set, a kid of about three or four came up to the stage holding a small football and rather than ignoring him, Pearson played a short game of catch with him, with much delight to the young boy.
“I think the most important thing about our music, is that it’s a means to an end. We are very interested in creating relationships with our fans and people in general,” said Pearson.
With the music industry being in the condition it is, a poor one, bands are having a hard time having a five-year plan. Sleeperstar is looking to play the first show on the moon in 2014. Well, that’s what Pearson said.
But Lester reigned in the projection and said they hoped to have three albums done or at least have two done and be working on number three in five years.
Sleeperstar may not be the name of some illustrious astrological anomaly, but it is the name of a band that has a sound mixed with nuances from U2, Lifehouse, Coldplay and Maroon 5 as crazy as it may seem.