SLEEP SIGNALS – A CONVERSATION WITH ROBERT COSGROVE
After surviving a ton of adversity, Sleep Signals has risen like the mythical Phoenix. The Oregon based hard hitting band has recently dropped several melodic yet edgy singles that are propelling them to the forefront of the musical pack. The band is comprised of Robert Cosgrove (Vocals), Grant Evans (Guitar), Jay Lucero (Guitar) and Wyatt Henderson (Drums). They are using guest musicians for their bass duties. Sleep Signals‘ sound is a blend of aggressive metal and captivating pop. They create a sonic fusion that is pure aural dynamite.
Sleep Signals just dropped their newest track, “Fearless”. The song features killer riffs and gutsy vocals. It’s a perfect example of their distinct brew of brazen musicianship. Every note carries a tension-filled electric charge. Its powerful cadence delivers the listener to the upper strata. It’s a true banger. Another recent single, “One Life” is bold and full of fervency. Its driving intonations conveys an avalanche of supersized intensity. Sleep Signals is both daring and provocative. A great combination.
Robert Cosgrove gave AMP this great interview while on the road to their next tour stop.
AMP: Can you give us a little history of the band?
ROBERT: We originally started in Minneapolis, Minn. About two years ago we relocated to central Oregon. We’re a pretty active band. Constantly touring. Recently we have been dropping a bunch of new material. The main thing is the fact that Sleep Signals is constantly grinding.
AMP: How would you describe your sound?
ROBERT: We pull a lot of influences from a lot of different places. The best description would be “active rock”. That’s the radio genre we target. We pull our sound from all over the map. From pop to hardcore. Sleep Signals is high energy but we try to keep our music as accessible as possible.
AMP: What is your creative process like?
ROBERT: We don’t have a set creative process. All the members of the band collaborate on new material. Someone may come up with an idea for a song and if we like it, we run with it. Generally, we come up with two or three candidates and pick the most liked. Then we further the exploration. Afterwards, we go in the studio with our producer and fine tune the track. Luckily there are no egos in the band. We are all in it to win it. It’s a team effort. All we want to do is put out the best music we can.
AMP: Your new single, “Fearless” is quite dynamic. Do you feel your new material is an evolution in musical style from your previous work?
ROBERT: I do! I definitely think we have matured. Every release we put out shows a little more growth. The new song is a little more heavier than our past ones which was fun for us. Our guitar player, Grant, loves playing these new songs live. They scream a little bit more. We love the direction we are currently going. It’s heavy but melodic.
AMP: The band has experienced some incredible setbacks. How did you stay strong?
ROBERT: We have. Most recently, in 2022, we had a pretty bad bus wreck while on tour. Everybody was in the hospital and then rehab for about 14 months. So, we really didn’t know if we were going to continue. But we remained resilient. We kept looking to grab that prize at the end of the tunnel. We all picked each other up when anyone of us was down. That’s how we managed to stay strong and survive. We take it one day at a time and push to make today better than yesterday.
AMP: You are currently on tour. Any particular gig stand out?
ROBERT: The whole tour has been pretty amazing. A lot of good shows so far. Boise, ID. sticks out in my mind. That was really fun. We really did well in Kennewick, Wa. That’s one of our favorite markets to play. The last two times we played there we sold out the venue. There is a lot of good support for the new singles. Quite a few people know the songs. We still have a few weeks to go.
AMP: Are there any particular themes the band embeds in your songs?
ROBERT: We don’t have any recurring themes so to speak but we do try to express a positive message. Hopefully our songs makes people think and feel somewhat uplifted. Grant and I are the primary songwriters and we’ve always felt strongly about that. We just want to write good music that raises people up.
AMP: If you could collaborate with one artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
ROBERT: I’ll give you one of each. They are kind of similar in style. I’m a big pop guy. We try to incorporate as much pop as we can while still remaining a rock/metal band. I think it would be amazing to do something with The Weekend. Someone from the past would definitely be Michael Jackson. If you look at bands like Bad Omens, you can already see the pop meshing with the heavier grooves. It’s starting to be okay to have that popier sound in metal. I can see pop/metal collabs being a big thing in the near future.
AMP: Can we expect an EP of full length soon?
ROBERT: So right now we are solely focused on singles. Once we release several more, we may press them into an EP. The way the industry is right now, people want to hear new material every four to eight weeks which lends itself to singles being an effective tool. It definitely pleases the algorithms. So we are following in that direction but it’s still hard to keep that schedule. There is so much going on behind the scene such as music videos and radio promo. All in all, that has been our goal.
AMP: What’s next for Sleep Signals?
ROBERT: We are going to keep grinding like we have been. “Fearless” is going out to radio this week and we are really excited about that. We still have a bunch of dates left on this tour. After that, we go home and start the recording process for our new songs. We also have a bunch of festival dates beginning in August. It’s going to be a busy rest of the year!
SLEEP SIGNAL TOUR DATES
- 04/28 Brooklyn, NY – Lucky 13 Saloon
- 04/29 Frenchtown, NJ – Arties
- 04/30 Mt Holly, NJ – The Union Firehouse
- 05/03 Millersville, PA – Phantom Power
- 05/04 Baltimore, MD – Zen West
- 05/05 Turtle Creek, PA – Sub Alpine
- 05/06 Jeffersonville, IN – Maxwell’s House of Music
- 05/07 Indianapolis, IN – State Street Pub
- 05/09 Springfield, IL – The Blue Grouch
- 05/10 St Joseph, MO – Cafe Acoustic Music Hall
- 05/11 Kearney, NE – The Other Side
- 05/12 Denver, CO – Herman’s Hideaway
- 05/13 Casper, WY – Oil City Beer Company
- 05/14 Draper, UT – Leatherheads
To learn more about Sleep Signals, check out her website
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