Sydney instrumental quartet sleepmakeswaves have announced the publication of their first book, co-authored with manager and label director Mike Solo.
The book, a joint venture between bassist Alex Wilson and manager Solo, also feature vignettes and quotes from the other band members.
Tentatively titled ?Being post: how to write love songs about delay pedals and influence people? the book is centred around the band?s fledgling experience touring Australia and internationally, as well as being a handy how-to (or how-not-to) guide for aspiring musicians in niche markets.
The band have released the chapter titles and summaries including quotes, as follows. No release date has yet been announced.
Foreword by Sarah Tout (RTR fm, Perth)
?Sleepmakeswaves?bring your ear plugs and your mouth guards?.
Ch 1: This is why we rehearse
?Watching our first ever festival performance and hearing how many bum notes were made, it was embarassing. Comparing that to the footage from our firstAustralian tour just 5 weeks later, after 10 jam sessions preparing for it, we were hitting the sweet spot every night. This is why we rehearse.? ? Wilson
?Play more, better.? ? Solo
Ch 2: Real musicians work
?Imagine if you will, a world where each day, a different person writes an amazing song.?A song so good that it goes viral and at least 10 million other people are willing to pay $1 for it.? Then it means that this person can quit their job and retire to a life of luxury, effectively removing them from productive society. This is the dream, right?? Wrong. If everyone did this, we?d eventually all be wealthy, with no one left to run the economy, build houses, serve food, or even grow food. We?d be screwed. Every musician, aspiring or wealthy, should maintain productive work, to keep our society afloat.? ? Solo
?Get a f**cking job you lazy ass.? ? Wilson
Ch 3: Just button up your shirt
?When you?re in a young touring band playing a niche style of music, you don?t have the money to afford accommodation. You need to stay at your friend?s places, sleep on the spare bed, or in our case, when in Canberra, sleep on the floor in the shed out the back. The shed window can?t be closed, so one night in winter, when it dropped below zero, I woke up from the cold. I just buttoned up my shirt and went back to sleep.? ? Solo
?Buy a sleeping bag you idiot.? ? Wilson
Ch 4: I have no time for people like that
?People who are intelligent, talented musicians, have great jobs they enjoy and are also good looking can f&*k off? ? Wilson
?When you?re feeling stressed, do something different, like go for walk, or eat an orange.? ? Solo
Ch 5: The burdens up being true
?It?s a tough situation, when you?re almost always correct. People then seem to relish in purposefully proving you wrong, they become antagonistic. When in fact you?re only trying to help them be better.? The trick is to feign ignorance every once in a while, cut your own grass down to size.? ? Solo
?You?re right, Mike.? ? Wilson
Ch 6: Lollies are for people
?I have no idea what this means? ? Solo
??? ? Wilson
Ch 7: When in Rome???adopt their accent, apparently.? ? Solo?When I was in the US, I found it more empathetic to speak in the native tongue, so that I could better endear myself to the locals.? ? Otto Wicks-green?If he ever does that again, he will die.? ? Tim AdderleyCh 8: How to win favours and influence people?When we were in Brisbane last year, we needed somewhere to store our equipment. The hotel attendant wasn?t letting us use the baggage store room for some odd reason. So Kid pretended to flirt with him until he let us put our gear in.? ? Solo?It?s all in the hands.? ? KidCh 9: Everything can be fixed with gaffer tape?In the US we were faced with being destroyed by excess baggage charges, so we had to strap guitars and pedal boards together to reduce the number of checked bags. This meant using a lot of gaff tape. So much, that we ran out on the second day of the tour and had to buy more before flying out of Philadelphia. We got some, returned the hire car, got to the airport via shuttle?only to find we?d left the gaff tape in the hire car. So we had to use half a roll of sticky tape and chewing gum.? ? Solo?American gaff tape is not as strong as Australian gaff tape. Buy it at home.? ? AdderleyCh 10: Philadelphia freedom?After our Philly show, we went back to Rosetta frontman Mike Armine?s place. By the time we unloaded the car, finished chatting with his neighbours and waited while he put away his dogs, we had 45 minutes before leaving for our flight. The choice was either sleep or stay awake. Or in Wilson?s case, to take a walk, against Armine?s advice.? ? Solo?When the singer in Rosetta, a local, who owns 4 killer dogs and is a total badass tells you not to go outside, you don?t go outside.? ? Kid?Ok, if you?re going to be so butt-hurt about it, I won?t go.? ? Wilson
Ch 11: I am my only worthy competitor
?Everything about me is maximal.? ? WilsonThe first reviews for the book have already come through from the band?s previous members Tom Binetter and Will Smith?It?s true. Otto does engage in Irish-speak and American-speak. He?s quite good. Unfortunately I didn?t get to the rest of the book, I had other matters to attend to. Remember that gig with Signal Hill? And the Boris gig at the Metro? Hehehe.? ? Tom Binetter?The book reads like a series of in-jokes only translatable by the band themselves. It?s utter nonsense. All up: a great read.? ? Will SmithAll media enquiries and publishing offers can be directed to Mike Solo birdsrobe@gmail.com or via the book?s website www.Ihopeyourealisethisisajoke.comMike
