THE SLEEPERS (FROM CHICAGO)
Rock / Southern Rock / Rock
If Jerry Lee Lewis had married Appetite For Destruction instead of his cousin, his kids would've been The Sleepers. Whether it is stranger to marry an album than a cousin is debatable, but the fact that The Sleepers play some lowdown, dirty, rock n roll is not. Coming from Chicago with one foot in the blues and the other kicking the ass of bands that forgot what rock music is, they have created a sound that is at once both familiar and unique. Combining the fire of the MC5 and Clash, the swagger of The Faces and Stones, and the atomic energy of The Stooges and AC/DC, The Sleepers sound is hard to ignore and impossible to forget. The thunderous backbone of Johnny Action (drums) and Chris Cormier (bass) lays a foundation for Kevin Bannon's driving riffs and pounding rhythms. Tony Manno's nasty licks cut through the rhythms, recalling the days when guitarists were gods, and remind anybody in earshot that gods still walk among us. And above it all, Tommy Richied's gritty vocals drive the dirty sound of this band right into the mind of anybody lucky enough to experience it.
If CBGB had been a honky tonk, The Sleepers woulda been the house band.
LATEST REVIEW FROM TIME OUT CHICAGO MAGAZINE:
You'll hear a lot of familiar elements in THE SLEEPERS, sometimes all at once, and that's just what makes their brand of rock & roll a cut above. Because don't forget even greats like the Stones and AC/DC were once young punks playing makeshift venues, proving you never know which bunch of dudes making a racket may finally stumble upon something new and irresistible and hit it big. - Antonia Simigis, TIME OUT CHICAGO MAGAZINE
Location: Chicago, IL
Members: Tom, Kevin, Tony, Chris, John
