Sleepy Vikings

Julian Conner underrates his old band, Giddy-Up, Helicopter!, when he says its "strategy was to get drunk and play loud."

But he's got a point about the far more intense focus of Sleepy Vikings, his current band which features four-fifths of Giddy-up's final lineup.

"We decided to get serious with this band and see how far we can get," guitarist-singer Conner says. With the May 10 release of its debut album, "They Will Find Us Here," the band makes its intentions and ambitions clear.

The sound is meticulous, the result of sessions spread out over a year at Tampa studio Atomic Audio with producer Mark Nikolich. It was released by Tampa label New Granada and previewed at the label's South by Southwest showcase in March.

There have been favorable notices on blogs and attention from national publications such as Paste and Magnet.

There's a national publicity campaign (and a Kickstarter campaign to pay for it), and a coming tour that will take the sextet as far north as Boston and as far west as Cleveland.

It's a tall order for a band whose members all are either in school, working or both.

"The tour is definitely the hardest part, just getting time off from work," says Conner, who acknowledges that the balancing act is tough sometimes, such as when "you're driving home from a show when you know you have to work the next day."

"The good shows and the positive reviews always make up for it," he says.

Sleepy Vikings have had plenty of both. Its CD release party at Ybor City's Crowbar on April 30 was packed with an adoring crowd. School of Seven Bells' singer Alejandra Deheza praised the Vikings when they opened for her band at Crowbar in October.

Meanwhile, Paste praised the band for its "rich Southern shoe-gazy goodness."

Giddy-up, Helicopter! split after guitarist Nikki Navarro's departure after the release of its second album, 2009's "Something That Needs Nothing." Conner and the other members of Giddy-up, guitarist Nicole Schlief, bassist Sandi Streppone and drummer Ryann Slauson, added singer-keyboardist Tessa McKenna and guitarist Sandra Covin to form Sleepy Vikings. (The name comes from "The Simpsons," specifically Ralph Wiggum: "Sleep! That's where I'm a viking!")

Although there are similarities between the Vikings and Giddy-up, they're like those of the prototype and the finished piece.

"We gained a lot when we got Tessa. She's a real singer," Conner says. "There are a lot more harmonies and a lot more complex vocal stuff going on."

Not that they always get to hear it.

When told that his and McKenna's harmonies are one of the band's signature sounds, he laughs.

"We practice in a really small, loud, hot space," he says. "Half the time we can't hear vocals. Great to hear that's working out!" - tbo.com

I could have waited for the PR company to send me Sleepy Vikings debut album, They Will Find You Here, but after it got me to stop streaming the new Beastie Boys album (which is fucking stellar) for half an hour cause I just let "Calm" repeat over and over, I decided not to even bother emailing first and just this post tonight.

My initial reaction to "Calm" was that the fast parts have a "Paint It Black" kind of feel and the melodies and chorus have a great easy indie feel like the best of stuff from Polyvinyl Records. The more I listened to it, thought, the more the track lines up with the Pavement and (latter-day) Sonic Youth comparisons that came on the emailed press release introducing me to the band. All the references to jangly guitars and southern shoegaze, a genre which may or may not actually exist, they match up too.
While I may sit on my tired-parent ass at the end of the day, swallowing beer and staring at the Internet, I bet Sleepy Vikings rip through songs like "Calm" in concert. Though they'll have to hit Fort Lauderdale for me to ever find out, and that's not on the itinerary, I plan to force a lot of people to listen to They Will Find You Here. If the awesome cover drawing of a barn on a fire is any indication, this is a another great album for 2011.
Keep an eye on the Sleepy Vikings website and Facebook page for where to pick up or download They Will Find You Here on May 10. - One Stupid Mop

From the depths of the shoegaze swamps”

At times, the term “shoegaze” gets abused as a genre. However, it does raise eyebrows when Tampa-based group Sleepy Vikings takes the word, then tweaks and conditions it to create “southern shoegaze” as a way to describe themselves and their new album, They Will Find You Here.

The poppy, jangly music reeks of tender summer adolescence and swampy southern folktales, drunken nights of malt liquor and apathetic teenage disillusionment. Still, this doesn’t equate to the band being musically immature or ignorant. The contrasting vocals between Tessa McKenna and Julian Conner make a harmonious mixture of dreamy elegance and chip-on-the-shoulder indie rock. The lap steel guitar and occasional banjo from Nicole Schleif is a sleek addition and carefully tends the hazy atmosphere. And of course, the bells are a popular component in shoegaze.

One of the highlights is “Hunters,” which cleverly veils a dark narration, glossing it over with a mellow pop melody. The opening of “Twin Peaks” nearly resembled that of an old Eels tune, but then quickly progressed into a fast-paced number that conjured memories of being young, stupid and not giving a damn.

Despite the carefree attitude and adolescent poetry of this introductory album, They Will Find You Here is far from being a freewheeling, spiritless record. (New Granada Records) - Performer Magazine

Tampa’s Sleepy Vikings got a considerable amount of buzz for their debut, They Will Find You Here, and apparently also snagged a few high-profile supporters. How high you ask? Here’s a little something that Marc Bianchi, aka Her Space Holiday, whipped up to show his appreciation. - My Old Kentucky Blog

I started actually listening to my dad’s records when I was in middle school. It was 1995 and I had just gotten my first guitar. I sat in the basement for hours trying to learn power chords and how to play a C chord without making the strings buzz. When I would get frustrated I’d search through his records for Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon.” I liked how mellow it was, and that none of the guitars necessarily sounded like guitars.

He purchased most of those albums when he was in college, I think. Something about collecting records as a primary musical source—by necessity, then, and not by choice—appeals to me. Most of my musical library is digital now, and while I’m generally okay with that it still somehow feels wrong. Part of the beauty of vinyl is the way it ages, grows up with you. I can remember the first time I dropped the needle onto Patti Smith’s “Easter;” I can’t remember the last song that finished downloading on my computer. - The Vinyl District

Here’s a somewhat disturbing trend – bands of young’ns drawing influence from the music I grew up with, despite the fact that they probably weren’t even out of diapers when it was contemporary. Disturbing mainly in the fact that it implies I’ve crossed some sort of generational checkpoint and the cycle of influences is looping in on itself, as it does.
Case in point, Tampa sextet Sleepy Vikings, whose acquaintance I first made at NXNE last year. Despite making a non-stop 26-hour drive from there to here and playing their showcase half-dead as a result, they still impressed with their decidedly ’90s-vintage sound, all beautifully sullen jangle and fuzz. The only recordings they had to offer then were a three-song EP dubbed Ghost, but it certainly augured well for the future.
And the future is now – or more accurately, next Tuesday when their debut They Will Find You Here is released. It takes those three songs from Ghost – which remain the standout moments – and adds another half-dozen compositions that mostly reinforce what they’ve already proven excellent at. But what’s most remarkable about They Will Find You Here isn’t so much the music itself but the mood that it, as a whole, conjures. Led by singer Tessa McKenna’s subtle twang and Julian Conner’s rough harmonies, Sleepy Vikings evoke the sense of ennui and melancholy that’s one of the less-celebrated aspects of being young. They sound too resigned to be called angsty, even in their more fiery moments, but with that comes an honesty and vulnerability that would have been lost if delivered with more bluster.
I initially liked Sleepy Vikings because they sounded a lot like bands I used to – and still do – enjoy; now I like them because they remind me of things I used feel – though thankfully not nearly as much. - Chromewaves.net

Sometimes, press releases are interesting things. The press release for They Will Find You Here notes that “Sleepy Vikings has previously and unsuccessfully described its sound as ‘southern shoegaze.’” The shoegaze is there, almost. The southern isn’t noticeable at all. Hailing from Florida, Sleepy Vikings’ tend more towards introspective indie pop, but the songs do swirl in a way that could be called shoegaze. Whatever you want to call it, it’s great stuff. These songs are fascinating lyrically, and they get better with each listen.
The album starts great with a simple guitar line. The song “These days” starts quickly and the vocals emote: “times are getting tough.” It sets the stage for the rest of the album. It features a lot of meandering guitars, and male/female vocals.
The second song, “Calm” is a fantastic breakup song: “It’s over and I’m not sad anymore. I don’t remember what feeling sad was for.” Then a fantastic refrain: “calm down my head.” The song moves along, and ends right on time. It might be tempting to draw these things out, but Sleepy Vikings have a very strong pop sensibility.
The best thing here, “Dear Long Distance” comes near the end of the album. It builds slowly, and the lyrics are fascinating: “being free felt a lot like being scared, so I guess I was chased. And I’m not going back to the place I left for dead again.” The song seems to be about escaping youth. It’s complex, and seems designed for repeat listening.
Sleepy Vikings play a style of music that is difficult to pull off well, and they do pull it off. This album is absolutely fantastic, and is highly recommended.
Track Listing:
1. These Days
2. Calm
3. Hunters
4. Flashlight Tag
5. A Backyard Funeral
6. Twin Peaks
7. Corson Park
8. Dear Long Distance
9. White Wolves - Popwreckoning

http://orlandoweekly.com/music/tiny-triumphs-1.1141875 - The Orlando Weekly

Sleepy Vikings
They Will Find You Here
[New Granada]
If you’re anything like me, you’re probably searching for an album to which you can jump around your bedroom, burning relics of a failed relationship. Well, look no further. Tampa’s Sleepy Vikings have made it for you. Their debut album, They Will Find You Here, delivers tender, brooding, vocals, and noisy, jangly fits of guitar. Think Samantha Crane and the Midnight Shivers meets early Modest Mouse.
If given one word to describe Sleepy Vikings, I’d say they’re bittersweet. The lyrics are as morbid as the melodies are catchy. “Lovely bones floating down the river / all this time you thought you knew me better,” sings Tessa McKenna on “Calm” before the band leaps into a cathartic mess of noise. “Flashtag Tag” contains some great sing-and-clap-along moments portraying a country landscape set ablaze (see album cover). Each song balances soft, bleeding-heart reflection and frantic, toughen-you-up bursts of guitars and drums.
Sleepy Vikings may seem like just another band to lump into the ever-growing “indie-folk” genre and call it a day. However, I urge you to give They Will Find You Here a listen. These self-described “swamp stalkers” have something truly special. Or better yet, go see ‘em live. Their East Coast tour starts next Friday. - the owl mag

I'd been forewarned about the heat, rats and overall grime of the Sleepy Vikings' rehearsal space, but it's really not all that bad. We've just finished talking over coffee and sandwiches at The Independent; now we're in Northeast Tampa in a mixed-used public storage unit, navigating our way through the flotsam repository that serves as the band's front office. A windowless box in the back serves as their rehearsal space, given cozy character by a string of plain white Christmas lights and a battered disco ball dangling from the ceiling. Wires snake across the floor, hooked up to music gear and scattered oscillating fans.

Four of Sleepy Vikings' six musicians are present. The local indie outfit has earned significant web exposure over the past several months, and now they're getting ready to release their full-length New Granada Records debut and embark on their first-ever national tour.

Julian Conner leads on vocals and guitar with natural ease and solid self-assuredness. Tessa McKenna, his fiancée and dulcet-toned vocal counterpart, brings a doleful femininity to the band's mix of moody alt roots and driving Southern rock. She's also the youngest and least-tried member, and so the object of much good-natured teasing. Bassist Sandi Streppone, a teacher by day, comes off as quiet and serious until she lets loose a wry one-liner or self-deprecating comment or pointed input on a song. And drummer Ryann Slauson is a long-haired sweet-looking young thing who curses like a crusty old sailor and draws on a wide-ranging musical palette.

Conner is quick to point out that this rehearsal is atypical because two members are missing — guitarist, lap steel and banjo player Nicole Schleif, whose presence is felt even in her absence ("Blame Nicole" becomes the fallback expression of the evening since she's not here to defend herself); and newest member Sandra Covin, who dropped off some gear but didn't stick around because she was battling illness. Her bandmates have complete faith in her reliability, though; she joined the group in March a mere week before they were due to open for Ra Ra Riot and learned all their songs in the seven days leading up to the sold-out show.

There's a comfortable camaraderie in their exchanges, in part because three of the musicians played together in the popular but now-defunct Giddy-Up! Helicopter, which dissolved shortly after their sophomore LP was released and guitarist Nikki Navarro moved to Chicago. Though the musicians who remained in Tampa went through a mourning period, "We all missed making music together," Conner said. "So we just started hanging out and playing, just acoustic stuff."

They brought McKenna into the fold, got together more regularly, maintained their connections in the local music scene and when they were offered the chance to open for Vivian Girls in October of 2009, they accepted and returned to the local scene as the Sleepy Vikings. "That was our first show, with the fucking Vivian Girls. Pretty ridiculous," Slauson commented.

"It was really intimidating," Conner interjected, explaining they didn't have any material at the time, just rough sketches, and had to write enough songs to fill a 25-minute set, which they did hurriedly but successfully.

The band continued gigging in earnest, and eventually caught a lucky break when they were selected to play at Toronto's NXNE festival last summer. The sextet drove 26 hours straight to get there. By the time they started their set, Conner said, "There were maybe six or seven people watching us. We're like, shit, we drove to Toronto and we're playing to no one."

But three of those people were bloggers who posted their glowing reviews of the Sleepy Vikings' set to well-known online music sites, including Paste Magazine. An offer to perform in Paste's Atlanta studio followed. "That was the most legitimate thing we had ever done," Slauson said of the "Live at Paste" appearance.

The nine-track LP, They Will Find You Here, recorded over eight months at Atomic Audio, is marked by catchy hooks, unexpected tempo changes and breakdowns, and instrumental textures that brighten up the dark vibe — tinkling glock notes, retro tambourine rolls, multiple guitars building layers of sound with jangly rhythmic strums, distorted shoegaze haze-washed riffs, and echoing angular solos. The forlorn lyrics are delivered in the winding vocal harmonies of McKenna and Connor, hers a lovely honeyed drone against his warm lower-register buzz. "As far as writing goes, I just think sadness is more interesting," Conner admitted.

The album drops May 10 and the band embarks on a two-week Northeastern tour in support this summer, with a show booked nearly every night they're away. "The shitty part is, we have to fund it," Slauson sighed.

Hence, the motivation behind their current Kickstarter.com campaign. "We were kind of struggling to get the word out, so we hired this PR company, Fanatic, which we can't really afford," Conner laughed. The funds raised via Kickstarter will help Sleepy Vikings maintain the services of the Big Apple-based publicity firm. "Our fanbase here is incredible," McKenna told me before they launched the campaign, and the proof is in the pledges; at the time of this writing, they'd reached $1,830 of their intended $3,000 goal (they're presently at $2,395) and the campaign won't even end until May 20. - Creative Loafing

Sleepy Vikings first filtered into my consciousness on Record Store Day last year, but they completely blew my mind when I saw them open for Ra Ra Riot a couple of months ago, and since then they've become one of my favorite local bands. I've been mainlining their debut record for a couple of weeks (They Will Find You Here, out May 10th on New Granada), and I can't really tell you how good it is without sounding like a fangirl (you'll have to wait for my review for that).

Initially billed as Southern Shoegaze (apt, sure), the band found this tag to be mere window dressing for hick towns and beer plus Pavement and Sonic Youth. This is a band that accepted an invitation to play its first show before it even had a set of music to play, so fitting into a genre is not a top priority.

Here is what I can tell you: they do what they do extremely well, with jangly guitars, sweet harmonies, and clever lyrics aplenty (stalkers, dead kings, and teenage loitering, anyone?). Check out "Calm," the first single from They Will Find You Here:

Sleepy Vikings - Calm

You were singing along by the second verse, right?

Catch them on tour, lucky southerners: - What's the Ruckus?

Tampa-based band Sleepy Vikings recently stopped by the Paste studio to play a couple of songs, including a Broken Social Scene cover. - Paste Magazine

Wow... Can you hear that? Yeah, that's the buzz. Are you kidding me? This band in its first few months on the scene have caused quite a ruckus. In true Surfer Blood fashion, this band is gaining steam fast and with no signs of slowing down. The band has seen similar scene awareness with former project Giddy-up, Helicopter!, but Conner and crew seem more together and committed than ever. I figured the packed house at New World Brewery was a good sign that they already believed in the hype as the band took stage to a roaring applause.
The crowd was awesome Saturday night and out in force to support and dance with their Sleepy Vikings. The live show was great and beyond my expectations. The plans are in the works for an album and hopefully a Florida tour. So, catch them in town while you can. You will not be disappointed. - Reax Magazine

Sleepy Vikings includes four ex-members of deflocal favorites Giddy-up, Helicopter! (Sandi Streppone, bass; Nicole Schleif, guitar, banjo and lap steel; Ryann Slauson, drums; Conner, guitar and vocals) plus Tessa McKenna, vocals and keyboards; and Stephanie Paceco on guitar.

What's new? A pleasant female vocal from McKenna (often in harmony with others in the band); a mood that’s more enchanting and less haunting. SV material is more upbeat than Giddy-up, Helicopter!’s earlier material, with lighter arrangements acting as a counterpoint to introspective lyrics. Remaining from the band’s previous incarnation: that warmly familiar sparkle and trance that first won over fans. “It’s more refined, more musical, less noise,” Conner said.

After the jump, get Julie Garisto's full profile of this Tampa indie supergroup, including that time they got props from the Vivian Girls ...


- Tampa Bay Times

Selected as the CMJ/Sonicbids Spotlight Artist, the week of March 28,2010. - CMJ

..."There's an ethereal grittiness to their music, which will probably only make sense after you've seen them. They... presented an impressive version of Where Is My Mind? at WMNF's Tropical Heatwave a few weeks ago." - Skyway to Hell

Sleepy Vikings (The Boat @ 12AM) – proof that randomly clicking on NXNE MySpace links can be fruitful (though it’s still mostly frustrating). This band, who is trekking up here all the way from Tampa, Florida, seems to be made up of all kind of stuff I like – jangly guitars that sometimes get noisy, sweet vocals and hooks a-plenty. Plus they’re playing when I had nothing else pencilled in – if that’s not fate, I don’t know what is. - chromewaves

The Sleepy Vikings- This Florida band seemed to embody their name, but for a good reason. They had driven 26 straight hours from their home of Tampa for the show. For most of the show, the band's singer and keyboard player, Tessa McKenna looked as lively as I do when staring at the toaster oven in the morning, waiting for my bagel to get crispy. But expressions aside, the band delivered song after song of rich southern shoe-gazey goodness, and their song "Calm" has been following me around like a stray dog ever since they played it. - Paste Magazine.com

Toronto – Picture if you will … a viking. Ready to conquer, to pillage … always in search of a new challenge, a new adventure … but there’s one problem. This viking is sleepy. This is the perfect metaphor for North By Northeast. The sleep deprived, brain addled music fan stumbles from venue to venue, searching for that next big fix, the next great band, all while fighting the fact that they’ve been up ’til 4:00 the previous night. We are all sleepy vikings my friends.

Sleepy Vikings are a Tampa based band who play a hazy, jangly, shoegazy brand of music that can go from gently strummed tunes to a full on aural assault. Their myspace page describes them as indie/southern rock/shoegaze and I guess that works as well as anything. Actually, the southern rock tag might work better than I thought. As I listen to their songs after the fact, I realized that Julian Conner’s vocals on “Dear Long Distance” remind me a bit of fellow Floridian Tom Petty. I don’t quite recall if they played that song though. They definitely did play “Flashlight Tag,” a somewhat haunting tune which highlighted singer/keyboardist/occasional snaredrum player Tessa McKenna’s lovely voice. The band closed off the set with a pretty good cover of The Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind.”

I spoke briefly with one of the guitarists after their set as I noticed she was wearing a t-shirt that said “Peterbilt Tampa.” “Is that a trucking t-shirt?’ I asked. She replied that her uncle (and I think maybe some other family members) was a trucker. I told her that I could hear the truck influence in their music. She laughed but I’m sure she wondered what the hell I was talking about. So did I for that matter.

4.5 stars (out of 5) - Panic Manual

First, yes, most of the cast comprising new Bay area band, Sleepy Vikings, were members of Tampa favorites Giddy-Up, Helicopter! (Creative Loafing’s Reader’s Choice for Best of the Bay in 2006 and 2007.) But it would be a mistake to frame Sleepy Vikings simply as Giddy-Up, Helicopter! remixed with some personnel changes. Rather, Sleepy Vikings is a brand new endeavor that incorporates some of the beloved elements of Giddy-Up, Helicopter! including creative percussion and intertwined male/female vocals. These songs are quieter somehow, but at the same time not at all. They played their first show tonight to a packed house of adoring fans and left the stage apologizing for not having more songs to play — yet! Keep an ear out as they get recording! - Creative Loafing

Sleepy Vikings currently killing it in Tampa - Twitter

The fourth band, Sleepy Vikings, had a bit of flare to them. I really wasn't sure what they'd sound like as more than half the six members were girls. They definitely surprised me. They have the grit and cool that Pavement have with a bit of delicacy, delivered through busy instrumentation and post-rock music interludes. The girls I was working with that night pounced on their free sampler, as did many other people. I originally wasn't that impressed by their set until I learned they weren't in fact a Toronto band but from Tampa, Florida. I spoke with them a bit after the show - they were incredibly sweet and allowed me to indulge in serving as a mini tour guide of the city. I'm not sure why learning that they were from out of town really pushed how much I liked them. I keep thinking about how people always adore and pedestal the exotic. I know, not completely exotic - a small stretch from Toronto, but there was some sort of charm that won me over! - For the Trees/Kim Stemshorn

hat marked the end of my tenure at the ‘Shoe, and then it was up to The Boat in Kensington for Sleepy Vikings. The six-piece arrived with practically no hype (except here) and played to maybe a dozen people but still made quite an impression. And not for their live show – it was sleepy to say the least, but they get a bye on account of having driven 26 hours straight from Tampa for the show – but for the strength of their songcraft and musicianship which even brink-of-death exhaustion couldn’t hide. They’re a big band but with a focused sound and sharp pop instincts that warrant dream, jangle and power descriptors and elicit comparisons to a moodier Velocity Girl (which explains my affection right there). They also gave away copies of their Ghost EP demo, which only contains three songs but more than confirms that these kids are on to something real and great. - Chromewaves

Tampa’s Sleepy Vikings were my most anticipated act of the evening, as I’ve been unable to catch them live up until this show. In 2007, the unexpected energy and strongly crafted songs of their earlier incarnation, Giddy-up Helicopter!, stole the evening’s hype from (then) up-and-comers Silversun Pickups. Giddy-up’s dark shoegazy sound pulled me in rapidly, and I listened to songs streaming on their Myspace for months. They received an onslaught of local press and had begun touring to build a larger fanbase when suddenly, they dissolved. I was thrilled to hear several members had re-formed under the new moniker, Sleepy Vikings. After tonight, I can decisively say Sleepy Vikings is much more than Giddy-up, Part II; they’ve taken everything fantastic about the earlier band and pushed it farther. I rather enjoyed their earlier dark tendencies, but the new pop twist and addition of Tessa McKenna on vocals has made them infinitely more listenable. Julian Conner’s vocals have developed well, gaining a new clarity of enunciation and Southern-rock slant with strong echoes of Deer Tick’s John McCauley. The sadness and depth of both vocalists merges beautifully with the elaborate guitar work of Nicole Schleif. Drummer Ryann Slauson still brings an energetic joy that gives me the sense she’s caught up entirely in the moment. Every song really sounds ready for release, and I sense real possibility for momentum outside of the Tampa Bay area. As with the Silversun show, the band was once again my favorite of the evening (and myspace is seeing more traffic from me than it has in a long time). - Creative Loafing

But my favorite new band is Tampa’s Sleepy Vikings (July 31, Will’s Pub), which appears to have absorbed just about all of the members of another personal fave, Giddy-Up, Helicopter. Although guided by generally similar inspirations of layering and dynamics, Sleepy Vikings are more surefooted. Their lovely melodies float like a laidback breeze but their extraordinarily climactic style elevates the songs to skyscrapers with screaming gales of shoegaze. And it’s precisely this swooning squall that affirms them as one of the most talented and distinctive groups in Florida, and a band you need to know now. - Bao Le-Huu/Orlando Weekly