If you ask Mike Bigelow, the bassist for the Canadian-rock outfit Wintersleep, what type of music Wintersleep plays, he will just smile and say "rock and roll." In a world of obscure genre names and labels that pigeonhole, Wintersleep is just trying to win over fans and play rock music. The band will be hitting Houston Sunday at 8 p.m. Sunday at the Meridian.
The quintet just kicked off a tour as support for the band Portugal. The Man this past Tuesday in Fresno, Calif. and will hit more than 40 cities before ending in Seattle, Wash. The group is looking forward to touring the United States extensively.
"We appreciate them for having us along for the ride," Bigelow said. "I have toured the [US] in the past, but not to this extent, so I’m looking forward to seeing a lot of new places."
Wintersleep is touring non-stop in support of its 2007 release, Welcome to the Night Sky, hopping on this tour shortly after its tour with Wolf Parade. Although the tour was successful, the band was robbed in Baton Rouge.
"I woke up at 4 [a.m.], and in my daze, I heard, ‘We got robbed!’" Bigelow said. "We got up and ran outside to see that our van had been ripped off right there in the hotel parking lot."
After the robbery, the band had to catch an immediate flight to the Pemberton Festival in British Columbia, and ended up borrowing instruments from other acts on the tour.
"We were so tired and bummed that all we could do is get to the airport right away in order to make the festival," Bigelow said.
Most bands would be bitter in this sort of situation, and understandably so. However, Wintersleep remains positive and are well-wishers for those who have stumbled upon the stolen equipment.
"All we can hope is that some cool young kids somewhere bought our gear on the cheap," Bigelow said. "And maybe they are writing cool music in their parents’ basements."
If you are a fan of Band of Horses, you will most definitely enjoy Wintersleep. The group members are all avid fans of Sonic Youth, so they take a noticeable influence from them. However, Wintersleep isn’t trying to change the music industry, nor are they trying to strike big money. Bigelow and company are just trying to have fun and make music that they enjoy, without trying to appeal to the masses.
"Wintersleep have all been friends for years and enjoy writing and playing together now as much as ever," Bigelow said. "I think that if you approach music as something that is catering to the industry, then you won’t be expressing what you really want to express. We just happened to turn it into our career."
Be sure to catch Wintersleep Sunday at the Meridian with Portugal. The Man and Earl Greyhound.
