Sleeping at Last

How many bands do you know that can play close to an hour’s worth of music without touching a standard six-string guitar? Sleeping At Last can, and they do it well. Though it was more packed than at 12:30 on a weekday, the dark side of Lane was utterly silent while the three-and-a-half-man ensemble played last Friday night.

Singer Ryan O’Neal began the set with a ukulele in hand. Dan Perdue alternated between keys and bass, while stand-in drummer Aaron Mortenson kept the beat for his first ever live show with Sleeping At Last.

In spite of the absence of a guitar, the band achieved a sound reminiscent of the Fray or Coldplay. O’Neal explained after the show that his love for Hawaii inspired him to include the uke on the band’s third album, Storyboards, released Sept. 15. “It’s the most exciting instrument I’ve picked up since guitar,” he said.

The Wheaton, IL natives say they’ve “never been happier with a record.” They branched out with Storyboards, adding new instruments like banjo and mandolin to a more acoustic album than their two previous national releases. “It’s about the craft of songwriting,” said O’Neal. “We want to write music people can relate to.”

Sleeping at Last was joined by solo artist Jeremy Larson, who filled in the gaps where the band couldn’t cover all the needed instruments. Larson also opened the night with his own one-man, five-instrument set, looping tracks and building to a hypnotizing climax on each song.

In addition to guitar, drums and vocals, Larson incorporated violin and cello, two instruments he’d never played live before. “I learned to play them out of necessity,” he said. “I wanted strings on my album and didn’t know anyone who played.”

Larson ended up contributed strings to MuteMath’s most recent album, Armistice, and Eisley’s upcoming release. For him, making music is all about collaboration, so he contacted Sleeping at Last and asked if he could play strings for them. You can hear him on Storyboards track “Chandeliers.”

Larson’s work with the band led to them touring together. They spent two days in a car (three in Larson’s case) to arrive at Gordon and had a ten-hour drive to their next venue. “We really wanted to come here,” said Larson with a shrug.

Why? “Because you guys are awesome,” said O’Neal. “Super awesome.”