The Jambar

Issue date: 3/2/10 Section: Features

Media Credit: Photo Courtesy of Asleep

With heavy guitars and mystical song craft, Youngstown's own Asleep will play South By Southwest March 17-21. South By Southwest is a music, media and film showcase held in Austin, Texas. The event allows bands and media artists to connect with promoters and labels. For bands, South By Southwest is more of a music conference, where they showcase their music for labels and distributors.

Asleep includes Todd Kaden on lead vocals, John Dean on guitars, Nicholas Kloss on drums and Larry Serb on bass. The band has released three successful discs. "All These Things We'll Never Need" (2006), "A Mass of Empty Spaces" and "Between Above and Below" (2009).

The band members are currently practicing at their home studio, layering new material. Most importantly, they are trying to construct heavy pop songs that are not commercial by any means.

Dean is well-focused and excited about taking the band's sound and music to the next level. Dean is grateful for networking with concert promoter Dan Cull, who gave the band the South By Southwest gig. Cull is also famous for running Cleveland's legendary club Peabody's Down Under.

"[Cull] has a big booking agency, but he is in touch with the indie mentality," Dean said.

The band recorded their latest album with Freeport New York producer Mike Watts. Watts is known for working with artists like As Tall As Lions, The Dear Hunter and Adelita's Way.

"I think the newer material is more straightforward pop and less noisy. It is still very indie in terms of songwriting," Dean said.

Kloss felt the band's latest material is more streamlined, but still a montage of heavy experimental pop textures. To him, the new material is noise -induced yet somewhat commercially viable.

"I think with 'Between Above and Below,' this recording was all about condensing the songs to three- or four-minute pieces. This record was about writing as a song writer," he said.

Dean said he is "super-pumped" to play South By Southwest and feels that the music showcase is the ultimate pinnacle of being in a band. Dean hopes to connect with top names in the scene industry, while partying and networking at the same time.

Asleep's future plans include moving forward toward working as a full-fledged touring power outfit.

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