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interviews
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Interview with Dave Debiak of Sleep Station (April 2004)
Dave Debiak of Sleep Station took some time to answer a few questions via e-mail for One Times One.
JA (Joel Armato): The Questionagropher.
DD (Dave Debiak): Sleep Station Auteur
JA: How and where did Sleep Station form?
DD: It was formed when I was born, and named when I became enamored with space lingo.
JA: In this storytelling approach of yours, are there any specific non-musical influences that you would say have impacted the way you write and create your songs and albums. Authors or filmmakers maybe?
DD: They can definitely help create a mood.
JA: Each story for these albums goes far beyond your everyday dramatic material. Does it take long to know that the inspiration for a "Von Cosel" or "Hang in There Charlie" is the right kind of story or do you know instantly that you've found that perfect piece?
DD: I know instantly, sometimes I’ll start writing about something and there is no "click" then I just give up.
JA: When each album is centered around a specific story, what is the writing process like? Is there an archive of songs that were just written without a story or ongoing theme behind them?
DD: Every time I write an album I feel like I’m in that records world, I have this feeling inside that every topic inspires and I let that come out when I write.
JA: What kind of reaction do you or have you gotten from labels, promoters and the like when you explain what it is Sleep Station does with their music in relation to your approach to the albums?
DD: Everyone seems to like it, some more than others.
JA: How does such defined material, in a lyrical sense, translate to a live setting? Is it easy to mix and match songs from different records or do you find that songs are bunched together with others from the same album?
DD: We mix and match very nicely, I spend a lot of time coming up with different sets for every show, we never play the same one twice.
JA: Where did the inspiration for After the War come from?
DD: Probably my Grandfather, I admire his generation so much and what they so willingly put themselves through, the magnitude of all that took place is beyond my comprehension. I would also have to say that watching so much of today’s wars on T.V. probably gave me some perspective.
JA: The viewpoint is primarily through the eyes of the soldier. Is this an easier or maybe more logical point of view to take in retrospect of the event itself?
DD: No not at all, there were so many lives effected by this, so many victims and heroes that were not soldiers, I have a few songs that were not from a soldiers perspective but it’s impossible to write about everything.
JA: Is there any relation to the subject matter of the new record and current events surrounding our troops and services?
DD: Yes it played a part probably somewhere in the back of my head, it is hard to ignore it, we are a country at war and it’s being shown to us constantly.
JA: Where did the authentic 40's sounds found on After the War come from? There's a soldier reading a letter and some other soundclips that add an intense personal touch there. At what point in the album's creation did they come in to play?
DD: Probably right in the middle of tracking, that’s when everyone started getting perspective on what I was trying to do. Brad and Jason did all of them, I asked them too, and they took it very seriously, they were as into the record at that point as I was.
JA: How about the amps and mic’s of the era? How did they effect the record?
DD: Nothing sounds better, I find myself using vintage gear whenever I can, depending on what it is if it is in good shape it probably blows away today’s version.
JA: Is Sleep Station the new definition of "Audio Book?"
DD: That’s a first, I like it.
-Joel Armato 04/17/04
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