Some things never fail to deliver a dose of beauty into one’s life, but there is something extra special about humor and music – and Sleeping Jesus has managed to combine the two for their new video, “Ferdy.” ZO Magazine is excited to share not only the video for the band’s November release, ‘Hollywood Smile,’ but also a healthy back-and-forth with the band covering all of the bases from Steve Buscemi’s eyes to a gas station gig in Texas, and everything in between.
Kendra: It wasn’t too long ago that y’all dropped ‘Leave the Party Early.’ A title that speaks to me – if I were ever invited out, but my lack of a social life aside…because this album got you recognition and attention across the board. Did that add a layer of stress when it came time to record the next record?
Sleeping Jesus: I think that we were more excited than anything else. We recorded this new record in a vastly different way than we did for ‘Leave The Party Early.’ We had just come off a tour in November 2022 and we went into the Magic Barn down in Iowa City in December. We wanted to make something in a new way. And in a way that felt exciting for us too. So, more excitement than stress. Leave The Party Early was definitely a stretching exercise for us. We made a weird electro-pop album and we are really proud of that, but, we were able to record all together in a room and get that feeling from playing live that was thrilling.
Kendra: Fans are going to get to hear ‘Hollywood Smile’ in November, but without giving too much away – if you had to compare this record to an actor’s smile, whose do you think would best represent the aesthetic of your sophomore release?
Sleeping Jesus: We all agreed on Jack Nicholson’s smile. There is something about his smile that can be comforting and simultaneously sinister too. A Hollywood man, but with a touch of depravity. Definitely Steve Buscemi’s eyes and Gilbert Gottfried’s voice too.
Kendra: We are getting a bit of a taste with the lead single, “Ferdy,” which features such a fun video. I do want to thank you for putting your heart and humor into the music video. This can often feel like a lost artform so I always appreciate a good video in these modern times. Did any of you channel any old favorite videos when it came time to shoot “Ferdy?”
Sleeping Jesus: We looked at The Shins’ “Australia” video and we wanted to bring some of that humor into the video. Our videographer, Harrison Mccormick, watched a bunch of Westerns like the Fistful of Dollars trilogy and we definitely found some inspiration in Reservoir Dogs as well. Harrison did a beautiful job of using some of the classic Western film tropes in our video. His direction and vision that he brought in really brought that video to the next level and we are super fortunate to have him in our camp.
Kendra: This video features so much, including some not-so-happy goths (which, I guess is on brand?). Were any of you in the clique growing up? If not, what cliques would you say you belonged to back in the day?
Sleeping Jesus: None of us were in a goth clique, unfortunately! I felt like more of a chameleon moving through my school years. Music, a little sports, skateboarding, whatever the flavor of the week was! All of us had a love for music from a somewhat young age though, none of us have strayed from it since.
Kendra: “Ferdy” also has y’all playing at a birthday bash. Have you ever played anywhere as unique as that in real life?
Sleeping Jesus: Oh, one hundred percent. We have played at a gas station in Denton, Texas. Super quirky DIY spot. We did a house show in the middle of the day with Vansire that turned out to be a high school graduation party. A rock and roll wedding chapel.
Kendra: Now it’s time for a side note – with it being September AKA Self Improvement Month, I’m asking everyone to give us a song they like to put on when they are in self-care mode…
Sleeping Jesus: Here’s the list:
Nick’s is “Move On Up” by Curtis Mayfield
Andy’s is “Wait For The Moment” by Vulfpeck
Tyler’s is “Me, Myself and I” by De La Soul
Seamus’ is “Chicken Man” by Evelyn Evelyn
Dante’s is “Gorilla” by Little Simz
Kendra: And lastly, with “Ferdy” out now and ‘Hollywood Smile’ out this November, what else do y’all have planned as we head into fall?
Sleeping Jesus: We are going to tour more coming up. We are looking to get to the coasts. We’ve done both coasts and we are excited to go back and see the country again. We will have some release shows in Minneapolis and our hometown of Winona, Minnesota. In December, we are gonna have a weekend at our home base of No Name Bar and we are super excited about that weekend.
