Well, if you can’t go out on a Saturday night to catch a gig then we need to bring the music to you. Here’s today’s sampling, all the way from Greece…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We are from Athens – Greece.
How did you meet?
It all started through an ad, placed by Vangelis Ziakas. He was looking for a bassist and drummer, since his collaboration with Nikos Aronis had started with the participation of Vangelis in one of the tracks on Nikos’ first personal album. Through this process, George Kelepouris became the bassist of the band and shortly after, Vangelis Farantatos completed the quartet.
How long have you been playing as a band?
Sleeping Dogs formed in 2017.
If you like what we do, consider joining us on Patreon for as little as £1 per month!
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
The idea belongs to the band’s bassist. It is nothing more than a Zakk Wylde song title. It was the video of the song that impressed George, but we also liked the song so much that we added it to our playlist.
What are your influences?
If we start naming our influences one by one, the list will never end. In short, we could say that our paths meet in the wider area of hard rock and our influences are from the blues, classic, and southern rock scene, which characterises our music.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
As we like to say the style of the band is “bluesy hard rock with a southern touch”… We don’t know if this makes us unique, but this is what we like to do and we give our best.
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
Nothing special. Simple everyday things, which have enriched the lyrics on most of the rock n’ roll songs.
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
We’ve played many live shows through these years. Each one is different and unique since the audience is never the same, and it all depends on the feedback you get. Our goal is for the audience to have as much fun as we do. The number one criteria is the entertainment that we want to offer, always in our own way.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
I think the wildest one was when a drunk guy fell on stage and broke Nikos’s custom acoustic guitar. It was after the show and we didn’t pack our gear right away, a drunk guy fell on the guitar and broke it beyond repair… I think Nikos lost a piece of his soul that night!
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
Cole Clark Fat Lady acoustic guitar and a Shure Super55 mic θα
Fender 59′ p bass and a Gallien Krueger bass amp. On the drums, always a Tama kit for our shows, although our single was recorded using a Yamaha and Noble & Cooley snare. Our guitarist owns a music store so he uses a variety of guitars!
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
Just released our first single and music video, so our focus is for the people to see what the band is about, and what is going to follow in the future.
Don’t fancy Patreon? Buy us a one-off beverage!
What are your plans for 2020?
We are preparing our first EP and for the near future the second single that will be included. We cannot give more details because it is still early. The first goal of course is the live performances.
If you were second on a three-band bill, which band would you love to be supporting and which band would you choose to open for you? A chance to plug someone you’ve toured with, or a mate’s band we’ve not heard of before!
Hmmm, that’s a tough one! There are so many bands we would love to open for like ZZ Top, Slash, Blackberry Smoke or Black Stone Cherry! As for the third band we would choose either Pulse R or Soundtrack. Two great Greek bands we feel that everyone should give a listen to…
