Doomed Confessionary: Steve Staley (Sleeping Giant)
Sleeping Giant is a grunge/stoner rock trio hailing from Barcelona, Spain.
The band captures groove, heavy riffs and metal/stoner influences that came from bands like Black Sabbath, Soundgarden or Alice In Chains.
With new singles »Sandstorm« and »Ritual«, they are leading the way into their new album »Sleeping Giant II«.
Sleeping Giant are Steve Staley (vocals, guitar), JD (bass) and Noé (drums).
Can you say a few words about your band?
Sleeping Giant is formed by Steve Staley, singer and guitarist, Jordi (JD), bassist and Noé the drummer.
We came up with the idea of Sleeping Giant as a “heavy stoner band” but we later realize that there are other Sleeping Giant, we are in love with the bands name ’cause it defines our sound, heavy and big, so we keep it!
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
We want to be recognized as a band, to us it is difficult to reach new people and listeners, so first of all we want to thank you for your support and also all the people who listen to Sleeping Giant.
What can you be most proud of so far?
We are really proud of our first EP »Sleeping Giant I«, we made 5 songs that we love and we are very proud of it. These songs defined our sound and we love to play it live.
What was your biggest regret?
One of our biggest regrets was to record the cover of »Would?« by Alice In Chains, we are not very proud of the result of it but it was a challenge to honor one of our favorite bands.
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
We played a few concerts last past years but we remember playing in an isolated village in the mountains, Arcalis, where we played for a crazy audience who gave us all his energy it was an amazing moment for Sleeping Giant.
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
When we started the band we realized that it is very difficult right now to be part of the scene. It is a closed circle and it’s difficult to reach audience in our country, most of our listeners came from other countries (and we love it).
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
We are inspired by lots of great bands but at the moment we are listening to a lot of Tool stuff, we love Tool, but we are also into classics such as Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, Led Zeppelin, Pantera… they never leave our music playlist.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
Be simple, less is more. Do not try to do lots of complex stuff or very long songs, just make your music simple and heavy, you guys are not Tool! (This was an advice that my father gave to us)
What are your guilty pleasures?
One of our guilty pleasures as a band is to play covers live, we play »Whole Lotta Rossie« every concert and »Ace Of Spades« too. Also, Noé loves coke 😀
Can you say something more about current music scene in Barcelona?
Actually, in our country, Catalonia, heavy music is a very niche musical style and it’s difficult to be part of the musical scene ’cause mainstream music in our country really sucks and it’s bullshit. We love the underground scene and we are trying to be part of it.
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
We are preparing right now for some concerts to present our new album »Sleeping Giant II«. We would love to play in other countries.
But last year we were focused on recording the album so right now we are preparing a mini tour.
What are your plans for the future as a band?
We want to make new music as good as our previous records and right now we are in the process of releasing new songs that we’ve already recorded.
We are also in the process of recording a musical video of the new single »Sandstorm«.
How can people best support your band?
We love every listener of our band, to us it is very important to have your support and the best way to support us is just listen to our music and enjoy it!
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Thank you everyone for your support all over the years. If you like Sleeping Giant, keep giving us your support by listening to our stuff. We will make new music and it’s gonna be great. Every message, reply, and critique is really appreciated by us!
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well