WE'RE BACK!

Hey boys and girls!

The last month has been really really crazy for Sleepless: Issue #1 came in from the printers and almost immediately we had a string of 5 release parties and 350 copies out at SXSW 2012 in Austin, Texas.

We are also gearing up the Issue #1 mixtape, which will be sent out along with our subscriptions and distro to many fine spots between Chicago and Charlotte.

To everyone who is waiting on some mail from us: we seriously appreciate your patience as we get our shit together.  This is nobody's full time job (yet), and some people involved with the zine also go to school and work, so there's a lot of irons in the fire; another reason why this zine will remain quarterly for the foreseeable future.

Anyway-we really appreciate everyone's support as we get things moving.  If you'd like to get an annual subscription to the zine please send us an email to sleeplesszine@gmail.com with "subscription" in the subject line. Subscribers receive four issues + four mixtapes every year, plus get to participate in reader's polls, get free goodies from us, ticket giveaways for festivals, and find out first about whatever other wild wacky ideas we come up with...it's worth your while, we promise.

Thanks again for your support-Issue #1 fucking rocks.

ISSUE #1 RUNDOWN

Thanks to the amazing Jeff Carr Sleepless brings you the 100% hand-drawn cover-art for Issue #1!  As you can see from the art, Issue #1 will feature exclusive interviews with Keelhaul, Mockingbird, and Vulture. We have also expanded from Issue #0's 24 pages to 32 pages of photos, reviews and cartoons.  Issue #1 kicks off a 3-issue series featuring Mr. California's "Sex Pig" comic series, which will run from #1-3.

As this is a collaborative effort, we still need a few things, mostly photos. We take both live band photos and skate photos. If you're in a band and have a few cool live photos laying around, or if you skate and take some photos of it, send them to sleeplesszine@gmail.com.

We are also always looking to expand our distribution network.  Right now we are looking for more distro spots in Illinois, Michigan, and Indiana. We distribute to independent record stores, venues that have zine racks, DIY spaces with zine libraries, and anywhere else that wants a few copies. send an email to sleeplesszine@gmail.com with "distro" in the subject line.

You can get an annual subscription too, which is 4 issues direct mail plus a tape comp (with download card for those who put their cassette players to rest years ago) with each issue featuring underground heavy bands from throughout the Midwest / Rust Belt U.S.  just send us an email to sleeplesszine@gmail.com with "subscription" in the subject line for more details.

Issue #1 will be hitting the streets in early March!  Official release shows are March 9th in Columbus and March 10th in Cleveland. Details TBA.

Sleepless At SXSW 2012

We're working hard getting layout set for  issue #1. Basic layout templates are done and we're getting the content slowly but surely together...

In the meantime, we've got some really awesome news:

Thanks to some collaboration with Unhallowed Records out of Athens, OH, we are excited to announce that 350 copies of issue #1 will be making their way to Austin, Texas for South By Southwest 2012!!!

We're really fucking stoked to get Issue #1 down there and hopefully get some more well-deserved attention for the amazing bands that are coming out of the Midwest and Rust Belt U.S.  Many many thanks to everyone who supported the Issue #1 Kickstarter, supported Issue #0 when it came out, and helped get this thing off the ground.  I think we might be on to something here....

BAND OF THE DAY: TRYBLITH

Tryblith has emerged from the barren and desolate wastelands of Dayton, Ohio as a refreshing and rather promising black metal band. Their first demo "Convergence of Eternal Winter" saw the group playing rather straightforward, but well done atmospheric black metal very much in the vein of early Darkthrone, Burzum, Mayhem, Ulver etc... With their latest songs exploring aspects of wilderness and shamanic ritualism (very much like WITTR, Fauna, Alda, or Velnias) Tryblith is definitely recommended if you are a fan of the earth-worshiping black metal bands from the Pacific Northwest. These guys have already gotten the opportunity to share the stage with the likes of Battlecross, Death of Desire, Hordes of Nebbulah, Birth of War, Unearthly Torment and Blood Coven. If black metal is your thing, check these guys out-they'll be playing Sunday 2/5 @ Kobo in Columbus OH with Abigail Williams.

online here:
https://www.facebook.com/Tryblith

Ads from Labels, Bands, Distros and Others: Deadline is Feb. 15th

We are getting the content together for Issue #1 and are doing our first call for ads from DIY labels, bands, independent distros, and people putting on shows. We have a growing regional distribution and absolutely want to support our region's independent record stores, non-corporate venues, and anything or anyone else that in some way supports the regional underground heavy music community. We have already received some response from some labels and venues so time is running out.

Rates are below, all ads run for three months. All ad money goes towards costs of printing, manufacture and distribution.

email sleeplesszine@gmail.com for details.

biz card: $25* (out)
1/4 vertical strip: $45*
half page block: $70 (3 remaining)
whole page: $120 (2 remaining)

*If you are a non-profit, co-op (including music-related co-op or musicians' union), FNB/B2P group these ad sizes are free.

BAND OF THE DAY: DISMEMBERMENT

There must something about small midwest towns that breed contempt for mainstream normalcy in some kids.  That's certainly true with a very promising young band from Circleville, Ohio known as Dismemberment.  With fast, heavy, and talented songwriting skills, and influenced by such classics as Death, Deicide, Athiest, Pestilence and Obituary, they definitely know how to grab the attention of any old-school thrasher.

Combining pummeling drums, brutal vocals, and shredding guitars from the band's brother guitarists  Luke and Jacob Shively, their debut ep "The Condemned" (recorded 2010 at Paper Tiger studios in Columbus, OH) is fucking heavy. Already this band has had the opportunity to share the stage with national acts such as Mayhem, Immolation, Decapitated, Death Angel, Jungle Rot, Decrepit Birth, Hate, Acheron, and Abigail Williams. They are in the process of finishing their second ep which is due to be released sometime in March.

They'll be at Kobo in Columbus on Feb. 5th with Abigail Williams and Tryblith. Check them out!

https://www.facebook.com/DISMEMBERMENTohio

&

http://dismemberment.bandcamp.com/

YOB/MOCKINGBIRD/WHITEWOLVES: Welcome to Dude Village

It was a dark and stormy night. No seriously-it was, but despite the rain it was a packed show for a Thursday night show at Ace of Cups with Yob, Mockingbird and White Wolves. The crowd was in HIGH spirits from the start, and it only got better from there. The community vibe was also present; it seemed like just about everyone there knew each other through 3 or 4 degrees of separation.  It was also cool to see people traveling for the show: as Yob's only Ohio date before their stint with Tool, you had people coming from all corners of the state to come party on a Thursday. Hope everyone made it to work on time...I know I cut it pretty damn close.


White Wolves are coming into their own as a Columbus band able to deliver the goods, and have played some pretty solid shows in the last six months. This show was definitely the biggest yet, however, and the pressure was on for White Wolves to put a big notch in their collective belt.  They opened the show pulling no punches, delivering their signature instrumental prog/doom to a friendly hometown crowd.

Mockingbird opened for Yob and mixed in a fair amount of new material into their standard set of tracks from their self-titled album, out on Innervenus Records. There must be a mental lightbulb in drummer Chad Beverlin's head that gets significantly brighter when he's around his kit, because he threw the fucking hammer down in spectacular form, gluing together the bass and guitar lines into a solid mass of awesome. Guitarist/vocalist Andy Strickland and bassist Mike Gilpatrick worked seamlessly together to make riffs that were both far-out and heavy as well as grounded in the streets: whenever I listen to them I always picture driving through Akron's pothole infested neighborhoods looking for some trouble.

With two solid opening acts ratcheting up the crowd with each performance, Yob let the anticipation build (with enough time for us all to go burn another one or two up) before laying into nearly an hour-long set. With the right smells hitting the air, Yob started and pretty much took the crowd to 30,000 feet within the first 8.5 seconds of their set. And at that altitude we cruised for roughly the next hour. Yob has that rare quality of being able to write complex music without sounding contrived and not falling back too heavily on convention. Along with Om, Yob is arguably a standard-bearer for the revival of interest in merging Eastern qualities back into heavy music.


Yob has built up an increasingly warm welcome in Columbus since Scion 2009, their first real Cbus appearance since reforming under founder Mike Scheidt (guitar/vocals), Aaron Reiseberg (bass), Travis Foster (drums). Their set the other night at Ace of Cups proves why: they're friendly, unpretentious, and mind-blowing musicians; they GIVE respect to their audience and deservedly get it in return.  They have come a long way on their journey, and we wish them the best.