Interview

Since 2013, Sleepwave has been paving a new direction for the future of alternative rock. The band’s creation was spearheaded by members, Spencer Chamberlain and Stephen Bowman, but after the success of their album, Broken Compass, more members were added. One of those additions was drummer, Jesse Shelley who joined Sleepwave in 2014 and has been rocking out with them since. Jesse talks about his humble beginnings in a small town in Indiana where his love for music grew, how his journey with Sleepwave came to be, his undeniable passion for music, and the first show of the Stay Out of The Water Tour with fellow rock band, He Is Legend.

Let’s get the generic questions out of the way first. Who are your influences as a drummer?

“My biggest influence as a drummer would be Dave Grohl, from his work with Nirvana and his earlier days with Foo Fighters. He’s someone I’ve followed the entirety of my life behind the drums. John Bonham [drummer of Led Zeppelin] is also a prominent influence of mine. Other than that, I kind of just take little influences from different great drummers that I’ve gotten to tour with from over the years.”

How long have you been a member of Sleepwave? How did you become a part of Sleepwave and what drew you to them?

“I joined in 2014, right after the album release. Sleepwave’s first 2 tours as a band were done by a different drummer, but I was already learning songs before he had finished that 2nd tour. I joined up with the band in November. Joining the band was a fairly quick process. I had spent a solid year touring with a different rock band, and had crossed paths with Sleepwave at a radio festival in Michigan. I was talking to their old drummer after the set, and he mentioned that it would be his final tour with the band. A few weeks later, I was put in touch with Jack (guitar player) about auditioning for the open slot. Sleepwave was a band I always was interested in playing for. I moved to Nashville a few years back, and the first week I lived there, Stephen [Stephen Bowman] and Spee [Spencer Chamberlain] were in town recording demos for what was to become Broken Compass. One of the studio interns was telling me about what they were up to, and my first thought was “I really think I should be the one who plays drums for that band.” Haha Obviously it didn’t work out until a few years later, but it’s kind of interesting it did actually end up happening that way. We all enjoy the same type of bands and music, so that’s why it was really easy to make the transition and join them.”

So, you all have similar tastes in music, but do you have similar opinions? Spencer did an interview saying, “Why can’t we just be bands and have the listeners interpret the lyrics however they would like?” Is this a shared opinion of the band? And, what other ways do you hope Sleepwave’s music impacts its fans?

“We come from different backgrounds and beliefs, but we all play music for the exact same reasons, and that’s because we simply love to play. It’s not to spread a specific message. We are just honest people playing music for honest people. I’ve never understood mixing religion up in music. It’s not like a basketball player plays “Christian basketball” he just plays because he loves playing haha. I play drums because it’s my favorite thing in the world. I love to inspire people. If they leave a show feeling stoked on life and music, I feel like I’ve made a difference in the world.”

[Intermission. Jesse left to jam out on the first show of the Stay Out Of The Water Tour in Richmond, VA.]

I completely agree. Music should be about music. With that said, let’s talk about Sleepwave’s music. I am assuming you just got done kicking off the Stay Out Of The Water Tour with He Is Legend. How was the first show? What are you looking forward to most about the rest of the tour and being on the road with He Is Legend?

“We just finished our first show of the tour. Was super pleased with how everything went! I am most looking forward to watching these dudes play every night. I’m a longtime fan of that band, so it’s great to be on the road together. All such great dudes, so this is one of those tours where we can all hang out and have a great time everyday with each other. We hope to go out with these dudes again sometime!”

Hopefully that does happen in the future again! It’s a great lineup. I know it made a lot of people excited to see both Sleepwave and He Is Legend on tour together. Everyone knows that you guys are currently touring, but what is next for Sleepwave? Have there been any talks about a second album? If so, where do you see the bands sound going?

“After we finish up with HIL [He Is Legend], we’ll be hitting a full U.S. tour with our friends Norma Jean and ’68. We’re really looking forward to that one. As far as new music goes, I’m not really the dude who’s at liberty to say when and where things are going. I can however say that we’re all really stoked to do another album. For now, the priority is just to stay on the road, meet some people, and spread the word about the band. We’ve had a great time this year making new friends. I’m hoping 2016 is all this year was and more.”

That’s all fans can ask for! One final question. Let’s get more personal. We know you are a musician who is passionate about what you do. But, tell is a little bit about yourself, your background, hobbies, loves, weird facts, etc. What do you want people to know about Jesse Shelley?

“I was born in a small corn-town in Indiana. Middle child of 2 brothers. I started my first band when I was 9 years old. Everything in my life has revolved around music ever since. I never really picked up any other hobbies. Something people might not know, is that drums aren’t my first instrument. I’ve been playing guitar and piano my whole life. Always writing. Always, always.”

Is your family musical as well or is that something you picked up on your own?

“There’s a lot of musical ability in my family, though I’m the only one who ever pursued music as a career. Both my dad and my mom play the drums (My mom’s actually a better drummer than my dad hahaha). I got started playing so early, because my mother was the lead singer in our church, so I started learning guitar and drums to play for services. My love for rock and roll comes from my dad. He loves classic rock music, and was always blasting music and showing me different music videos. So truly, I don’t remember a day of my life that I didn’t think playing music was the coolest thing in the world.”

Watch Jesse in his element on stage with Sleepwave below.