Local Music Profile - Sleepy Vikings

The local music scene is one of the things that makes the Tampa Bay area a great place to live (and to listen). The pool of local musical talent seems to have grown by leaps and bounds over the last several years, and the genres of music being played have diversified immensely. Formed in July 2009, Sleepy Vikings are an excellent example of the great talent available right here at home.

I had a moment to chat with Conner, guitarist and vocalist. The band has six members, who live in all parts of the Bay area, including Seminole Heights, South Tampa, North Tampa, and St. Petersburg. Although they officially formed in July 2009, four of the members (Conner, Sandi, Nicole, and later on, Ry) were previously in a band called Giddy Up, Helicopter!, which formed sometime around 2004. For the two remaining members, Stephanie and Tessa, this is their first venture into playing with a band.

When asked what kind of music Sleepy Vikings play, Conner had this to say: “I guess the easiest way to describe us would be to call us an indie band. We probably sound like a strange combination of shoegaze and country.” Having seen them several times, I’d like to add that there’s an ethereal grittiness to their music, which will probably only make sense after you’ve seen them. They also presented an impressive version of Where is My Mind? at WMNF’s Tropical Heatwave a few weeks ago.

I also asked Conner what Sleepy Vikings’ favorite local venues to play are, and what they like about living in Tampa. New World Brewery (1313 E. 8th Ave, Ybor City) topped the list of favorite venues. Conner said, “The beer is incredible, the sound guy is awesome (thanks Mark [Bustin]), the bartenders are great, and they have foosball.” The band also enjoys playing at Crowbar (1812 N. 17th St, Ybor City). Coincidentally, these are two of my favorite places to see bands play in Tampa!

Sleepy Vikings don’t necessarily enjoy the heat during the summers here, mostly because their practice space is a storage unit, and the temperature can reach 115 degrees inside. However, Conner had many positive things to say about life in Tampa: “One of my favorite parts about Tampa is actually Ybor; there are a bunch of good venues and bars. Plus, since Tampa is a lot less saturated with artists and bands than NYC or Los Angeles, at a good show or party the turnout is almost always impressive. The sense of community at places like the Skatepark of Tampa, WMNF and Liter Night at Crowbar is pretty awesome. Oh, and personally, I love Tampa Bay Brewing Company. If our band ever got extremely famous I'd take multiple kegs of Old Elephant Foot IPA with me on tour.”

You can catch Sleepy Vikings playing throughout the summer (see dates below), and you can keep up with them on FaceBook by clicking here
You can also hear a sample of their music on their MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/sleepyvikings

Summer Schedule

June 4th w/ Sons of Hippies at FUBAR (St. Petersburg)
June 17th at The Boat (Toronto)
July 15th w/ Deleted Scenes & the Pauses at New World Brewery (Ybor City)
July 25th w/ Sons of Hippies at The Hub (Downtown Tampa)