It was hard to know what to think at first when a stranger with a brimmed hat and seemingly undersized guitar made his way to the stage in the middle of an open mic jam session and began strumming along at O'Malley's in Cleveland on Tuesday, July 20. The somewhat baffled jammers continued jamming with their fellow musician in true O'Malley's "jam night" tradition.
It wasn't long before this stranger (Willis Mclung) and his bandmates from Sleep Good and Sunset were immersed in the musical atmosphere. The night culminated with an impromptu jam with Mclung and a cast of regulars improvising an original composition on the spot.
Mclung later said that that night he realized he can play anywhere. "This is just what the doctor .jpg)
ordered," said Mclung.
All of the members took the stage at one time or another as they mingled with the Tuesday night regulars in attendance.
What made this event so special was not only the spontaneity of it but the fact that the bands were supposed to be over 2,000 miles away in Los Angelos, CA at the time.
The band's van broke down in Boston days earlier stranding them there for more than five days and causing them to have to cancel their L.A. show.
It just so happened that on their delayed trip west that they decided to campout in the Cleveland area and ended up at the Plaza Motel, which is attached to O'Malley's bar, on a night that the stage was wide open for them to come and jam.
Two of the four musicians play in both bands with the exceptions being Michael Bain, founder of Sleep Good and Bill Baird, founder of Sunset.
"We're not just bandmates," said Mclung, "we're all really good friends."
Mclung lists one of his favorite albums of all time as Are We Not Men, We Are Devo by Northeast Ohio's own (yes, you guessed it) Devo.
Both bands are based in Austin, TX and are huge advocates for the Austin music scene.
They each record on the Austin-based record label Autobus Records. This Indie label is artist-owned and operated, meaning that all records produced are funded by the bands.
"There's no need for a major label," said Baird who played under Capital Records for a time with another band.
Sleep Good's sound is characterized by well crafted melodies and incredibly smooth vocal harmonies. On their first studio album, Skyclimber, the band incorporates elements of soft rock, alternative and folk music into their sound. Many of their songs also have a jazzy, upbeat feel that makes for a feel-good listening experience.
The band has been together for about a year and is on its first tour.
Sunset, while having many of the same members as Sleep Good, produces music of similar influences in a very different format. Their latest studio offering, The Glowing City, contains eighteen tracks that combine traditional music influences with electronica and other modern music forms. Elements of psychedelia are present throughout the album that give it a somewhat surreal feeling.
Sunset is no stranger to the road as they are currently on their sixth tour in four years as a band.
Both bands released their respective albums on cd and vinyl.
The band is currently on its way to Illinois for an appearance on the online music source, Daytrotter.
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