Thanks!

I just wanted to put up a little note saying thank-you to everyone who helped make our CD Release such a huge success. The Rivoli was packed, the bar staff was wonderful, and of course Dan Roth and The Joys sounded as good as ever. Also, of course, we want to take a second to thank the ever devoted and irreplaceable member of our team, Sean Russell, our manager. I couldn't even begin to list all the things he does for us.

It wouldn't have been nearly the same night without even one of you! Thank-you all so much!

Arctic Adventures

Hey everyone,

I just got back from a very brief trip to Iqaluit, Nunavut with our
good friend/life partner/band manager Sean Russell and our resident
band health guru Claire Crocker. We had an amazing time frolicking in
the snow and taking in the landscape. I got to play tour guide for
them and cart them around the community and show them the local
hot-spots (The Legion). It was an amazing experience to be able to
show my friends a place I hold very dear and introduce them to a
culture that resonates deeply in me. I even got to play an acoustic
show for friends and family at the Kicking Caribou Lounge.

It had been two years since my last visit home and I was greeted with
all of the same hospitality and warmth that I remembered so fondly.
Bartenders bought me shots and friends knew all the words to even our
newest songs. Most of all it was great to be able to pass on these
experiences to my new "southern" friends and show them the amazing
love and warmth that Iqaluit and all of Nunavut beams with. If you
ever get the opportunity to explore this little known region of Canada
I highly recommend you seize it as you will never experience anything
like it anywhere else in the world.

Qujannamiik Iqaluit!

Phil

CD RELEASE PARTY!!

Hello, hello!

We could not be more excited! We've got our CD Release Party all lined up and and it looks like it's going to be a riot. We are playing with our great friends and musicians Dan Roth, and The Joys, and on top of that our ever-dance-worthy friend DJ Lucas will be spinning between sets. Add that up and it's going to be a fun night.
It's all going down at the Rivoli in Toronto on Dec 2nd. Presale tickets are $8 and come with a copy of our new record, so win / win! Here's where you can find that:
www.decadecdrelease.eventbrite.com/
We've been working so hard the few months between recording and touring, so we want to make this event HUGE! Tell your friends about it and lets all have a blast on Dec 2nd!

A Few Realizations

I feel like being on the road for the last week and a half or so has taught us all a significant amount about how this whole tour thing works. It's one thing to book the shows, plan the route, figure out where we're going to sleep, and rehearse the music, but something completely different to actually be out here. As someone who generally keeps to a regular schedule the rest of the time, the first thing I learned is that it's really easy to completely flip your sleeping schedule. Because we're only out here for about 2 and a half weeks, we're all trying to fit in as much "Rock and Roll" as possible. So for the week or so I don't think we went to bed before 4am ever, and most of the time it was more like 6. For us the "work day" starts in the afternoon when we start learning some new songs for cover nights and it doesn't end until 2am, when we get off stage anyways - so it makes it really easy to get into that routine. The second thing we learned is that it's really easy to spend too much money. Eating, drinking, occasionally needing socks or something of the like - it can add up in a hurry. So, we've been trying to get to grocery stores as much as we can as well as swapping bar beers for store bought beers where possible. This all makes a dent but really the thing to do was told to us by Sarah Smith from the Joys the second night we played with them in Ottawa. Play every night. Even if it's only for a meal or a bed. Every other tactic combined wouldn't yield the kind of result that Sarah's advice would. That's why we're trying to hookup at least some acoustic shows on the way back if nothing else. The list here could keep going for pages and pages, but in the interest of moving things along I'll sum up the many of the rest with this: We all love doing this. It seems funny and obvious to say at first, but when you think about it, playing almost everyday (most of the time for 3 hours + per night), living in very close quarters with three other dudes, driving for a few hours almost everyday, and having far fewer creature comforts than we would other-wise have at home - these things could very easily lead people to disliking touring. Luckily, and maybe amazingly, so far these things haven't gotten to us at all. In fact, travelling this relatively short distance has made us all start talking about going further next time, and even further the time after that. It turns out that we can handle being around each other for wildly extended periods of time, and when someone needs to have time for themselves it's no big deal to chill in a different room or toss on some headphones or whatever. Even though by the end of this we will have logged only two and a half weeks of touring, I can see many systems and strategies for doing this longer and better in the future falling into place. I'm convinced that with this group we can do this for a very long time if we can create that opportunity for ourselves. Mat

Thoughts about the first couple of days out

Technically we've been on tour for a week or so now, but it didn't really start until last night. A late night of beer and Euchre is making the thought of being on the road settle in a bit. We enjoyed the crowds of Ottawa last night and will again tonight before leaving (on monday) for Saint John, NB. The Joys were amazing last night, as usual. They're definitely veterans of the stage!

Right now we're enjoying the hospitality of Eric's mother's place - which means pancakes and fresh coffee in the morning. However, I get the feeling this will be in stark contrast to the rest of the tour once we all pile in the van start sleeping on floors. However, that being said, we're all reeling with excitement to get out there.

I'll keep posting stuff on this as time goes by. Probably some videos and pictures as well.

Talk to y'all soon!

Mat

Getting Ready to Leave

It's right around the corner now. We play tomorrow night in Waterloo, Ontario at Maxwell's Music House - a place we've played a few times now - and then we'll be leaving for Ottawa on Friday to start our east coast expedition. we spent last night making sure we have our merch in order and heads on straight. Thursday night we'll be making sure our gear is in tip top shape (at least to start), and then we'll be loading cars to leave on friday afternoon.
Keep posted because looooong car rides I'm sure will result in random video/pics/post that will be thrown up here from time to time.

Gonna be a BLAST!

Mat

Tour Officially Kicked Off!

Last night was a blast! We always love going back to Fanshawe. Really happy we started this whole thing there.

Check out this review of the show!

http://www.metalguitarist.org/forum/general-music-discussion/25804-decade-sleep-great-bluesy-rock.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Mat

Tour Dates!

East Coast Tour Dates Coming!!

Hey everyone!

Finalized tour dates are pouring in as I write! The end of September / first couple weeks of October we'll being hitting the road east to play music anywhere and everywhere that'll have us! We all can barely contain ourselves with excitement... We're a little embarrassing to be around, to be completely honest...

So check back shortly and we'll have the dates announced! Tell your friends, family, neighbours, dogs, and pen pals that we'll be coming their way soon!

Record Update

We have some news on the making of our record! First of all, we have an official release date, it's Sept 28th, 2010! 

Not too long ago we started "mastering" with John Bailey. Which started with a bunch of listening, and then "Hey, do you think we can bring in some room mics to play with against the mixes", then one thing led to another and all of the sudden we were remixing the whole thing! Although this was a fairly stressful move due to the extremely tight deadlines we are on to get this to our label, it was definitely the right move because we are all really enjoying how it is turning out. We have our last mix tweak day this wednesday, then we are sending it off to be master with a fantastic engineer named George Seara (very excited to be working with George again - he actually helped us out a bit on our EP). 

Now, the good news is that doing all of this will improve the record as a whole, the bad news is that it does push back our schedule just a little bit, and with WAMBO in Wallaceburg (my home town) coming up in less than two weeks we are all scrambling to get it together. However, I can't guarantee anything at this point, but I do have a plan which will put CD in hand for WAMBO. Everyone keep your fingers crossed for us - trust me, we'll doing everything we can (even if it means packing cases on the way there!).

All of this is very exciting! What a crazy couple of months and the few to come are looking equally as fun! Can't wait to show everyone!!

Mat

Hump Day Hoopla

We do it right on Wednesdays: Rocking Clinton's with some friends. This week it's Mok Swagger and Black Napalese. This may very well be the end of our Clinton's run, so come out and enjoy some midweek libations. Do some neck stretches and a couple deep rock lunges and we'll give you reason enough to move around. Oh, and bring your friends, they're probably missing out.

Keep an eye (and ear) out for us in August. We've got shows in London, Wallaceburg, and Oakville, and the month hasn't even started yet. If you still can't get enough, head over to Tangents North Music to preorder our full length album. It's the one with the purdy blue cover.

See ya Wednesday.

Decade

Clinton's and Rock the Runway

We've got a busy two days ahead of us! This Wednesday we are continuing our weekly show at Clinton's, playing with Half Past Four and Midnight Mercy. This is the best line-up yet, so make sure you come down for a beer (and air conditioning). We play at the back at the music starts at 9:30.

Thursday we're right back into it, playing at Rock the Runway, a fundraiser fashion show for the Canadian Cancer Society. This cause is pretty close to us so we're really happy that Metalworks and Rock the Runway have asked us to play. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door, but they are doing a bunch of giveaways, so make sure you keep checking the Facebook event and their Twitter account.

Next Wednesday is our last at Clinton's and we are going out with a bang. Mok Swagger will be joining us for a second show and Black Nepalese will close out the set. We've been so happy to have these shows at Clinton's, and really want to thank everyone who has come out and supported us.

That's it for July! Make sure you check in soon because we have a bunch of stuff happening in August.

Decade of Sleep

Screw music, let's be movie stars

If you've been following our tweets, you'll know that this weekend we recorded a video for Sympathy with our good friend Jeremy Bugden.  The video shoot was a ton of fun, and we even got to shoot in double time, which means Mat got to play as fast as he possibly good. Hopefully he's over by now, otherwise our set tonight at Clinton's is going to be a quick one.

It's a good thing we tested our movie star chops, though, because this Friday, July 16, we're playing at Maxwell's Music House in Waterloo and they are going to tape the performance.  Remember that battle of the bands we won, cause you guys are so awesome? This video shoot is part of the prize, and it's also the farewell show for Wilmott Redd, so this show will definitely be epic.  Yeah, we said it, epic.

You better be there.

Decade

July

Hey Everyone,

Well, we've just finished recording our full length album, and we are gearing up with a bunch of shows in July. THIS WEDNESDAY we are starting a string of shows at Clinton's bar in Toronto. We are playing every Wednesday in July with special guests, starting July 7th with Mok Swagger and Pkew Pkew Pkew.

Friday night we are at The Richmond Tavern back in London Ontario where it all began playing at the CD release of our good friends The Wormwood Scrubs. This is gonna be a fun show and we are very excited to be back in London. Last time at the Rich we barely escaped physical injury, and we are expecting nothing less from this show.

The next week in addition to our Wednesday at Clinton's we will be playing at MAXWELL'S MUSIC HOUSE in Waterloo on Friday July 16th. This is an amazing venue and they will be filming our performance that night. If you haven't had a chance to check out Maxwell's this will be the night to come out. The sound is fantastic and the environment itself is awesome.

There is plenty more coming down the pipes what with our FINISHED FULL LENGTH ALBUM coming out in the near future so keep an eye out for some more from us later this summer!

Decade

Mixing Done (sort of..)

Well we reached the finish line on the mixing. Denis did a fantastic job and we are all very happy with how it turned out. There is one tune left that we didn't have time for with Denis, so we will mix that one our selves. 

It's so great to hear this stuff back now. We've put so much work into it, and it actually sounds like it now. I can't wait to get this thing out into the world for real!

So, things left to do before that can happen: 1. Mix that last tune. That shouldn't take long. 2. Get the thing mastered. We are on the case on that one, and we should have that together relatively shortly. 3. Get artwork together. We are also actively working that out as well. I have a feeling all of these things will kind of come together at once, probably around the first couple of weeks of July. Then all we need to do is submit the thing for pressing, and a week and a half later we'll have plastic in our hands!

Stay tuned, I'm sure we'll get a track or two out there before the record is officially released just to give y'all a taste of what we've been doing.

Until next time!

Mat

"Ocean" Vocal Pass

June Shows

In the midst of recording our album, we are playing some shows in June!  

June 4 - Paddy Flaherty's - Sarnia ON.  We're going back to Paddy's to play a mix of covers and originals all night long.  We love doing these shows and can't wait to get back to Paddy's.

June 19 - Coronation Park (Lakeshore Blvd) - Toronto.  We will be playing at the 2010 Easter Seals 24 Hour Relay.  Easter Seals is an organization that supports children, youth and young adults with physical disabilities.  We are honoured to be playing at their annual fundraiser, and hope you can come out, enjoy some music and support this great organization.

While all this is going on, make sure you keep an eye out for new vlogs from our recording sessions (and be glad they aren't in smell-o-vision...)

The Decade of Sleep

First Day of Tracking!

New Record Underway!

What an unbelievable weekend! All last week we were running around the city calling in every favour we could to get the right gear for the record and bringing it to the studio. For some sound options we got a couple drum kits on top of my own, we rented a bunch of guitar amps and a bass amp, we got a bunch of pre-amps and EQs from a few places - the whole bit.

We got all the guitar setup and bought a bunch of drum heads, and the list goes on and on. Come Thursday we setup a few things things without Denis Tougas, our engineer, and then we went home for some sleep before we got started in on the crazy stretch.

Friday mostly consisted of getting sounds with Denis, and was well worth spending the time. Playing is so much more fun when everything sounds great in the headphones (and in the control room when you're done!). Being that we were recording in the studio that I work in, most of the tech stuff fell onto me, and after a full day of being in the tech-brain mindset it was nice to come in the next day and re-cut a tune or two. Having had the morning to refocus on actually playing drums, we ended up cutting bass, bed guitar and bass for all the songs but one that we kept from the night before - crazy. That felt so good to have done, and it also allowed us to concentrate on guitars for the next three days.

Lance killed it, even at the times when he looked more tired than I've ever seen him (which is saying a lot). I have to say I kind of feel bad for guitar players in general. Being a drummer I get to feed off of this great big room when I play, but guitar players are always stuffed away somewhere. In Lance's case, he got shoved into a crowded booth with bare fibreglass on the walls while his amps screamed on the live floor. Not only that but drummers generally only have one part. But guitar players have, what, 2? 6? 10? Lance comes up with a lot of parts so getting them all on there in 3 days was truly a feet.

We will have video of these few days up shortly thanks to our wonderful wonderful friend Nick Bonin. He's working away editing them now. In the meantime, here's a video of some of the pre-production sessions.

So, looking forward. Phil is starting on vocals this week. We're going to do a bunch of percussion overdubs and all kinds of crazy stuff. Come a couple weeks from now on June 9th we start mixing with Denis. We'll keep you posted!

Mat

Mat Pataki

C: 647.302.7681

Hard Luck Bar

We had a great time playing with the Snipes and the Stormalongs at the Hard Luck Bar last week. We're heading into the studio this week to start tracking for the new album, so that was the last show until we've got the bed tracks done! We do have some shows in June, but in the meantime, here is some eye candy:

Photo cred goes to Marcin, who can be found at wolskiphotography.com

Thanks Waterloo!

Hey we just want to send out a huge thank you to all the people who came out to the show at Maxwell's Music House on Monday.  Thanks to your loud cheers, ridiculous dance moves, and some beer spitting, we won the Battle of the Bands and walked away with $1000.  The money will go toward making the new album, which will be recording at the end of the month and should be out in the summer.  

If you missed us in Waterloo, you can catch us tonight, Wednesday May 11 at Clinton's in Toronto or tomorrow Thursday May 12 at the Hard Luck Bar with the Snipes and the Stormalongs.  

Decade

Pre-Production

I think everyone is starting to feel the crunch now. I know that looking at all of the things that need to get done before we record, and lining up all the things that need to happen for just after, I've been foreseeing it getting a bit hairy around this time and the weeks to come. But now that we are actually trying to slot in the last few rehearsals, meetings, and running around that we need to do for rentals and what-not, we are all actually feeling it get tight now... I just can't wait for that first downbeat...

We are closing in on the pre-production stage now - changing arrangements, solidifying parts, fighting over what tunes should make the record and what ones shouldn't - all that fun stuff. It feels good though. It feels like we are all ready to get in there and make it happen. In the past, out of necessity we were pretty disorganized about our recordings (Thems the breaks when you're working snatching up open studio time at a school). But this time feels a bit more legit and professional - I guess we'll see. We meet with the engineer we are working with tomorrow, Denis Tugas. This dude is heavy. I've had the pleasure of working with him a little bit in the past and I know we'll be in good hands with him behind the board. We're going to give him a bunch of reference tracks and demos tomorrow, and talk about "the approach" and all of that. The best part is that I think he's getting excited for it too!

Well, one week at a time. Next week we play a "battle of the bands" in Kitchener on Monday, have a rehearsal on Tuesday, play Clinton's in Toronto on Wednesday, and Hard Luck Bar in Toronto on Thursday. Come out and have a good time! We plan to!

Mat

May Shows

Hey all,

We're getting ready to head to the studio to lay tracks for the new album, but we've still got shows coming up, and can't wait to test out some new stuff.

Monday May 10 - Maxwell's Music House - Waterloo

Wednesday May 12 - Clinton's - Toronto

Thursday May 13 - Hard Luck Bar - Toronto - Decade of Sleep, The Snipes and The Stormalongs

Thanks to everyone who came out last week to Maxwell's. Because of you guys we advanced to the next level of the Battle of the Bands and we're going back on the 10th to hopefully lock it up. It's gonna be a blast so make sure you bring your friends.

Decade

Battle of the Bands

Just wanted to remind everyone that this MONDAY APRIL 19 we are playing a battle of the bands in Waterloo at MAXWELL'S MUSIC HOUSE. The show starts at 8:30 and sets are chosen at random, so get there early to make sure you catch our set. Can't wait to be back in Waterloo, last time we played Maxwell's we had a wicked time.

Decade

New Record on the Horizon

Mat here. Well here we go, finally starting get into the nitty-gritty of making our next record. There is has been a lot of work put into this thing already, but still so much yet to be done.

I love this process, I have to say. Making a record for me is one of the most daunting, time consuming, and stressful practices I find myself in from time to time, but it's also easily the most fulfilling thing I'm lucky enough to take part in. We're not completely new at this, both individually and as a group, but this time we are doing it completely different than before. I'll talk about the people involved as things become a little more solidified, but we're going to have help this time. In the past we've always produced/engineered our own records, a method which not only saved us the money we don't have, making those record possible in the fist place, but also allowed us to learn quickly about how to do this properly. However, wearing so many hats has some significant drawbacks, and in the end I think you can hear that in the performances. This time, however, we are going to do this right. I can't wait.

We are officially in pre-production now, with some days towards the end of May being scheduled to start recording. Having written many more songs than will make the album cut, we expect to put our best foot forward with this one. Also, with Eric and Phil moving to Toronto over the summer, joining Lance and I, this whole thing seems like the start of something new that will go far beyond the recording of a record. We'll keep the process well documented and available for you to check in on via blog posts, videos, and of course, audio. Be sure to check in from time to time over the next few months - I guarantee some big developments will go down.

Until next time.

Mat

Friday Night - Hard Luck Bar

We promised we'd get em to you and here are the details for this Friday's show:

$5

4 bands

Hard Luck Bar - 812 Dundas Street West

Doors at 8

We play at midnight.

See you there!

New Shows!

As promised, we have a couple shows coming up in March.

March 19 - Paddy Flaherty's in good ol Sarnia

March 26 - Hard Luck Bar in Toronto with Grammy-nominated band Menew

They'll be another update when we know more. We know everyone is hurting from a month without seeing us live, so we're gonna make it as easy as possible for you to come to shows. You will repay the favour in beers.

See you Paddy's!

The Decade of Sleep

The Month of Sleep

So after starting off the new year with a bang and a buncha shows, we've decided to take a bit of a break this month. Phil is going home to visit Newfoundland, Lance is going to Mexico, and Mat and Eric are going to....Toronto and London. Whatever, they'll have fun too. Who wants to go to Newfoundland anyway?

We're also spending some time writing, practicing and recording some rough demos so when we come back in March we will have a bunch of new stuff for you guys.

Take it easy!

The Decade of Sleep

Upcoming Shows

Hey guys,

We have a couple shows coming up this week

Friday we return to the St. Louis Bar and Grill in Bolton Ontario. We had a blast in Bolton last time and can't wait to go back for some more.

Saturday we play Patty O'Flaherty's in Sarnia. We're gonna be there alllll night playing covers and originals so stop buy for a beer or ten and we'll try to get a request or two in.

Not that we have to remind you, but we are also playing a showcase for the Toronto Indie Music Awards on Wednesday, February 3rd at The Central bar in Toronto. 603 Markham Street. But you knew that.

Decade

TIMA's

We are really happy to tell everyone that we are playing at a showcase for the Toronto Indie Music Awards! We will get you all the details closer to the show, but we wanted to make sure everyone will be at THE CENTRAL bar in Toronto on FEBRUARY 3rd.

There, we booked you weeks in advance, you better not cancel on us, because then we won't return your calls, and you'll have to buy us flowers, but we won't accept that as an apology and we'll still bring it up in every argument we have for the next five years.

Uhhh, so yeah, FEBRUARY 3rd. at THE CENTRAL. Be there.

Decade

Wallaceburgers are Delicious

Hey guys,

We really want to thank everyone who came out last week to all the shows we had. It's the first time we've had that many shows in a row, and we are overwhelmed by the support we got and the fun we had. The Supermarket with Maloonigan's Bruise and Proxy Set was a great start to the week. It was awesome to be welcomed back to that venue and to play some some good friends.

What really blew us away though was all the support we got from Wallaceburg. The excitement was so much more than we expected - as soon as we got out of the cars people were asking if we were the band, saying good luck with the show, all kinds of stuff. These were just people on the street! The radio station, CKXS 99.1, have been unbelievably supportive - playing our stuff and plugging the shows. Even the next day after we were on the air people were telling us that they had just heard the acoustic performance minutes before. This support from both the public and the radio means so much to a band in Canada and we really can't thank you guys enough! Coincidently, if you want to see a video of that radio show just click here.

The show that night was such a good time and we can't thank you guys enough for making that show the success it was, and of course the other band, Texas Switch, for kicking off the night on the right foot. Also, the people who saw us that night and then came out again for the next day in Chatham to hear us play hours and hours of covers! That's dedication, folks.

Speaking of dedication, we've recently decided that busking in the middle of winter is an awesome way to promote our shows. We've acquired a stripped-down drum kit and before we played Waterloo we set up at the University and played to a crowd of people waiting to get into a club. I guess we were pretty rockin', cause not only did we not get kicked out of the builidng, but the show Monday was sweet. So keep an eye out for a group of guys playing rock music in parkas on the corner, and thanks Waterloo, for being awesome.

We're all pretty tired but at the same time really energized by how well everything went. We can't wait to get back out there and play again, and we're sure you guys feel the same way (right...?)

The Decade of Sleep

Happy New Year!

Hey everyone,

To start 2010 off right foot, we've gone and booked a show in your town! (If you live in Southwestern Ontario, that is).

Thursday, January 7 at the Supermarket in Toronto

Friday, January 8 at Roxxy Tap and Grill in Wallaceburg

Saturday, January 9 at Big Shots Billiard's in Chatham

Sunday January 10 at the Hive in Kitchener

Monday January 11 at Maxwell's Music House in Waterloo.

The Supermarket gig is going to be HUGE, and we are playing with our good friends Maloonigan's Bruise and Proxy Set. Phil's pretty broke so it'd be awesome if you would come out and buy him beers (not the other guys, they don't need beer. Maybe Eric, but definitely not Lance).

The next show is in Mat's hometown and we will be featured on CKXS radio every day between now and Friday at 3:40. CKXS has invited us into the studio and we will be doing a live-to-air session at the same time Friday before our gig at Roxxy's. We hear Wallaceburgers (seriously, that's what they're called) know how to do it up right, so don't let us down!

We hope everyone had a safe and happy new year and are looking forward to hearing all the stories in the next week.

Decade