Sleepy Hollow

Soundwell EP Sleepy Hollow

The legend begins in a small town, in northern New Jersey on a warm May night. Bassist Dan Castiel, formerly from the band Thrillseeker, who at the time had been in a band called Dizzy Dog, entered the legendary Pink Room for the first time. He was there to have a jam with Joe Dell, ex-keyboardist for Spectrum Green, and Eternity X. The two felt that the jam was a good impression of what they would be capable of if they found the right partners to help conquer the world. With Dan's powerful bass-playing and Joe's, intense keyboard playing they felt they were at the start of creating a band that would be able to compete with any band that was ever on the scene. The plan was to piece together a four-man unit consisting of bass, drums, keys, and guitar. Each member would also have their own unique singing style. Each song would have a hook but also would be well decorated so as not to bore the listener to death. Now that the plan was set it was time to find the right drummer. It didn't take long to find U.S. Bandit's Frank Melick. He was looking for a new outlet, and a new direction. The boys were impressed by his speed, power, and agility. At the end of the audition it looked like a sawmill exploded under his seat. His high, clear vocals added a new weapon in their vocal arsenal. There was one more element needed to complete the band -- a guitar player. One without flash, but with style and feel. Enter Matt Schwarz, a folk and classical influenced lead/rhythm guitarist. He was the most original guitar player the band had ever met. They felt he was perfect for what they wanted to accomplish. He added a low, expressive vocal style as well as the delicate timbres of flute and acoustic guitar. In October '99 Sleepy Hollow was complete. In four months they were out playing the local scene with a dozen originals, bolstered with some covers to fill the two-hour sets they'd booked. Filling the places they play with crowds never before seen by club owners, they were constantly asked back. Moving on to outdoor festivals, they headlined day one at the Fantasy Farm Festival in NY State, leaving the crowd chanting their name. They found time in the autumn of 2000 to put together a four song EP (one song for each vocalist). Each track shows a different facet of the bands creativity and talent (although their more than two dozen originals to date have continued to cover new musical territory, exploiting rock influences from the early 70's to the present, as well as blues, jazz, classical, folk, etc.). 2001 sees them breaking into the NYC scene, including having recently played the Limelight. Get ready for Sleepy Hollow to revolutionize music and start a genre all of their own!