Seeing Yourself As A Professional Musician with Ryan Brooks of SLEEP IN MOTION

In this episode of The Rock Metal Podcast, we're chatting with Ryan Brooks of the band Sleep In Motion about their new EP ‘Separate’ out now.

During our chat we touch on a lot of great tips for musicians, such as how Ryan sees himself as a professional musician, planning out the work 1-2 years in advance and constantly evolving his understanding of the music industry.

'Everlasting Ascendancy' was Produced, Recorded and Mixed by Ryan Brooks and Sleep In Motion; Mastered by Erik Miles at The Forum Recording Studios.

For fans of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alter Bridge.

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Guest Resource

Sleep In Motion on Music Glue - Connect with Sleep In Motion!

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3 Heavy Hitters

1. Choose what to spend the money on as a band, doing the rest of the services and creative processes in house.

2. Seeing yourself as a professional musician by working 1-2 years in advance, setting goals, knowing where you want to go to start setting the pieces in place.

3. Being vulnerable in the lyrics you write to connect with your audience, yourself, and even connecting with your band.

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Show Notes // Transcript

Jon Harris: All right, Ryan, welcome and thank you so much for coming onto The Rock Metal Podcast today. Go ahead and say Hi to all of our beautiful listeners. 

Ryan Brooks: Hi, I'm Ryan Brooks, and I am the lead singer in the band Sleep In Motion from the UK. Thank you for having us - Me! 

Jon Harris: Yeah, absolutely. Well, I mean, everybody else is here in spirit, right? 

Ryan Brooks: Exactly. 

Jon Harris: Beautiful. Now, Ryan, what was the greatest moment for you producing this new record, this EP Separate? 

Ryan Brooks: Producing this EP, it was the fact that we got to do it all together. It was good for the aspect. We always record the drums in a studio, but we tend to do everything else, like kind of in house, so we'll do bass, guitars and vocals altogether and self produce it and mix ourselves, and then we just get it sent off to mastering. So it's kind of really fun that we all get to kind of do it together, and it gives us a lot more time and flexibility purely for the fact that it's just nice being able to control kind of all sides of it. And we're not on a time limit in a studio. It's all our own time. So if we want to record whenever, we can just plug in and go. So, yeah, it's kind of really nice to be able to do that all together and all sit around and do it. 

Jon Harris: Yeah, absolutely fun. You get to record and mix the record together. Not being on a time limit. There's no management, there's no A&R, there's no record company breathing down your back. But more specifically, you mentioned the studio time part of it not being on a time limit in the studio. Take us maybe a bit more through that. 

Ryan Brooks: Yeah, well, studio time, I mean. We could we could do it all within within a studio environment. But obviously, being a band that's not signed, it's a lot of money to be able to get these things and to be able to use professional studio equipment all the time. So we've kind of done it ourselves and got as much as we possibly can to record bass, drums, guitars, all at home. But drums, just like with the amount of microphones over drums, and you want to get that perfect studio sound. Yeah, you just need a good space and a good recording place for that. And luckily, we found one in Nottingham, which is our hometown. So, yeah, we managed to make it work. And the rest, like I say, is done all at home, just all recorded. That's the beauty of the 21st century nowadays, is that it can all be done kind of isolated. And we can do it away, we can take things away. It doesn't all have to be in one certain location, which is kind of great for us, that we can just kind of work on it apart and send it to each other and yeah, I just do like that. It's cool. 

Jon Harris: Yeah, work on it apart, send it to each other. The glory of the modern age. But more importantly, you mentioned doing what you can on your own as a band to save money, but then here you are recording the drums in a studio space because you said, well, they've got the acoustics, they've got the microphones, they've got the preamps. In order for us to do that, it's just not possible. So it's choosing what to spend the money on, which is super smart. Now, Ryan, what was the biggest challenge for you on this record? 

Ryan Brooks: I live further away from the other two guys. So I kind of live about 3 hours away from from them. So we're not exactly in the same location, so we can't always be together. But I also think it kind of works as a positive in the way that we're not with each other all the time, so we really make the most of the time that we're together. And it's very productive. So when I go up the country, I live in Devon, which is near Cornwall, and then they're really Midlands based, like, they're in centre of England, and that's where I'm from originally. So, yeah, when I go up there, it's really good because we kind of have like two, three solid days, and it is all just music. We have a few beers at night, but it's really focused on the music, whereas if we're with each other all day, we might not as be productive. So I think it works in our favour in a way that when I come up or they come down to me, it works really well. 

Jon Harris: Okay, very cool. Now, one of my questions I was going to ask, as you said, well, we live really far away from each other. I said, okay, there might be some bands listening in or musicians listening into the podcast right now who have a similar sort of scenario or story. And you kind of already mentioned it, but how do you overcome that challenge? Or what have you learned from that challenge going further into the work? Like, for example, you mentioned you guys are recording a full album right now. How did you learn from that in recording the EP? 

Ryan Brooks: I think it's really important to obviously stay in touch. It's great for planning. It's about being structured, and we're kind of taking it now as we're professionals of it. We try and be professional was we try and put things in place so that it's structured so we know when things are going to happen. So we're working kind of to I mean, we know now what's going to happen in January, February, next year. So we work in like a year advance. And I think that's really important for any band is to kind of get a plan in place of where you want to be and where you want to move to. That's kind of my biggest advice, really. And if you want it to work, then you've got to do everything you can do to make it work. And sometimes it is long drives and long places, but if you can't do the long drives now, then you're not going to be doing many long drives on tour. So from the tours that we've done and from the tours that we've done in previous bands, we know how kind of gruelling that life is, so we're kind of used to it as well. We've had a long time in the industry, like I say, all being in previous touring bands, so we kind of know the industry and we know what it takes to be it and you've kind of got to stick at it and keep going with it. We're lucky that our country only takes 10 hours from top to bottom, whereas you guys, that's one state sometimes, isn't it? So we can't complain, really. We can't complain at all. It's not too far. 

Jon Harris: Yeah. Well, I'm in Canada, baby, but definitely a similar story. It takes a very long time to go from one province to the next, especially in Western Canada. So if I've got any company, raise your hand. But, yeah, understanding the industry, understanding the group. If you're not going to survive a small tour trip or a small van trip on the small scale as a band, you're probably not going to be able to do it on the large scale. But also seeing yourself as a professional musician and working one to two years in advance, setting those goals, know where you want to go, setting up those pieces in advance. I mean, super heavy hitter right there. But Ryan, what are some of the themes on this record? I read in the EPK something about getting some things off of your chest? 

Ryan Brooks: Yeah, I think in the kind of situation and the current state that we're in now, I think it's kind of fair enough that most people in the UK are pretty angry at the minute, certain things that are going on. I mean, we try and stay away from politics. What I do for right. Brighton lyrics, this is more kind of personal things, I think, this EP. I feel like I had to get some of these things off my chest and yeah, I'm glad I did, because now it is like a therapy kind of thing and once it's out, it's out. And I kind of like the fact as well that I don't really talk too much about vocals. I like kind of hearing people's interpretations on what them songs mean to other people. That's really cool. And it's just really nice to hear what other people think of the music rather than kind of giving what it's about, because I think that the amount of songs that I listen to and they have a meaning to me. But then you hear the other guys say other bands saying, oh, well, I actually wrote it about this, and it's nothing to what you kind of think it is. And I really like that about music is that you interpret it to what your feelings and how you see. What you're seeing at that time in your life. And I think you always kind of remember that once you hear a song and if it sticks with you, you kind of remember the feeling you felt when you first heard it. 

Jon Harris: I definitely hear what you're saying there. Trying to save you from politics, getting personal, getting things off your chest, using it to be cathartic and therapeutic. And you mentioned it was good for you. Was that difficult? To get personal and to get vulnerable? Take us through the stage, I guess, from making the decision to do so unless you already had years ago sort of thing and what that feeling of release was like because I think that would be very important for everyone listening in right now. 

Ryan Brooks: Yeah, I think it's a really good way. I try and put it all out and kind of leave it on the paper, as the saying goes. And then I feel like it's a relief for me to get it off my chest. It's a nice feeling for me to be able to just open up and some of the lyrics are very kind of a lyric within a lyric, if you know what I kind of mean by that. But for me, I find it such a therapeutic kind of getaway and it's just nice to kind of get it out. And once it's out, it's out. And I love the fact that people can like I said, people can interpret it. But yeah, got specific meanings to me and I feel very proud. And I spend a lot of time going over the lyrics before they're exactly how I want them to be. But then sometimes I'll go over them for a long, long time, and then sometimes it's the first draft that goes through. So it's like it is such a mix and match of kind of how I work. There's not really one kind of set way that I go about this, especially, like I said, with the new record as well, that's very much the same. Some of the lyrics are very kind of like, straight away, they're, there, done. Let's record them. And some of them I'm working on now, and I'm kind of thinking, no, I don't like that. I don't like that, and just changing them constantly. So, yeah, I think for me, it's very important to say how you feel, and I find it very therapeutic and nice to get it off my chest. Yeah, it's kind of a hard question, actually. 

Jon Harris: Wow, okay, well, cool. I mean, I think you did a good job of answering said question because. I've heard it before in a couple of different ways. Then if you get vulnerable, you're able to connect with more people. But that's a difficult transition for a lot of artists to make, because I think in the beginnings, maybe we're young or just naive or whatever, it's like, well, I can hide behind this guitar, or I can hide behind these vocals. And then people are like, It's a good song, but there's something I'm not getting, and I can't put my finger on it. And it's the connection. There's a lack of connection to sit there and have your band go, Whoa, you went through that. 

Ryan Brooks: Yeah, it changes everything. I find the scariest kind of thing is when you first obviously, the other two guys are my best friends in the world, and when I first send them a song or something like that, I kind of get this initial to them. There's a huge stigma around mental health, isn't it, at the minute, and people not talking. And all of all three of us together try and be as very open and honest about everything like that as we possibly can and possibly feel, because that's so important. And I feel like we send these songs to each other and we can tell how each other feel. And I think, yeah, like I said, it's very much a therapeutic process to write the songs and to send them to them. I really appreciate the guys when they come back and say they like the meaning of the song and they understand it and they understand why I've wrote it. So, yeah, definitely, I tell the guys everything and then it kind of comes out in the songs. So they get it, they hear it, and, like you say, they kind to take a step back and be like, oh, that's how you feel. But, yeah, it's cool. It is a cool process. 

Jon Harris: It is a cool process and that is how you feel, baby. But yeah, being vulnerable in the lyrics, connecting with your audience, connecting with yourself, even connecting with your band. How would you define success at this stage of your career? It could be with regard to this release, it could be up to this point. You mentioned having some what's the word I was going to looking for here some time already in the industry. So how would you define success at this stage of your career, Ryan?

Ryan Brooks: I find success in what you make of it. I feel all for me, my success is if we write a good song and we're all happy with it and we all appreciate that. That's kind of my success. I don't seem to measure success on the gigs we play. I always find it within. So how we're feeling altogether as humans? If we're all happy with a direction that we're going in, we're all happy in the studio, we're all happy at practice, or we're all happy just altogether, then to me that's success. And we're successfully being a band that's functional and that are capable of doing things from previous experiences in bands that I've been in, we played great gigs and we played amazing things, what looked great, but behind the scenes, like, there wasn't a nice environment. It just wasn't a nice place to be. And so I think it's so important that there's harmony within the group. And I think once there's harmony and once there's friendship involved, then I think if it's a solid foundation, then you can only build on that. And I feel like once the success is there and being successful within each other and as people, then I think you can only build on top of that, if that makes sense. 

Jon Harris: Yeah, I'm reminded of the proverb something like, who needs a great meal in a house of strife? Something like that. 

Ryan Brooks: Yeah, absolutely. 

Jon Harris: Very cool. Did you work with anybody notable on this record? I mean, you mentioned kind of recording it all together. Who did the mastering? What was that like? Did anybody else do the mixing? 

Ryan Brooks: No, the mixing was done all kind of by us. We all sat together and did it. We sent it to Forum Recording Studios, and there's a guy there called Erik Miles who is the guy who mastered both of the EPs that came out. And he's a great guy. And he's worked alongside a band called Slaves, if you've heard of them over there. They've just changed their name, but I can't actually remember what they changed the name to, but yeah, that was a great place. And we played that venue, actually. We got to know him with one of the other bands that me and Alex were both playing in. And he was telling us loads of stories about people who played there in the past, and he told us that the owner once had Oasis play there, and they played to, like, ten people, and they were actually a support band for something else. And apparently they wouldn't serve Liam a drink because he was already really drunk or something. And then he said to the owner of the Forum in Tunbridge Wells in England, and he said, I'm going to come back and I'm going to buy this place. That's what he said. He's going to get famous and I'm going to buy this place. I don't think he ever bought it, but he got famous, so half of it was right there. 

Jon Harris: Yeah, he was right about something. 

Ryan Brooks: Yeah. You get cool stories when you go around these venues that have been there for a long, long time. 

Jon Harris: You yeah. Wow. What a wonderwall.

Ryan Brooks: Ha, yeah. 

Jon Harris: Beautiful. What's the number one thing you want people listening right now to the podcast to do? And this could be your chance to do a shameless plug. It could be a chance to do something, give a spiritual message. I've had both.

Ryan Brooks: I want everybody to go and follow us on Instagram and Facebook. That'd be great if you could do that. We'd love to get you on the Socials. And it is SleepInMotionOfficial. And there's links to Spotify, Apple Music. We're going to be dropping a music video soon and then we're also building up to the album release in November. So hopefully you're all going to enjoy that. Yeah, it's something heavier, it's something darker. Plenty of feelings involved, plenty of anger. And yeah, if you're into that kind of stuff, then you'll find it there at Sleep In Motion Official. 

Jon Harris: Okay, beautiful. All right, so everybody go to Instagram and Facebook. Actually, go ahead and go to TheRockMetalPodcast.ca. I'll have all the show notes for today's episode where we can go ahead and have all of those links at the ready so that you can connect with Sleep in Motion. And we do have just enough time, if it's cool. You mentioned the Debut LP. The long play. The full album is going to be coming out in November. We've been chatting about it here a bit. Drop C bass player has got a five string, which actually goes down to B.

Ryan Brooks: Yeah. 

Jon Harris: So we can do some dissident notes here. It's a darker sound. You mentioned a little more polished, maybe a little more slick, maybe some synths in there, but something heavier, something darker, maybe take a minute to pour out. What should we expect from this record? 

Ryan Brooks: Yeah, so it's going to be a full length album. We're really excited. We're kind of writing it and recording it at the same time, which is really cool. It's a nice process to be going through because it's fresh, so we're not sitting on tracks for a long time and we're not second guessing them, we're recording them back, getting the drums done, going into recording while we're also writing the song. So I'd say we're probably 75% to 80% of it written and also 40% of it is recorded and kind of done and being passed on to mixing. But, yeah, so this time we're going to be getting it mixed out of our hands, which is kind of nice in a way, because with me, I do find it quite hard to let go of it. I just want everything. But I think it's really important. What we learn from the EP is to let other people hear it, let other people feel it, and let their interpretations of what we should sound like on an LP kind of come back to us. So it's nice. It's nice to be working with other people. So we're just looking at a few different people who are mixing at the minute and looking for people who are going to get to Master. So, yeah, it's a really interesting time for us. Really happy. We've got the tour for November and December as well in the UK to cover the album and then maybe one day in the US. That'd be nice, wouldn't it? In the US. And Canada. I'd like that. That'd be cool. 

Jon Harris: It sure would, baby. You can do the Canadian tour, which is Toronto. 

Ryan Brooks: Yeah.

Jon Harris: I imagine the same thing sort of happens maybe in England. Like, the English tour is London, and then maybe one or two other cities. 

Ryan Brooks: Yeah, that's kind of like you see bands coming over from the US. It's kind of the one or two places, like, with the Chili's gigs, when they get that kind of situation. And to that level, it's Manchester, maybe Birmingham, and then kind of one in London. And that's all you get, really. So, yeah, it's kind of shocking when you see bands actually come into, like, Nottingham and places like that. So, yeah, you kind of take the blessings on that one. Really beautiful. 

Jon Harris: All right, well, Ryan, thank you so much for coming on to The Rock Metal Podcast today. 

Ryan Brooks: Thank you very much for having us. It's really nice to speak to you guys and hopefully we'll catch up when the album comes out. For sure.  

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