Sleepy Eye Giant

A small band with colossal ambition

Featuring Lucas Rhoad on drums and keys and Wil York on guitar and vocals, the band got its start four years ago.

Though it once boasted five members on its roster, Rhoad and York decided to carry on as a duo a year ago.

The band will be performing Nov. 19 at The Tin Roof with local indie rock trio Hip Young Gunslingers and Junior Astronomers, a band based out of Charlotte.

Preview sat down with Rhoad and York recently and asked a few questions.

Q: What's with the name?

York: It is a combination of a name that I wanted and a name that Lucas wanted.

Rhoad: I was reading 'Don Quixote' at the time. There is a line in there about giants in the dance.

Q: What comes to mind when you think of a sleepy eye giant?

York: I always get this image of me waking up in the morning and I can only see out of one eye because I have sleep in the other one. I'm angry about the sleep in my eye so I'm storming around like a giant.

Rhoad: Our friend, Tami, has created this mascot for us that actually is the sleepy eye giant. It's this fuzzy little Cyclops. Well, not little; giant.

Q: Take us through your songwriting process.

Rhoad: It's pretty much an even split: I will write lyrics and Wil comes up with a rift. Then I will pull something out that I think might fit with that.

York: But when I write, I usually write the music first and then the lyrics. It's always fun playing with Lucas because I usually write slower, quieter and it always ends up totally different in the end.

Rhoad: That's from my heavy metal-listening days.

Q: What artists influence your sound?

York: We really like Wolf Parade. That's probably our top influence.

Rhoad: We also get a lot of influence from local bands like A Decent Animal and Band of Horses (when they were playing around town more), and bands that we play with, like CO.

York: Unfortunately, they get to jam at shows and we don't. Since there are just two of us, we have to construct something a lot more directional and established because we don't have as many instruments.

Q: Is it tough only having two band members?

Rhoad: It's a challenge to try to make a unique sound with so little instrumentation. It's fun to have that restricted palate; mostly I enjoy the novelty of it. If we had more musicians in the band, I would miss that excitement.

Q: What have you been listening to lately?

Rhoad: I'm really getting into The Black Heart Procession.

York: I think one of the guys played in Modest Mouse at some time. I've been listening to a lot of Ladyhawk, who are from Canada.

Sleepy Eye Giant

Members: Lucas Rhoad (drums and keys), Wil York (guitar and vocals).

Originally from: Bamberg (Rhoad), Charlotte (York).

Web site: www.myspace.com/sleepyeyegiant.

Hear them at: 9 p.m. Nov. 19 at The Tin Roof, 1117 Magnolia Road.