"Sleep Together" is BEDTIMEMAGIC's third album, released by The Ghost Is Clear Records. The album explores the contrast between sleep's restorative qualities and its connection to mortality. The band departs from their previous melodic offering and aims for a grittier and more melancholic sound while maintaining their unique identity. Influenced by artists like Ministry and Today Is The Day, the record avoids a hopeful ending and instead delves into somber themes with a touch of dark humor. The album is produced by Alex Allinson and features cover art depicting conflicted relationships, reflecting the album's emotional depth. Photo By Blake Bickel
How did the band form and what does the band name mean?
Nicholas: The band formed in later 2013. I'd put up an ad, had a few tryouts, and when Morgan showed up, I realized I knew him from a coffee shop I'd worked at for years.
Morgan came up with the name so I'll let him field that question.
Morgan: I had come up with the band name a few years before this band started, and had tried to get another band I was in to use it, but they all said, "No". Nicholas wasn't into the name at first, either, but we couldn't come up with anything better, so I ended up talking him into it.
I like it because it is pretty open for interpretation. Are we talking about wizards and witches, are we talking about sexy intercourse, are we just looking for a good night's rest? I don't know. There used to be a radio station that played smooth adult contemporary called Magic. They had a show at night called Bedtime Magic that played the smoothest of smooth adult contemporary. The music we play is sort of the antithesis of that.
Previous musical projects? How'd you first get into music?
Nicholas: I was in over thirty or forty other bands. Most were duds, didn't do all that much... a demo here, a compilation track there. I've always had music as part of my life... my sister was a radio DJ, my father had music on all the time. Later in life, my mom met her future husband, and he was crazy about music. Kinda was predestined.
Morgan: Music has always been a major part of my life. My dad collected records and played guitar...there was always all kinds of different music on in my house growing up. I've been in bands since I was 13 or 14, and I'm in my late 40s now, so I've been in a lot of bands in that time. A couple of them were pretty good, a couple of them were pretty bad. Oh well.
First concert that you ever went to?
Nicholas: I have trouble remembering whether it was Green Day & The Meices at The Hatch Shell (free!) or Mike Watt with Primus in Worcester. One or the other.
Morgan: I've been going to see live music since I was a little little kid. My parents would take us camping every summer at this bluegrass festival in upstate New York since I was an infant. I lived in Brooklyn when I was little so we would go and see music in Prospect Park. There was a lot of classic NYC hip hop going on then so I got to see some pretty crazy shows in the park. The first show I went to that was my choice -- like a band I wanted to see not just a band that my parents brought me along for -- was AC/DC on the "Blow Up Your Video" Tour. My older cousin brought me...I think I was about 10. A year or two later I went to see Metallica on the "And Justice For All" Tour. Queensryche opened and they sucked. Metallica was cool. I don't remember what was the first punk or hardcore band I went to see.
How did the band form and what does the band name mean?
Nicholas: The band formed in later 2013. I'd put up an ad, had a few tryouts, and when Morgan showed up, I realized I knew him from a coffee shop I'd worked at for years.
Morgan came up with the name so I'll let him field that question.
Morgan: I had come up with the band name a few years before this band started, and had tried to get another band I was in to use it, but they all said, "No". Nicholas wasn't into the name at first, either, but we couldn't come up with anything better, so I ended up talking him into it.
I like it because it is pretty open for interpretation. Are we talking about wizards and witches, are we talking about sexy intercourse, are we just looking for a good night's rest? I don't know. There used to be a radio station that played smooth adult contemporary called Magic. They had a show at night called Bedtime Magic that played the smoothest of smooth adult contemporary. The music we play is sort of the antithesis of that.
Previous musical projects? How'd you first get into music?
Nicholas: I was in over thirty or forty other bands. Most were duds, didn't do all that much... a demo here, a compilation track there. I've always had music as part of my life... my sister was a radio DJ, my father had music on all the time. Later in life, my mom met her future husband, and he was crazy about music. Kinda was predestined.
Morgan: Music has always been a major part of my life. My dad collected records and played guitar...there was always all kinds of different music on in my house growing up. I've been in bands since I was 13 or 14, and I'm in my late 40s now, so I've been in a lot of bands in that time. A couple of them were pretty good, a couple of them were pretty bad. Oh well.
First concert that you ever went to?
Nicholas: I have trouble remembering whether it was Green Day & The Meices at The Hatch Shell (free!) or Mike Watt with Primus in Worcester. One or the other.
Morgan: I've been going to see live music since I was a little little kid. My parents would take us camping every summer at this bluegrass festival in upstate New York since I was an infant. I lived in Brooklyn when I was little so we would go and see music in Prospect Park. There was a lot of classic NYC hip hop going on then so I got to see some pretty crazy shows in the park. The first show I went to that was my choice -- like a band I wanted to see not just a band that my parents brought me along for -- was AC/DC on the "Blow Up Your Video" Tour. My older cousin brought me...I think I was about 10. A year or two later I went to see Metallica on the "And Justice For All" Tour. Queensryche opened and they sucked. Metallica was cool. I don't remember what was the first punk or hardcore band I went to see.
What's your writing process like?
Nicholas: It can vary. Sometimes we show up and the song writes itself. Sometimes we spend weeks, months, years on an idea. Most importantly is we try not to force it -- If the song makes sense, great, if not, we move on.
Morgan: Usually Nicholas has some ideas for riffs, he brings them in to practice, and shows them to me. Then I refuse to play them the same way and I nit pick all the little changes I want. Nicholas starts to cry. I laugh at him. I make up a little ditty to tease him based on the riff that he had originally. That becomes the new song.
What other artists or songs inspire your music?
Nicholas: Funny you should ask...I actually do love The Meices record "Tastes Like Chicken". Could be from that concert, could just be they kicked ass.
Morgan has a great knowledge of music. He's always sharing bands I never heard or wouldn't have hear otherwise. He introduced me to Plate Six, which is a phenomenal defunct band from Alabama. They had a great first record, but really grew into their sound on their second one.
I personally wanted the band to sound like Man Is The Bastard and Deadguy when we started. Once we started jamming together, that sound made slightly less sense. We took on more of a back-and-forth chemistry, which I think is actually part of what makes us what we are. You're hearing that interplay of Morgan's technique and my technique.
We listen to a lot of Ol' Dirty Bastard, Run DMC, MF Doom...as a bass and drums band, it's hard not to feel the call of hip hop. Plus we grew up in the 80's and 90's, when hip-hop was growing up, too. That was what you latched onto back then if you wanted to feel the zeitgeist.
Morgan: This is the part where we give a shout out to all our friends' bands, or maybe we'll just list some bands that we think will make us look cool if people think we're friends with them.
Intercourse knows how to move some equipment even when they’re not playing. Bronson Arm will build you a pretty sweet guitar pedal if you ask nice. Miracle Blood will get you an opening spot on a sold out show. Mirakler knows where to get the best pickles. And Great Falls can be ex members of a million excellent bands and still make new records that are better than anybody else’s. All these bands put out rad records and are rad people. Your life will be better if you get acquainted with them.
What's the live experience like and your philosophy on playing live? Do you think the music live should be identical to the recorded version or should it be it's own thing?
Nicholas: We used to think they had to be fairly symmetrical. I now know that was a lie we told ourselves. You have to make the record representative of the live show. In order to do that, it simply has to be different. The audience can't see you...The band has to do something that facilitates that live feeling but using just sound and nothing else.
Live, we follow the philosophy that short, fast, and loud are all the key ingredients. People want a show. They want a performance. You're not there for us -- We're there for you. We're the entertainment.
Morgan: Everything louder than everything else.
Has the band toured? What has the touring experience been, best shows?worst shows?
Nicholas: Yeah we tour every year. We toured in our old bands, too, so it's kinda just how it is for us. We don't go out for long stints anymore...those just tire you out, break the bank, use up all the good snacks you brought from home.
Morgan: The best shows have less than four bands and end before my bedtime. I don’t know what the worst show would be, most of the time we are just psyched to be able to play.
What's up next for the band?
Nicholas: I found a few ramen recipes I want to try.
Morgan: I’m pretty interested in eating those new ramen recipes that Nicholas is going to make. Also we have a new record coming out so we can look forward to that even if the ramen isn’t good.
Nicholas: It can vary. Sometimes we show up and the song writes itself. Sometimes we spend weeks, months, years on an idea. Most importantly is we try not to force it -- If the song makes sense, great, if not, we move on.
Morgan: Usually Nicholas has some ideas for riffs, he brings them in to practice, and shows them to me. Then I refuse to play them the same way and I nit pick all the little changes I want. Nicholas starts to cry. I laugh at him. I make up a little ditty to tease him based on the riff that he had originally. That becomes the new song.
What other artists or songs inspire your music?
Nicholas: Funny you should ask...I actually do love The Meices record "Tastes Like Chicken". Could be from that concert, could just be they kicked ass.
Morgan has a great knowledge of music. He's always sharing bands I never heard or wouldn't have hear otherwise. He introduced me to Plate Six, which is a phenomenal defunct band from Alabama. They had a great first record, but really grew into their sound on their second one.
I personally wanted the band to sound like Man Is The Bastard and Deadguy when we started. Once we started jamming together, that sound made slightly less sense. We took on more of a back-and-forth chemistry, which I think is actually part of what makes us what we are. You're hearing that interplay of Morgan's technique and my technique.
We listen to a lot of Ol' Dirty Bastard, Run DMC, MF Doom...as a bass and drums band, it's hard not to feel the call of hip hop. Plus we grew up in the 80's and 90's, when hip-hop was growing up, too. That was what you latched onto back then if you wanted to feel the zeitgeist.
Morgan: This is the part where we give a shout out to all our friends' bands, or maybe we'll just list some bands that we think will make us look cool if people think we're friends with them.
Intercourse knows how to move some equipment even when they’re not playing. Bronson Arm will build you a pretty sweet guitar pedal if you ask nice. Miracle Blood will get you an opening spot on a sold out show. Mirakler knows where to get the best pickles. And Great Falls can be ex members of a million excellent bands and still make new records that are better than anybody else’s. All these bands put out rad records and are rad people. Your life will be better if you get acquainted with them.
What's the live experience like and your philosophy on playing live? Do you think the music live should be identical to the recorded version or should it be it's own thing?
Nicholas: We used to think they had to be fairly symmetrical. I now know that was a lie we told ourselves. You have to make the record representative of the live show. In order to do that, it simply has to be different. The audience can't see you...The band has to do something that facilitates that live feeling but using just sound and nothing else.
Live, we follow the philosophy that short, fast, and loud are all the key ingredients. People want a show. They want a performance. You're not there for us -- We're there for you. We're the entertainment.
Morgan: Everything louder than everything else.
Has the band toured? What has the touring experience been, best shows?worst shows?
Nicholas: Yeah we tour every year. We toured in our old bands, too, so it's kinda just how it is for us. We don't go out for long stints anymore...those just tire you out, break the bank, use up all the good snacks you brought from home.
Morgan: The best shows have less than four bands and end before my bedtime. I don’t know what the worst show would be, most of the time we are just psyched to be able to play.
What's up next for the band?
Nicholas: I found a few ramen recipes I want to try.
Morgan: I’m pretty interested in eating those new ramen recipes that Nicholas is going to make. Also we have a new record coming out so we can look forward to that even if the ramen isn’t good.