AUDIO: Sleep Study at The Cabin

Minneapolis band performs on campus for second time with different members

AUDIO%3A+Sleep+Study+at+The+Cabin

Story by Rachel Streich, Chief copy editor

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Drawing in a small crowd escaping the cold and stomping the snow off their shoes, The Cabin featured a Minneapolis band that was not entirely unfamiliar to the venue.

For their second performance at UW-Eau Claire, Sleep Study featured a few new members and a set of rock tunes. On Saturday night they played originals as well as covers and joked with the audience about Bono or their unrecognizable covers between songs.

Kelsey Dery, an Eau Claire alumna who visits The Cabin from time to time, said Sleep Study ranks higher for her than other bands she has previously seen on campus.

“They’re very upbeat and very personal as well…They bring the energy with them,” she said.

Frontman Ryan Paul Plewacki said The Cabin had a respectful audience and an atmosphere the band doesn’t often encounter.

“It’s fun to play stuff like this because we’re not used to clean places with people who are actually listening (intently),” he said.

Sleep Study has traveled to venues around the region as well as to the east coast bringing their classic rock sound and love for the Beatles with them. Their first album released in 2012.

Now working on a new album, Plewacki said the band has evolved and moved toward a sound that resonates more with him.

The band’s upcoming music looks to its roots from the past while moving forward, guitarist Jack Ventimiglia said.

“You want to hearken back to what you draw on,” he said, “but you gotta bring it into the modern sonic era and it’s going to quite naturally go there.”

The members of the band said they continue to make music because they have had a passion for it since a young age.

“It’s the only thing that gets me up in the morning,” Plewacki said. “It’s the last thing I think about before I go to sleep, unless I had recently had a super good snack or saw a really scary movie.”

Plewacki said he writes song lyrics drawing on on his past life experiences as well as politics, and the band arranges the music.

The group gets its name from Google ads Plewacki consistently saw popping up online about sleep remedies and studies relating to his insomnia. After a conflict with another band with the same name, the group was able to keep the title and continue on as Sleep Study.

As students and community members hung around after Sleep Study’s set, Brady Palecek, a junior, said in his first visit to The Cabin to see music, the vibe was relaxing  and it was a good way to spend the evening.

While Sleep Study prepared to brave the winter weather and drive back to Minneapolis, Plewacki said this show was a more positive experience than the last, and he expects the next one will follow the same trend.