We hung out with California-based Sleepy Sun’s Bret Constantino for a bit during Austin Psych Fest and got real about the politics of the music industry, unhealthy but very much more real about Texas BBQ:
Allston Pudding: What do you miss most about California while you’re on tour?
Bret: Very large trees, order the coast. I’ve always lived close enough to the ocean and when you need to reset, just to breathe by the ocean is always something to be missed. Also just different landscapes and different climates, I feel like there’s everything you could ask for in California.
AP: Have you guys been playing a lot of festivals lately?
Bret: We just got back from Europe and we played a few festivals there. But, not in the States really, it’s been difficult for us to break into that festival circuit.
AP: Why’s that?
Bret: Politics, unfortunately. We don’t sell enough records or we don’t get enough radio play. We just got another agent this year for that very reason, he’s with a bigger agency with the connections to get into the festivals but didn’t get any. So that doesn’t really help, guess you can’t really blame it all on politics. We played a lot of the big festivals in Europe though — Primavera, Pukkelpop in Belgium, Lowlands in Holland.
AP: That seems odd.
Bret: Yeah, it’s pretty frustrating. We can’t even play Outside Lands, the festival in our hometown. We did all this bullshit of not playing in San Francisco for awhile and then they came out to see if we could sell out our show in advance. But, of course we didn’t cause we’re playing for a bunch of stoners, so nobody buys their ticket until the day of the show or at the door. So, they basically disregarded our nomination for the festival which is a bit infuriating. It’s evil, really. As long as we can still play in Europe though, it’s cool.
AP: Does it seem to be a trend that you start in Europe then come back to America and get more gigs?
Bret: No, I mean we’ve been touring in Europe just as much as in America. Over there it’s grown and it makes sense to go out there. The only time it really makes sense to tour in the States is if we go out with a bigger band that’s playing in front of a built-in audience, where we can sell records and get some exposure. But to tour on our own in the States isn’t really worth it, hasn’t really grown enough especially now that we’re getting older. You know, rapidly approaching 30.
AP: How does ‘rapidly approaching 30’ feel?
Bret: I don’t know, it’s okay. I think your perspective changes so much throughout your life, and yeah it’s a little bit weird. In your 20’s you feel really fired up and fearless, but then all of a sudden you’re rapidly approaching 30 and you start thinking about that a lot. But then, unfortunately, it does make a way into your artistic ability. If the community and culture can’t support it, then it goes away. That’s what’s happening in America. It’s unfortunate, but I hope we can keep going and still do this.
AP: How do you think your albums have evolved since the beginning?
Bret: It’s hard to say, we’ve grown a lot as individuals and together what we’ve worked to create is to develop more confidence over the years. Other than that, it’s hard to say. I think the record that we just made is just as good as the first one, but it has evolved in a lot of ways.
AP: Do you like recording or touring better?
Bret: They’re completely different worlds, it’s hard to compare them. As soon as I get tired of one cycle, I’m ready for the other. They influence each other in a lot of ways, despite being so different. It’s hard to say, I like them both.
AP: If you could tour with anyone, who would it be?
Bret: Probably like The Rolling Stones.
AP: What’s your favorite town to play in?
Bret: Wageningen, Netherlands. It’s like the best venue in the world, they’re totally community-based and volunteer only. You sleep there, they feed you there, do promotions there, they print the posters there. It’s a beautiful city to walk around in, you just walk outside and legally buy a joint. That’s a plus.
AP: Where was your first gig played?
Bret: Santa Cruz at the Cowell dining hall. We played with a band called Tera Melos. It’s been fun to watch them over the years cause they were the first band we ever played with. There was this huge stage and they set up on the floor. We were totally scared shitless.
AP: What’s the one thing on tour you get sick of?
Bret: Oh, so many things.
AP: Interviews?
Bret: No, not enough interviews! I guess your own shadow, you’re with people all the time. There’s no alone time, so I get sick of the lack of solitude and quiet time. There’s a lot of down time, but not enough time to explore cities usually.
AP: It seems like such a tease, only being in a city for a couple hours just to play a show.
Bret: Yeah, it really is. You have to revisit a town like 5 times before you can say you’ve really been there.
AP: If you could be in someone’s head like John Malkovich, who would it be?
Bret: Neil Young. It’s just insane how prolific that guy is across so many different realms. He’s still doing it, so he has to be one of the wisest musicians or artists that’s still doing something that matters. It’d probably be a trip, just give it to me straight Neil.
AP: Alright, last but certainly not least, what’s your favorite BBQ food?
Bret: Well, my favorite place is Salt Lick. I’ve only been to the airport one but it’s amazing. Every time I fly out of Austin I get the brisket and breakfast tacos, they’re unbelievable. The sauce is what’s amazing at Salt Lick. At the airport, it’s amazing, if you know anyone at home who likes brisket you can buy a full brisket in a sealed-off carry-on bag for like 50 bucks.
AP: Sounds like my kind of carry-on.
