Sleep Pod Two’s debut EP has been a long time coming. Mostly consisting of friendships formed over the last thirty-plus years, Sleep Pod Two formed in 2023. Each of the members has a common link with the band, Gameface. While guitarist and vocalist Chris Whyte (Cheswick, One Hundred Words For Snow) and drummer Wal Rashidi (Jr. Juggernaut, For Closure) have been fans of the band for years, Sleep Pod Two features Todd Trout and Guy Julian of Gameface to round out guitar and bass, respectively. While Sleep Pod Two has been demoing songs since 2023, health issues delayed any proper release until now.

The Rehearse Your Future EP thematically takes us on a familiar journey, addressing life, mental health, and those who help us along the way. The opening track, “All That We Have (Is Each Other),” speaks to those moments in life when the world has you down, but whether you feel like it or not, your support system is there to pick you up. “Rehearse Your Future” reflects on how, despite our best efforts to prepare for life, we inevitably lose something in the details. The closing track, “Concealer,” addresses self-esteem and control issues in a relationship and the ways people try to hide them.

Musically, the album is fantastic. Todd and Chris’s guitars are melodic and create the perfect mood for their positively charged punk rock. Guy’s bass does more than give these songs their low end, and Wal’s drumming is solid. It doesn’t take long to fall in love with these songs, with “Concealer” seemingly being the band running on all four cylinders. Sleep Pod Two drops their new EP, Rehearse Your Future, on Mindpower Records. This three-song EP gives a taste of what to expect in the near future. Below, Chris, Todd, Guy, and Waleed speak about the road to Rehearse Your Future and what’s ahead.

How did Sleep Pod Two come together?

Todd: After the pandemic, I was in a ten-month CEO coaching program, and they spent a lot of time breaking me down; my likes, dislikes, what makes me tick, etc. Music, specifically writing songs and playing live was high on my list. With Gameface playing a few times a year, I was not doing music weekly. The CEO coaching program simply said, “Why aren’t you?”. It was a simple moment and statement, but it really moved me forward. 

I called Chris and we talked about what kind of songs we hope to write, but also about what kind of songs we could write as a new band. We could go after any sound that we wanted, or more specifically, wherever the writing took us. I had known Chris for a long time as our bands had played with each other in the past. My wife and I were working with his wife through our non-profit partnerships, so it was an easy fit. Chris reached out to Waleed, and I snagged Guy, and we were off to the races. 

Waleed: Chris got in touch with me. I was already playing in a few bands (I still am). I couldn’t resist the opportunity to connect with Chris, Todd, and Guy, especially since they were all based close to where I work in Orange County. It was an easy drive to jam with them after work. I’ve known Chris for twenty-five years now. We were co-workers and I gigged with his previous band, and therefore already knew he was a terrific musician. I go even further back to the mid-1990s with Todd and Guy when I used to play gigs with their bands, Gameface and The Tank (plus the former Brown Lobster Tank). Sleep Pod Two is an incredibly sweet meeting of the minds.

Guy: Todd hit me up and said he wanted to form a new band with some like-minded people. He said he was already writing some songs with a dude named Chris and had a drummer lined up. He didn’t tell me it was Waleed, who I’ve known since the mid (early?) 1990s! Todd wanted to have a meeting where we all got together to make sure our personalities meshed well. They ended up meeting without me because I came down with COVID. I guess Todd convinced the others that I was a nice enough guy. The first time we practiced was the first time I met Chris. I’m still not sure if he likes me.

Chris: When I was in high school, the band that I saw perform the most was Gameface. They allowed us dorky, younger kids to hang around. They cared about us and encouraged our early forays into making music of our own. Right after college, I worked at a music magazine called Mean Street. My boss at that magazine was Wal. Fast forward 20 years, and my wife tells me that she is working with Todd on a partnership between Knott’s Berry Farm and the Boys & Girls Club. Todd is looking for a singer for a new band he wants to form. My wife suggested me. We want to recruit like-minded bandmates, ones that will make the creative process low-pressure, genuine, and fun. Todd asks Guy. I ask my old boss Wal. Unsurprisingly, they are utter pros musically. Even less surprising, they are kind, encouraging human beings, especially given my inexperience, having not played in a band for the past two decades.

Where does the name Sleep Pod Two come from?

Todd: From a very quick scene in the movie Stranger Than Fiction, but the meaning or visual behind it were our guitar cases covered in stickers from the 1990’s, duct tape, spray paint that had been lying “dormant” for so long and when we brought them out of “hibernation” it was similar to a sleep pod in the movies. 

Chris: It’s a line said by Tony Hale’s character in Stranger Than Fiction. Todd used it for a song title, but I really liked it as a band name. It’s a great movie. There’s a Strat the same color as mine in it. In a way, it captures my being in musical hibernation for a long time.

What would you say is your biggest influence?

Todd: Too hard to narrow down, but I think 1990’s rock, pop punk feels obvious. Gameface styles for me, but all the other guys were and are in similar scene-type bands with similar sounds. To name drop some influences in my life, Cheap Trick, Big Drill Car, 7 Seconds, and a ton of 80s hair metal and pop bands. 

Waleed: So hard to nail it down to one biggest influence. Personally speaking, I am a huge fan of power pop, alternative rock and melodic punk such as The Smithereens, Sugar/Husker Du/Bob Mould, The Replacements/Bash & Pop/Paul Westerberg, Buffalo Tom, Jawbreaker, I.R.S.-era R.E.M., ALL/Descendents, Big Drill Car, Samiam, Tommy Keene, 1990s-era Goo Goo Dolls, The Wipers, Armchair Martian, Smoking Popes, Psychedelic Furs, My Vitriol, Marshall Crenshaw and Alcohol Funnycar. I loved the 1990s-era Dr. Strange Records roster, which is how I discovered Todd via Gameface and Guy via The Tank.

Guy: Speaking for myself, I just love music. From Black Sabbath to Ricky Martin (that one song). If it has that ‘thing’ that catches your ear, I’ll listen to it. Some more direct influences are bands like Big Drill Car, Jane’s Addiction, 7 Seconds, and all the bands we grew up playing with.  

Chris: Samiam, Bright Eyes, Jimmy Eat World, Jawbreaker, Fugazi, Sense Field, Thursday, Knapsack, Alkaline Trio, Cursive, Evergreen, Smashing Pumpkins, Faith No More, Living Colour

Does it feel harder or easier to start a new band at this age? 

Todd: The writing aspect has been really easy and great, aligning schedules is always a challenge, and so much has changed as far as record labels to self-produced singles and streaming. That’s been a bit of a challenge for my comprehension. We are lucky that Waleed is so in tune with the ever-changing industry standards. We’re not completely in the dark. 

Waleed: It’s not easy, but I embrace the challenge. It seemed much easier to be a small fish in a big pond back in the 1990s when I was in my teens and 20s. Today there is so much music to sift through, both masterful and marginal, that you really have to cut through sizable volumes of content to make even the tiniest of an impact.

Guy: Some stuff is easier. You know right away if the people in the room are people you can get along with well enough to make music as a band. That just comes from general life experience. But the harder part is juggling adult responsibilities and finding the time. Also, “… at this age” Oof! That one hurts.

Chris: Writing songs, much easier. Working around competing obligations, much harder.

All of you came from bands previously. Has everyone been playing consistently, or are some of you getting back into it after a time off from playing?

Todd: Haha Waleed is a CHAMPION, but I’ll let him speak for himself. For me, it’s been slow but steady. Gameface is still active, but at a slower pace than we’d probably all like. It has been great being able to write and have songs in the mix. So even if there have been gaps in our lives in playing, it hasn’t affected us in writing and having a ton of material. 

Waleed: I’ve been playing consistently in bands since about 1992, with only a gap of no live performances around 2014-2015, as I was consumed with completing my doctoral dissertation. Even then, I’d still rehearse and record with friends every once in a while.

Guy: I don’t feel like I ever stopped playing; it was just some longer gaps in between shows. But it’s nice to have regular practices. That’s the best part.

Chris: I hadn’t been in a band since 2003. During our first couple of practices, I was using 20-year-old strings on my Strat. Surprisingly, they didn’t sound too bad. Over the years I was playing acoustic guitar, jamming on Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga songs with my daughter, and writing a few songs acoustically, including “Silence,” which is now a Sleep Pod Two song.

How do you feel your songwriting has changed in Sleep Pod Two in comparison to your previous bands?

Todd: I am VERY thankful to be playing with all three of these guys as they’re all so musically inclined and talented. I LOVE how Chris takes and shapes so many ideas and brings the songs and melodies to life. Waleed is a machine and has over 100 songs he’s written and recorded himself (vocals, guitar, bass, drums) and Guy is excellent at shaping the songs when we’re putting them together during rehearsals.

Waleed: I did (and do) not write many songs for my other bands, with the exception of Co-ed, for which I wrote nearly half of the material. I actually consider myself to be a songwriter first, performer second. Sleep Pod Two makes for a great songwriting outlet for me. I also really love being in bands where someone else brings in fully formed songs rather than the entire band jamming on a riff for an hour, hoping to develop a song from scratch via some collaborative attempt. I’m not a team player in that regard and I’m very glad there are other songwriters in this band! 

Guy: This is where Waleed and I differ widely. I am all about the collaboration aspect of being in a band. People always put their spin on anything they are playing whether they mean to or not. Because isn’t that the point of playing with other people? The whole thing about being in a band with other people is the give and take of collaboration. If you don’t want other people to shape a song with you, then you might as well be a solo artist. The tension between my and Waleed’s philosophies works out okay in this band. For now, at least. 

Chris: There is way more variety to the songwriting process now and way more songwriters, which I think makes the collection of songs we have more interesting. We all come with a different approach both musically and lyrically. 

What’s next? More records or shows?

Todd: I expect us to record a lot more. A double album is not out of the realm of possibility, seriously. I hope to play these songs live and bring them to life for other people. 

Waleed: I’m really aiming for us to complete a full-length LP sometime in the next year. I don’t think it’s an unrealistic goal. We have the songs, they are tight and ready to roll. It’s just a matter of blocking out chunks of our lives to put it all together and hoping there’s a label who’ll pick it up for release. I’d love to work with an outside producer and/or mixing engineer who can really take our performance and sound to a new level. Playing more shows is certainly on the docket, too.

Guy: Yes, more recording, more shows, more everything! More of us is always better than less of us. Right?

Chris: A full album is a top priority. We have the songs and even more warming up in the bullpen. More shows would also be great. Hit us up!

Don’t forget to listen to Rehearse Your Future, wherever you stream music, and for more Sleep Pod Two check out their song “Reason With A T” on the Now Or Never! Louder Together! Compilation from Louder Than Hate.