Sleeper Agent
Published 11:10 am Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Sleeper Agent formed in 2008 without serious intentions. But after their plays from their EP We Got Drunk and Did This grew on MySpace plans were made to record with Matchbox 20 producer Malcolm Springer. They recorded a second EP Bigger Than a Baby’s Arm in 2009 which was not received as well. Several personal changes resulted and the group reformed with a new female lead vocalist and resumed work on their album.
In 2010 Sleeper Agent went on the road with friends Cage The Elephant. They appeared at 2011 SXSW and like Cage before them created a buzz. Spin magazines’s Interactive Director for spin.com, Peter Gaston chose them as Best Discovery at SXSW.
In 2011 the band released their official debut album Celebrasion and continued to gain national exposure and was selected by Rolling Stone readers as the #2 Best New Artist with Cage the Elephant as #1.
Members:
- Tony “Tutone” or “Sunny Dolo” Smith – guitar, vocals [Sleeper Agent, Downtown Handshake, Decade of Experts & Assassins, Ink Parade, The New Eclectics]
- Justin “Stuart Keyser” Wilson – drums [Sleeper Agent, The Color Orange, The Secret/Von Guarde, High Water, Wilson Station]
- Lee “Grizzlee” Williams – bass [Sleeper Agent, Downtown Handshake, The Victory Sound, Hand Over Machinery, Bears!]
- Scott “Saga” Gardner – keyboards [Sleeper Agent, The Colour Orange, Downtown Handshake, Natty Bumpoe, The New Eclectics, Saga, Peanut Shaped Pineapple, various jazz bands, concert bands and orchestras]
- Alex “Kidd Kandell” Kandel – lead vocals [Sleeper Agent, Ilona Static, Alex Kandel and Justin Fisher]
- Josh “Junior” Martin [Sleeper Agent, Chris Nation]
Previous Members:
- Zach “Orlando Doom” Lindsey – bass [Mona, Sleeper Agent, The Color Orange, The Secret/Von Guarde]
- Jordan “J. YoungGun” Young – guitar [Sleeper Agent]
- Thomas Bullen – lead guitar (2008-2009) [Sleeper Agent, Perfect Confusion, Welcome Special]
- Michael Dean – bass (2008-2009) [The Black Shades, Sleeper Agent, Bossa Nosferatu]
- Mike O’Brien – drums [The Black Shades, Sleeper Agent, Bossa Nosferatu]
- Aaron Clark – lead guitar (2009) [The Black Shades, Downtown Handshake, Sleeper Agent, Miss Umbrella, sloWols, Something Fierce, The Explodes, Slavadore’s Deli, AD3]
Discography:
- Celebrasion (2011)
- interroBANG!? (2010)
- Exploding In Sound Presents: Future Legendary – compilation feat. Cut of my Jib (2009) [Sleeper Agent, Downtown Handshake]
- Bigger Than A Baby’s Arm (2009)
- We Got Drunk and Did This (2008)
Affiliations: Cage The Elephant (tour mates)
Influences:
- Local: Cage the Elephant, Canago
- Non Local: The Pixies, Blind Melon, Gang of Four, The Strokes, The Hives, Weezer, The Kinks, The Beatles, White Stripes
Trivia:
- The name Sleeper Agent is a Battlestar Gallactica reference.
- Sleeper Agent members initially went by pseudonyms: Saga was a previous rap name for member Scott Gardner derived from his initials; Alex Kandel’s Kidd Kandel was homage to a Ninetindo character whose popularity was later eclipsed by Sonic the hedgehog;
- In his first year of school band, his junior year of high school, keyboardist Scott Gardner was one of four percussionists in the state of Kentucky invited to participate in the Governor’s School for the Arts.
- Scott Gardner has been a part of nearly every band Tony Smith has formed.
- As a member of The Secret, Sleeper Agent drummer Justin Wilson appear on the reality show My Sweet 16.
