SubmittedMembers of The Secret are (from left) Justin Wilson, Stuart Johnson, Zach Lindsey and Neal Turner Clayton.

1. Sleeper Agent Website

Drummer Justin Wilson is one of two members of the original Sleeper Agent lineup.  The following is a short interview with Wilson conducted via email as followup to research for an article on the evolution of the Bowling Green band which gained national exposure throughout 2011.

You were there from the beginning, so I’ll ask the same first question I asked Tony – We Got Drunk and Did This was well received on MySpace, but Bigger Than a Baby’s Arm was not so much. Why do you think that was? What did you learn from that experience? Did it result in conscious changes for the band, if so what?

Justin: Well we put a deadline on that album and rushed to get it out so some of the songs that were on there were really thrown together but I still like some of those songs.

As a former member of The Secret/Von Guarde, I’m assuming you are the band member who had the most experience with that next level of success and exposure in the fight to get your music heard. Is it accurate to say that The Secret seemed to have a more steady up and down rise that never seemed to sustain the momentum to break to the next level, while Sleeper Agent seems to be more a sudden whirlwind breakthrough? How did the differences in that evolution impact the members, particularly yourself as far things like stress, frustration or impact on the creative process?

Justin: The Secret experience taught me and Zac a lot about being in a band. To me being in The Secret was the beginning of the momentum that Sleeper Agent and Mona have continued. Shout out to Neal Clayton and Stu Johnson, miss you guys.

Reality TV just gets wilder, but the My Sweet 16 show remains on the “most over the top” list, what was that experience like?

Justin: It was odd. The guy that threw that party ended up being indicted on suspicion of embezzling from his company and they used the episode we were in as evidence. How’s that for over the top?

Neal Clayton referred to you as Killer Bee on their MySpace blog, what’s the story there? What about the nickname Keyser?

Justin: Keyser comes from the movie The Usual Suspects. I don’t know why Neal called me that, he had a few ok names for me but J-Bird was the standard.

You’ve characterized yourself as a “disco sucks/long live rock” guy, are you a fan of harder rock? One local group who has had enormous success and been one of the hardest working groups is Black Stone Cherry. They seem to run in different circles though and I think are a bit older but their drummer John Fred Young and his uncle Kentucky Headhunter drummer Richard Young are both critically acclaimed drummers. Are you a fan? Have you met them? Has their music influenced you?

Justin: John Fred and Fred both influenced my playing. The Secret played with BSC a couple times and I’ve seen the Headhunters countless times. Fred is unreal… like a Kentucky bred Ginger Baker.

Your parents say you were already clanging on pots and pans by 2, drums by 10 or 11 and setting in with popular area bands by 15. Have you been in other bands besides Sleeper Agent, The Color Orange and The Secret/Von Guarde? If so what kind.. with who & when?

Justin: Yes I love heavy music. That stems back to my early fascination with John Bonham. Man, he could wail.

You went to high school with Matt & Brad Shultz correct? So were you the one that introduced them to Tony and the band?

Justin: I was in a jam band when I was a sophomore in high school with Robbie Neighbors from Canago. The Color Orange is working on a disco set to play in the near future. So, I don’t necessarily hate disco anymore.

In the Blank TV interview it’s said that the pinatas in the “Get It Daddy” video were your idea. Unfortunately, you weren’t there yet for the discussion before our photo shoot which mainly related to the creative process. Could you comment on your involvement in songwriting and what areas you tend to focus on?

Justin: They were out of Greenwood by the time I got there. But, Thomas Bullen was there and The Secret starting playing with Perfect Confusion a lot – so, I met them through doing that. I’m not really sure how Tony and Scott ended up meeting them. I think it was a show at Spencer’s or something.

Your drumming is a major part of the manic quality to the music and performances and you’re a fan of chainsaws, but you seem the most reserved in video interviews and have remarked about feeling claustrophobic in crowds. Are you more private than some of the others when it comes to the public?

Justin: That piñata thing was a lie, I have fun with interviews and was just joking around to get a laugh from my band mates. I feel that I add a good deal of input to structuring songs and beating the snot out of my drums.

I like meeting new people and stuff but I’ve always felt panicked in large crowds. If I can’t see the door then I’m in trouble.

The Mom+Pop bio may say you can’t sing, but during the Bigger Than A Baby’s Arm period one of our reviewers described the lineup saying “In particular, the vocal and physical interaction between lead singer Justin Wilson and guitarist Tony Smith is awesome. They trade vocal outbursts, lean on each other, and almost fall on each other in constantly changing directions and formations.” Are you interested in cutting a song as lead vocalist for this or a side project in the future?

Justin: I would at some point like to front a band again. It was fun and a good outlet for some frustrations.

You downplayed your academic accomplishments in the Tennessee State Prison videos, however I’m told at one time you wanted to teach English and write. Does that continue to be a creative outlet? Do you also write songs?

Justin: I was just trying to be funny and a few people thought I was seriously that simple minded; but, oh well. I don’t have any input in the lyrical writing anymore, Tony handles that himself but I still come up with ideas every once in a while and I write them out. My friend Max Schott and I also have a passion project in writing a screenplay for Hauntedween.

Is screenplay writing an interest you’d like to pursue someday or is it because that one is a local thing?

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Rick and Teresa Wilson, Justin Wilson’s parents, also shared some insights regarding his early musical development.

Were there signs growing up that your son would choose a career in rock n roll and have the dedication to make it happen?

Rick and Teresa Wilson: We’ve always had music in our home, be it rock, soul, jazz or classical. Justin was always daring. Around age 2, he loved pulling pot, pans and spoons out the cabinet to beat on them. He found our old 45’s around age 8, and picked “Born to be Wild” by Steppenwolf as a favorite.

By 10-11, the interest was apparent. His dad gave him practice pads and he began learning beats and time signatures, practicing occasionally on his dad’s drums.

By 12-13, Justin and friends practiced in our basement and we heard his dedicated, unmistakable attempts to play “Moby Dick” by Led Zeppelin until he nailed it.

At age 15, he sat in with a friends well known band in Louisville, playing along to two of his favorite songs (KISS & Aerosmith). It was all coming together over the next several years. We traveled to Justin’s shows in BG, Nashville, and Louisville to watch his former band (The Secret) play.

By age19 – his first priority was clearly his music, with first his appearance on National TV with his prior band. The dedication and showmanship were infused. There was no looking back…

Would you happen to remember the names of some of those early bands or have pictures of them?

The most well known was The Secret, up until 2008.  Prior to that were mostly practice bands.  The first was High Water, then Wilson Station. I’ve included mostly pics from the 3 or so years of The Secret.  Let me know if you need anything else.  I threw in one of Sleeper Agent also.

The band says that all the parents are very supportive; in what ways have you tried to nurture their talent and facilitate their efforts towards a career in music?

Rick and Teresa Wilson: In the early days, we took Justin to concerts to see, hear and appreciate the sound and feel of a live performance (Huey Lewis, BB King, Buddy Guy, Johnny Lang, G-3 with Vai, Satriani, and Malmsteen, Kiss, the Muse and others). His 21st birthday present was tickets to see Ringo live in Nashville with his Dad.

From the beginning, we tried to give Justin the tools to craft his talent. In the beginning, we also made runs to pick up friends for practice (before he had a drivers license), hauled equipment and allowed our basement to be overtaken by drums, peddles, sticks, guitars, amps, etc. It was great!

Today, it’s a matter of being there when they need us, which entails many things like attending shows, bringing friends, moral support during breakdowns on the road, food and a place to get some R&R when touring ends, and, of course, spreading the word of Sleeper Agent in every way possible. We’re all the SA family!

Was there a specific moment when it hit you that Sleeper Agent was moving to the next level and becoming a viable career choice?

Rick and Teresa Wilson: Possibly, the month Sleeper Agent had articles in Spin, Rolling Stone and other national publications started that vision. The Jimmy Fallon Show appearance also demonstrated that they were on the right track.

Is there another path you were expecting them/encouraging them to take before Sleeper Agent took off? At one time, Justin wanted to teach English and write, but that took second place to the music.

Rick and Teresa Wilson: We are very proud of the accomplishments of Justin, Tony, Alex, Scott, Lee and Josh. While they are all their own individual personalities, they blend as a wonderful combination of music, energy and dedication. Keep being who you are and stay grounded, Sleeper Agent. Next stop… who knows!