Sleepy Hollow: News

Yes! Joe Dell with the help of the legendary Bob Both has laid down vocal tracks to I'm Insane and For the World is Hollow(and I have touched the sky)! Rumor has it that Original Drummer Frank Melick may make it into the studio to lay down some vocal tracks for the forthcoming CD titled Legend! More news as it appears!

Our song "Sleepy Hollow" has been added to the playlist of goth & horror -themed Musique Macabre radio on internet radio www.live365.com/stations/vertigomindwarp . (For anyone interested in hearing non-mainstream radio, internet radio is a fantastic development, where you can get a whole station devoted to prog rock or power metal that isn't afraid to play 15-minute tracks, or unique music like Finntroll, White Willow, or Van Der Graaf Generator.)
As far as album progress lately, we had some wonderful guest vocals by Christina Kirk, whose fantastic singing at the NJ Renaissance Kingdom inspired Matt to ask her to sing on The Butterfly Queen and the refrain to Sorrow's Might, and Anne LaBella, whose classically-trained voice gives an almost Nightwish-type feel to La Femme Arme, as well as a lovely acappella duet with Christina at the beginning of that song. La Femme Arme also now includes a contrapuntal harmony flute by Lisa Thompson of Sarabande. Hopefully we'll get some Joe Dell vocals down soon so we can hear a more finished version of such gems as "I'm Insane" and "Come With Me Melena".

Matt Schwarz has been in the studio finishing up his tracks before his move to Colorado. There will be more tracks laid down on Wed Oct 10th. Joe Dell has finished all his keyboard tracks and will be working on his vocals shortly. Bob Both has been a big help and ispiration in the studio. He has offered the first professsional help the band has experienced! This will be the best CD yet! 2cds over 2 hours of music! Thank you again to all the thousands of people who have supported the band through the years!

A big congratulations to Jen and Frank Melick! They just had a new baby girl named Scarlet! Frank being the original drummer of Sleepy Hollow has just had this joyess occation and you can enjoy it with them. This joyess event will be broadcast in the spring of 2008 on TLC's baby stories. Good job guys!!!!

Well, today we went in and laid 45 minutes of backing tracks with Gary the drummer - ending his work on the album! We did two last songs for the forthcoming Legend CD - a 13-minute rendition of a centuries-old Swedish folk ballad entitled "Sorrow's Might" and a 15-minute avant-garde improv (think King Crimson's "Devil's Triangle" or Pink Floyd's "Ummagumma"), as well as a rerecording and some bonus tracks for the next pressing of GOIN' OVER. We can't say how wonderful it has been to work with such an inventive and professional drummer as Gary Rinaldi - thanks, Gary!

Well, we had a bit of trouble with studio time scheduling and such, but we're hoping to go in next week and record the 19th and final track for the album - "Sorrow's Might", a medieval Swedish epic ballad that Mole plays at renaissance faires, which we've rocked out a wee bit. Also, we're recording the old favorite "Taciturnity Blues" and an old (but excellent) unused Joe dirge entitled "Nightshift Blues". Also in the news, it looks like Tony Renda may be doing some bass for us on the album which is great news. Tony is an experienced musician of the NJ scene who's a quick learner and has excellent chops - it'll be a pleasure to have his fine musicianship on the album rather than Mole or Dell trying to tackle some of the faster pieces as non-bassists!

There are a bunch of new vids on youtube of Sleepy Hollow rehearsing new tracks for their upcoming 3rd studio release Legend of... due out in Fall of 2007! Search for "sleepy hollow dell" or "sleepy hollow mole" on Youtube.

Well, we spent some time with Bobby the engineer today, and did backings (and some overdubs) for 3 more songs, each about 7 minutes long: "Come With Me Melena", "Unselfconcious", and "La Femme Arme". They sound pretty darn good! We have one more 10-minute ditty in the works, which will bring the album to 20 songs and 106 minutes!

New news on the Sleepy Hollow stormfront. A new pressing of the EP is due out. There will be no border and lyric sheets will be added. Thank you to all the thousands of people who have supported the band for the past 8 years. Keep your hands on the old pressings. They will soon to be collector's items!

Well, yesterday we did another 8 hrs. in the studio, during which the Mole had a go at some vocals. My voice is always a bit of a surprise to me, shall we say, so I'll give them a few days listening to see if I can dig them or if I want to redo them before anyone else hears them! Joe the Dell did the piano to a new track - "Come With Me, Melena", which was one of our more magical songs from the old lineup, which we never recorded even a demo of and have had to piece together from old memory! Mole also did some ripping lead guitar. Because he can't keep the metal all boxed up inside.

Matt would like to bid a fond adieu to all at the New Jersey Renaissance Kingdom - a wonderful and talented group of people he's enjoyed performing (and socializing) with for the past four years. His usual run of renaissance appearances this summer will be curtailed due to the work on the new Sleepy Hollow album. His ties with the NJRK are not yet cut, though, as the "NJRK Nightingale" herself, Princess Jocelyn (aka Nia aka Christina Kirk), has agreed to do some vocals for the album (she's the one singing in the clip linked in last month's news)! Also, Lisa of Sarabande may join Matt for a flute duet on one of the songs.
Last week Sleepy Hollow did some overdubs in the studio - Joe sang, Mole fluted and lead-guitared, and Mike P came in to try out on bass for a song.
Also, check out the review of the Matt Schwarz solo CD "The Lost Way" at progressive rock review site www.progressor.net/review/matt_schwarz_2003.html - the reviewer seemed to like Matt's CD (it reminded him of the acoustic Jethro Tull), although he wasn't as fond of Sarabande, that being a more straight-forward folk group. I, personally, think Sarabande (both the CD and the group) are fantastic, though!

Matt will be performing again at the NJ Renaissance Kingdom - weekends June 9 - July 1. Matt plays and sings with the Reveller song & dance group, the Wench & Rogue show, and his group Sarabande. See the gig page for more details.
To see previous performances, check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhiYJgHkdpk or just search for NJ Renaissance Kingdom on youtube. There's also some rare footage of Sleepy Hollow on you tube from the 2006 Wicked Winter Renaissance Faire, to see us do a version of "Sleepy Hollow" with just flute, harpsichord, and vocals go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzY1CAXtDGE .
Progress continues on the forthcoming Sleepy Hollow CD - check out the new soundclip of "Armageddon" with vocals at our songs page.

April 29 saw us nail 4 new backing tracks for the forthcoming CD. This is some of our most metal stuff, not to mention progressive. Gary, as usual, is a dream to work with, banging out fantastic drum patterns spot on for complex songs he's just learned. We're excited by the new tracks, check out the samples of: Aristotle's Lantern, Armageddon, Troubled Times, and Farewell to Wilderness. So far we've got about 67 minutes of music and we've still got about 5 songs to go!

So, we've put up some sound clips as a hint of the forthcoming album, tentatively entitled "Legend". These are just the mixes we got off the desk after recording - some parts may be replaced, overdubs and vocals added, sounds tweaked and instrument levels mixed, etc. but it's a hint of the music forthcoming. The clips posted on our "Songs" page are: Joan, The Wanderer, Soldier's Lament, Nadia's Song, The Mirror, and The Butterfly Queen. We'll put up better clips as we do solos & vocals, mixing, etc. Other songs for this album will include:
I'm Insane, Aristotle's Lantern, Armageddon, For The World Is Hollow & I Have Touched the Sky, Too Late, Sorrow's Might, and more!
Matt Schwarz's spring Renaissance season kicks off this month, please check the gig page for upcoming Matt Schwarz & Sarabande performances. Also, go to our links page and hit Sanctuary to see about drummer Gary Rinaldi's Iron Maiden tribute gigs - they'll be playing in the area April 21 and 28.
Last but not least, keyboardist Joe Dell had a beautiful wedding to the lovely Annie Rowland. They have a wonderful love for each other and we all wish them a joyous life together!

Today Matt and Joe entered the studio to lay down some tracks. Unfortunately due to ill health Joe was unable to put anything of substance down. Matt on the otherhand layed down some nice Harp and Dulcimer on the"Sodier's lament" track which came out beautifully. He also put down some vocals. There will be a brief break for the Wedding of Joe Dell to miss Annie Rowland.Sleepy Hollow will resume the completion of their forth coming album in the Spring in which hopefully there will be some samples to download off the web site. Sleepy Holow would like to extend their love and gratitude to all their fans for their support.

Sleepy Hollow are excited about the new album under way. They have 9 tracks down and are planning another 8 which will probably turn out to be a double album. Matt and Joe are going in the studio this weekend to lay down some over dubs. "Working with Gary has been a pleasure, he takes to the songs quickly and is very creative. Mole has written a little accoustic prog materpiece called 'the wanderer' which I can't wait for people to hear. To top things off Bob Both is a master behind the control panel. I'm finally completely satisfied with our engineer. He has worked with James Brown and gives us the same respect and professionalism." Hopefully they will have some samples availible for download in the coming months.

We have laid down backing tracks for the first six songs of the forthcoming Sleepy Hollow CD at Twain Recording Studios (www.twainrecording.com) in West Milford, NJ. First of all, we'd like to say that working with Bob Both (engineer) and Gary Rinaldi (drums) is a great experience so far, and we're confident they will help bring our music up to the next level! So far we've recorded backing tracks on a number of Joe's excellent "acoustic Sleepy Hollow" pieces (The Butterfly Queen, I'm Insane, Joan, Nadia's Song) as well as two of the Mole's newer, prog-rockish tunes (The Wanderer and The Mirror). Stay tuned for more information as recording continues!

Gary Rinaldi, already familiar with Sleepy Hollow fans from his recent live work with the band (as well as being the drummer for Iron Maiden tribute Sanctuary), will be playing drums on the new Sleepy Hollow recordings. Up this week for recording are acoustic Sleepy Hollow duets "Too Late", "The Butterfly Queen", and "I'm Insane". Soon to follow is our acoustic epic "The Wanderer", which has added a whole new dimension thanks to some atmospheric orchestral percussion by Gary.

Sleepy Hollow has booked some studio time this month to finally start work on the long-awaited followup to "Goin' Over". First up for recording are the acoustic Sleepy Hollow pieces we've played out at our duet gigs, and hopefully we'll follow soon with some electric material for either a double album or a pair of new CDs. If things go well, we'll try to post some rough mixes next month!

We've thrown up a bunch more sound clips on the "Lyrics & Sound Clips" Page - including:
Sleepy Hollow bootlegs & demos of not-yet-recorded songs (old & new, but pardon the sound quality!) , more Matt Schwarz & Sarabande clips from their albums, and the entire album by Spectrum Green, Joe Dell's project before Sleepy Hollow. Spectrum Green was a strong mix of influences: classic prog (Genesis, Tull) and metal (Iron Maiden, Deep Purple), and modern pop-punk vocals which should be excused if these clips are sampled, the vocals are very harsh but there are some good arrangements present under them. Similar yet different to Sleepy Hollow - check it out!
Hopefully we'll have some new STUDIO recordings coming your way this winter!

Well, after the weather fiascos at the Nightmare gigs (Friday cancelled due to high winds closing event, Sunday due to threats of rain and uncovered stage) - not to mention Matt's NHRF gig losing one day due to rain - Sleepy Hollow had perfect weather for their Halloween show in Lodi. With the help of Gary Rinaldi on drums, the band performed a rockin' set which was filmed with the intention of posting it on the web. Thanks to all who came out and supported us, and the new fans we made that night!

Our apologies to anyone who attempted to see us Friday, Oct. 20 - the venue closed due to extremely high winds at the last moment. We were all psyched to play and very disappointed to miss out! We will try to perform Sunday at 8 - 10, but since it's an outdoor gig and rain is forecast, that may likely fall through also.

Sleepy Hollow will be performing electric rock shows on October 20th & 22nd at the Nightmare's Haunted Attraction ( www.night-mares.com ) in Montvale, NJ! See the gig page for further details.
Also, in Sleepy Hollow news Matt & Joe have found a studio and will be entering soon to record again! First up are some of our acoustic Sleepy Hollow duet pieces, which we are very proud of and wish to finally get on CD.

Matt Schwarz will be performing at Renaissance Faires in NY, PA, and NH in the coming months - please check the gig page for dates and locations! Unfortunately, the Festival Of The Lion in Massachussetts was cancelled due to vandalism destroying the festival site.

In other news, Matt and Joe are working with musicians and touring studios for the next Sleepy Hollow recording, we hope to begin soon!

Sarabande's (self-titled) debut CD was completed mid June, in time for the Pirates of Tortuga festival! Sarabande, with the able assistance of engineer George The Whip, has recorded 18 tracks of our favorite Renaissance, Irish, and gypsy folk that are alternatively lively, mysterious, and soothing. We're very excited about it and reviews have been favorable. We're still pressing them ourselves, so if you'd like a copy contact Matt (matt@sleepyhollowband.com) and we'll work out details. See the CDs/Merch page for track listing.