The Big Sleep will be guest blogging for PSNYC all week. They've got a new album, Sleep Forever (Frenchkiss Records), which officially came out today. The band will play an album release party at the Mercury Lounge on February 21st with Sian Alice Group, Priestbird and Heavy Creatures............

DOWNLOAD: The Big Sleep - "Bad Blood"

DANNY BIG SLEEP, WITH SEAN, IN RUSSIANS

This is how I joined the first band I was ever in. I was 16 and I'd been dating this girl Heather for a little while. She and her friend Mary were throwing a party at Mary's house. I went to a different school and didn't really know any of her friends, but they just kept talking about how Mary's boyfriend was friends with "Sean", who was pretty much the most popular kid at Morris Catholic, and they were wondering if he was coming to the party. Ooh, wasn't Sean great? Didn't he like the best music and hang out with all his cool friends? Wasn't he such a good guitarist? Fuck that. Guitar playing was MY thing, MY thing that *I* did. I could tell this Sean kid was a dick already.

It turns out Sean had heard about me, and thought I was a bit of a dick, too. The object of his (slightly obsessive) affection and I lived in the same town, and we'd hung out at some parties our parents and their friends had. I was obsessed with guitars at the time and I'm sure I ruined whatever chances I had with her by blabbering on at length about them. Anyway, noting our mutual interest in music, she mentioned me to Sean. That was all he needed to hear. I sucked.

Anyway, I get to this party in Mary's basement and Sean and all his stupid buddies are there, hanging by themselves in the corner. I have since learned that I wasn't that cool, and some of my clues should have been that 1) Heather was kind of ignoring me so 2) I sat there alone for a while then 3) started a conversation with Mary's dad. We start talking guitars, and I of course was superenthusiastic about it. He brings out his Gibson acoustic, and Sean sees this and comes over. We're kind of eyeing each other at this point, but not acknowledging each other's presence. I was the one having the conversation, so I get to play the guitar first. Now, Sean is sitting there looking at me, so I'm going to play the best thing by the best guitarist. I start playing "Bigmouth Strikes Again".

Sean's face lights up, "You like the Smiths?!" "Yeah" "Want to be in a band?" That was that. Heather dumped me a month later, but Sean and I are still best friends. My band's second cd comes out today, and Sean is the first person we thanked in the liner notes. More because we forgot to thank him on our first cd than anything specific he did (besides reminding me that we didn't thank him the first time), but I hope you're happy now, Sean.

-Danny