Today we’d like to introduce you to Cristina Peck.
Hi Cristina, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
Hearing melodies and writing songs was something that came natural to me early on. I grew up surrounded by musical instruments as both of my parents played in rock bands most of their lives. When I was 8 years old, I became involved in the school choir which planted in me a growing love of medieval hymnals. Movie soundtracks also served as immense inspiration for me musically. I remember being seven years old and watching ‘Nightmare Before Christmas” for the first time in awe as if it were some obscure gem my parents had found. Upon hearing the music and Jack Skellington sing I knew straight away I wanted to be just like him when I grew up. I later discovered I just wanted to be Danny Elfman and write Oingo Boingo songs, but who doesn’t. At age 12 I started writing songs with my mom who would play the piano while I improvised vocally. Technically piano was my first instrument but at age 13, I finally decided to pick up a little red Squire Stratocaster my dad had bought early on hoping I’d play it. Writing with the guitar catapulted me into an entire new realm of creating music and led to the formation of the first band I was involved in, Friday’s After 7 (when we would practice), at age 14.
I continued to play in bands throughout high school meanwhile my sister had been hiding in her room like a mole playing keyboards and teaching herself the bass guitar. Our family moved from Palm Beach Gardens, FL to Nashville, TN in 2009 which is when Alex and I began collaborating more. I was 20 years old and Alex was 15 when we started Sandman Sleeps with her boyfriend at the time/ our good friend Gavin McAlexander, who played the drums. This collaboration with my sister became the start of the greatest thrill of my life. The dynamic couldn’t be more weird and perfect. There was a naivety to the sound the three of us had together which was exciting. As far as songwriting, improvisation was the way to go in Sandman. We all wrote our parts on the spot and formed songs after listening to the jams we recorded on cassette tapes. I experimented with playing more single notes on the guitar rather than full chords. This enabled my sister and I to write chords together which opened up a lot of space in the music as well as more freedom for writing vocal melodies. During this time, it felt like we were in a current. It was blurry where the music was headed but at the same time we felt anything was possible. We ended up with a set of about 8 songs or so, some of which we still perform today since my sister and I reformed Sandman Sleeps in 2019.
Young Sandman Sleeps was only together for maybe just 6 months and never performed live. While in Nashville, I also played in two duo projects; Dance on the Hourglass with Patrick Browning and Tina & the Goose with Manning Burns. Both projects released EPs. Manning was my partner at the time and we had plans to continue our musical collaboration but romantically parted when I moved to Brooklyn, New York to study painting at Pratt. Manning moved back to his hometown in Rome, Georgia to document the underground songwriting/music scene under his record label, Stereotrash Records.
While in New York, lyrics were not coming easy writing wise so I focused more on sound in general. I was swept up in a spell of inspiration when I began collaborating with my friend, musician/artist, Brandon Gratton. We used to spend hours improvising and jamming by creating soundscapes and experimenting with textures. One of us would be tinkering with pedals while the other would improvise on the guitar, keyboard, or vocally. We recorded everything and a few years later Brandon ended up remixing some of these blips of melodies/loops and turned them into songs. (You can check out more of his work under Synesthesia.)
I loved Brooklyn and the city but soon found myself sinking deeper into feelings of dissociation and depression. Once I discovered my sister was experiencing similar feelings back home in Florida, I coerced her into visiting me. This visit turned into Alex secretly living in my dorm room for about 5 months. Everyone thought she was a student and we had the time of our lives. After that year, I dropped out of art school and we moved out together. My New York experience came to a close in 2015 when Manning and I decided to give our relationship another try and I moved to Rome, GA. We revived our old Nashville band Tina & the Goose with drummer Jeremy Ollis and released another EP titled ‘Feral Line.’ We felt constantly inspired by all the unique local songwriters and musicians in Rome such as Graham and Vann, Muletide Perkins Trio, David Bell, and Clay Broome to name a few. It was a time of highs and lows and by the time that sweet spot was found musically in our band things began to fall apart for us individually and collectively. Manning and I ultimately parted ways again after moving down to Northwood, West Palm Beach, FL and by late 2019 I was back living at home with my mom in Stuart, FL. Alex had just moved back home too and being together again sparked a new chapter in both of our lives.
Alex was also fresh out of a relationship and although she hadn’t been playing in bands, she never quit playing the bass or practicing any of the old Sandman Sleeps songs. We began to explore more of West Palm’s music scene and very quickly found the hot spots where magic was happening. We met drummer/multi-instrumentalist, Tom Haller, who took us to an open mic at E.R Bradleys in West Palm. On the stage we met songwriter/musician, Matt Brown, running the open mic (founder of Soulfam music collective). Before we knew it, Alex and I were on the open mic stage playing our old Sandman Sleeps songs we hadn’t practiced together in years. Tom sat in on drums and with that familiar synchronicity Alex and I had, everything fell into place again. I remember the crowd looking a bit surprised but I think we were surprising ourselves even more.
August 2019 through the end of that year was exciting times for us and what it felt like for a lot of musicians in the South Florida music scene. A lot was happening very quickly. The open mics essentially served as a musician’s network and community of support. We continued to go to the SoulFam open mic every Tuesday at E.R Bradleys. We loved this open mic- the music was always inspiring, and it was a great opportunity to jam with different drummers. We would also frequent the open mic at Elizabeth Station next to Grandview Market in West Palm which had the vibe of a listening room with gorgeous ambiance. Thanks to The Station’s owners, Dean and Danny, this community began to grow and so did the collective energy and motivation to create. Although Alex and I didn’t quite fit in musically, falling more so under an alt-rock/ indie genre, it didn’t matter. In fact, it only helped us grow playing with musicians more jazz, hip-hop, and soul-oriented.
We were on the quest for a drummer for a good while. Tom played full-time in a polka band so he wasn’t able to consistently perform with us. However, Tom tracked drums on our first two Sandman Sleeps releases, ‘Your Specter’ and ‘Icy Jungle.’ We recorded mostly at Raincat Studio in Jensen Beach and then Tom finished recording and mixed them at his home studio in Ft. Pierce. Sometime later in 2019, Alex and I went to an open mic closer to where we lived at a place called Hop Life and there we met Zack Jones who was hosting. Zack enjoyed what we were doing and encouraged a jam session, claiming he could fulfill the drummer position for Sandman Sleeps. However, when we all got together to jam, it became apparent to us that Zack was not in fact a drummer. Then, when he picked up his guitar and began to play, we all had a ‘this is it!’ moment- a puzzle piece had been perfectly placed to complete the sound we were going for. What we didn’t know upon meeting Zack was that most people around town already knew of him as he is the singer/songwriter of a very popular Americana band in the South Florida area called Gravel Kings. Still on a quest for a drummer, the void was finally filled after Zack introduced us to his friend, Karsten Andersen, who had played in a variety of mostly metal bands throughout the years, one being the popular Ghost Cat. Long story short- there was a kismet that grew between the four of us friendship wise and sonically. Each of us offered a unique ingredient of ourselves to create the sound of Sandman Sleeps.
By the time Covid hit in 2020, we were ready to perform live which was not possible so instead, we diverted our attention to recording our debut album ‘Crisis Actor.’ We essentially quarantined together which worked to our advantage because all we did was practice. Recording was a journey all in itself as we had to switch studios a couple times to find the right fit. We ended up recording at Thunder House Sound with Nick Diiorio in Ft. Pierce and had our album mixed by James Wisner and mastered by Andy Vandette. It was released in March 2022 and pressed to vinyl. The artwork was made by one of our favorite artists, Richard Vergez.
By the time ‘Crisis Actor’ was released we had been consistently playing live shows. The minute we began playing live, our fanbase naturally grew. We also released two singles ‘Portrait of Jennie’ and ‘Fellini’ along with a music video for ‘Fellini’ (filmed and edited by Dan Hodgson) which brought us a bit of attention. Promotion wise, it helped that we all would use our different skill sets to push us forward as a business. The branding of Sandman Sleeps came just as naturally as the music- the more authentic the better. We had to learn how to put on an effective live show as a quartet. We discovered the more we were ‘ourselves’ the more entertaining the show was to the crowd. Touring-wise, we’ve performed as far as Miami to Gainesville, sometimes to packed out rooms and other times to just the other bands on the bill. Regardless, it has all been used as good experience honing in on live performance, trying out new songs, and getting tighter.
With songwriting as a base, the priority of layers on top are constantly shifting between a focus on the business aspect, social media, to live performance, etc. We try to be our own machine and also connect with other bands and artists in order to create more of a powerhouse of inspiration and support, similar to what was happening in 2019 at the open mics. Being isolated has never felt good to us nor has it been beneficial to our growth. We’ve more recently been playing with alt-rock/grunge/indie/
As of now we are writing and recording our second album as well as booking a tour outside of Florida in April 2023.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t been a smooth road pursuing music and building Sandman Sleeps but I kind of like that it hasn’t come easy. I don’t want to get too comfortable where I’m at. I’ve found satisfaction with the work I’ve created and released to the public but I don’t think it is healthy when those feelings linger too long. To touch on some struggles – the anxiety of not creating enough has always been a lingering one. Learning myself better and how I like to create has aided in this. The minute there is pressure on being prolific it takes me out of that atmosphere where I feel free to write. Self-confidence is also a constant struggle but has improved with age. I used to spend a lot of time thinking that other people in my field of work ultimately ‘knew better’ than me or knew the ‘right way’ to do something. Now, I realize it never made any sense to think that way. I eventually learned to be brave enough to pursue my own way of doing things even if I fail.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a singer/songwriter of the band Sandman Sleeps. Besides songwriting, I also love all aspects of live performance and the theatrics that can go along with it. I enjoy trying to create music and a stage persona that lays all the cards out on the table. When things are presented raw and honestly I feel like it attracts attention and can even be shocking. If the music might not be someone’s cup of tea, the performance can still be entertaining.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Follow your instincts and always make time to indulge in your dream world/whatever it is you love. Make time to let it surround you. You can treat it like meditation, even if it’s only a few minutes some days, it can feed you immensely and grow quickly if you keep cultivating it. Also, I’d recommend listening to all different kinds of music. Even things you are not comfortable with or may not normally be attracted to at first. I feel that the more you learn yourself, authenticity and originality will naturally come through in your work and become contagious.
Contact Info:
- Website: sandmansleeps.com
- Instagram: @sandman_sleeps
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sandmansleepsmusic/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sandmansleeps3057
Image Credits
Roberto Badillo
John Ciambriello
