Purveyors of: Dadaism, homemade instruments, puppet shows
File next to: Estradasphere, Yamantaka // Sonic Titan, Secret Chiefs 3
Appearing: Sleepytime Gorilla Museum + Dastgâmachine: Wavelength, May 14, 2025 @ St. Anne’s Parish (651 Dufferin Street)
Emerging out of Oakland, California at the turn of the century, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum turn their concerts into rapturous cult-like ceremonies. The quintet’s music has been called art-rock, avant-prog metal, and grindcore funk theatre, but the band remains gloriously unclassifiable. May 14 will mark SGM’s first appearance in Toronto since 2007, as they tour the globe in support of of the Last Human Being, their latest album, released in 2024 after a 13-year hiatus. Wavelength’s Kyle Sikorski spoke with SGM’s Nils Frykdahl, who wrote from Woods Hole Massachusetts, after four days of rehearsal in the old wooden community Hall, before heading to New York at the crack of dawn.
WL: Your latest album, of the Last Human Being, has been in the works since 2010, with some tracks originating from even earlier sessions. How did the process of
revisiting and completing these pieces after such a long hiatus influence the final compositions?
In many cases the work was gradual, as we kept pushing to revisit the album in starts, before being overwhelmed by our disparate lives. Other songs were completely written and recorded just before the record came out. The length of the hiatus was unintentional and simply part of the complexities of family, children, and elders, so this re-meeting of our selves of yore felt quite natural.
WL: Your work has always rewarded deep listening. With of the Last Human Being, what kind of engagement or curiosity do you hope it provokes in audiences? And
have any responses to the album shifted your own understanding of the material?
Certainly the most immediately theme of the record as a whole would be the cherishing of the precarious beauty of this incredible and ever-shifting world, both its human and non-human inhabitants. So, yes, “curiosity” would be among the most hoped-for responses. Open your eyes, salamander… Playing the songs live is always a learning process, as the audience teaches you how the music actually sounds in the air. This is what makes touring my favorite part of this whole process… the uncertainty, the restless gaze of the strangers, the old friends, the native dances!
WL: Dadaism, futurism, absurdism, you’ve always worked with big conceptual undercurrents. What philosophical or artistic ideas were driving this new record?
There is a through-line between all of our records of “apocalypse”, or last-ness, as a positive source of revelation, not unlike the sacred use of this mirror of
annihilation as a collective focusing lens for the glory of the here and now, not the “it’s all going to Hell so lets get ready for our special heaven” variety, but waking to the immanent glory. Not hard to do in a land as beautiful as Canada! Dada and absurdism are both embraced for their positive freedoms against the tyranny of ontological straight-jackets, but their interpretations as nihilistic or meaningless couldn’t be further from our hearts.
WL: SGM is renowned for utilizing custom-made instruments. With the new album, did you introduce any new instruments or modify existing ones to achieve specific sounds or ideas?
The pedal-action wiggler appears only on “S.P.Q.R.”, I believe, and the trumpet violin on “Silverfish”. And “We Must Know More” is our most extended foray into five-part
vocal harmony. “Old Grey Heron” includes accordion and elder flute, and “Fanfare for the Last Human Being” is maybe our only marching-band instrumental. “Bells for Kith and Kin” is our only all-bell piece. Not seeking novelty for its own sake, but each song is approached as an opportunity.
WL: The theatricality of your performances has always been central to SGM. Now that you’ve brought of the Last Human Being to the stage, how has the live
presentation evolved, and have you introduced any new elements or surprises for audiences this time around?
The Last Human Being suite that gives the album its name actually started as a theatrical show with dancer/speciman Shinichi Iova Koga before it was recorded. He joined us for part of last year’s tour, but this week in our rehearsal intensive, we have focused on songs from throughout our four albums, honing some in ways they’ve never been before. We are excited to bring this set to the stage!
WL: The success of your Kickstarter campaign to save the album, with over 1,100 backers, is a testament to the loyalty of your fans. How does it feel knowing that
your community played such a pivotal role in bringing of the Last Human Being to life?
It has been marvelous to know that people have cared for us to continue our work; that long-time fans and also a new generation are coming to the shows. Every night we meet people who say ”I never thought I’d see you play live… I was 12 when you did your ‘last shows’!” We are forever grateful for those that made this return possible, as we love it, the coming to your town to sing and dance.
WL: Your cover of “S.P.Q.R.” by This Heat is a standout moment on the new record. What drew you to that particular song, and how did you approach reinterpreting it through the lens of SGM’s sound and philosophy?
The tottering fragility of imperial Rome is a more relevant theme now than it was when Moe Staiano first brought it to the band years ago. This Heat is an amazing band whose recordings sound fresher now than they did in 1980. And their suspicion of power never goes out of style!
WL: You’ve passed through Toronto before, are there any memories, moments, or strange little details from those shows that have stuck with you over the years? Something that still rattles around in the Museum’s archive?
We remember playing with Daiquiri and Japanther, Canadian bands that were wonderfully strange and original. [Ed. note: Japanther were, in fact, from Brooklyn, NY, USA.] Daiquiri was a costumed Karaoke to his own music, weird and hilarious. The impossible miles-long straightness of the main drag, or one of them, made me think that Toronto must be the biggest city in the world. It has been too long since we visited Canada, and we are thrilled to return!
WL: Say the apocalypse hits today, but one rogue radio tower is still transmitting. What’s the one SGM song you’d want to leave blaring into the void?
“Sunflower”, from Grand Opening and Closing, to suggest to the ever-listening, all-devouring universe the calm and shimmering possibility of resurgence! Play on, all you stars and voids…
Don’t miss Sleepytime Gorilla Museum’s long-awaited return to Toronto. They will be joined by Persian psychedelic dub trio Dastgâmachine on May 14:
Wednesday May 14, 2025
@ St. Anne’s Parish Hall, 651 Dufferin Street
Doors 7pm
$30 advance plus taxes and fees at DICE.FM
Ticket link: https://bit.ly/SGMtoronto
On sale now!
All Ages / Licensed