Biography
Ultimately developed as the brain-child of Sean VanDommelen, SleepyPilot has evolved from experimental songs, to full-length album and performing group.
Sean VanDommelen (guitar/vox/keyboards) has been actively playing music in the Pacific Northwest for roughly 19 years. His adventures in music began in 1991 by playing in his first band Deadly Effect, in which he was the lead guitarist. A few bands later under the same role, VanDommelen began experimenting with the electronic aspect of song creation. Ultimately, Sean figured out how to blend his love for rock & roll with his heavy influences from The Beastie Boys and various 80’s electronic pop-rock artists.
In 2005 Sean joined ASCAP and became a writer/publishing member through his collaborations with the electronic group Beatseed. These collaborations inspired Sean to explore the world of music publishing and songwriting which resulted in the birth of SleepyPilot Music – ASCAP. It was after these accomplishments that Sean began to focus on singing and songwriting. He has written a library of material, and entered The John Lennon Songwriting Contest in 2009 in the electronic category. Sean was awarded the Grand Prize during session one of the contest, and went on to win the coveted Lennon Award for session two. Sean was one of twelve finalists for the entire contest ending in 2010.
Also during this time, Sean was a member of a local group named VIII Days Clean, which went on to secure a heavy following in the area. Sean recorded with them on their second album in which a song and video was nominated for a Prizm Award in Hollywood, Ca. The video was one in which the musical material was co-written by VanDommelen.
The Birth of SleepyPilot
After leaving his previous band and being awarded the chance to do a full-length album from The John Lennon Songwriting Contest, Sean formed SleepyPilot. VanDommelen wrote, arranged, produced, recorded and engineered SleepyPilot’s debut album, but he needed a band to manifest his project. Sean recruited his close friend Greg Magee for his bass stylings, and Jason Bair for his creative and innovative drumming. With his vision of Sleepypilot, these new members are bringing to life a project that was once just a thought, which is now becoming a reality. The album in which VanDommelen wrote is a mere starting point for the group and they are quickly expanding on the style of the album.