Sleeping in the Aviary

Self-consciously quirky indie rock trio Sleeping in the Aviary played its first gigs in their hometown of Madison, WI, in the spring of 2004. A high-energy group with new wave leanings strongly reminiscent of early XTC and Talking Heads before they discovered Brian Eno and the Nonesuch Explorer series, Sleeping in the Aviary also features a line in occasionally precious, studiedly "wacky" lyrics in keeping with the nonsensical band name. Based around the core duo of singer and guitarist Elliott Kozel and bassist and keyboardist Phil Mahlstadt, Sleeping in the Aviary went through the usual parade of drummers and second guitarists before finally settling into a final trio lineup with drummer Michael Sienkowski in 2006. Signing with local indie Science of Sound Records that year, Sleeping in the Aviary released their debut album, Oh, This Old Thing?, in February 2007. © Stewart Mason /TiVo