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Our office in the Chicago burbs is just a few blocks from the northern border of Wheaton. You've probably heard of one guy who came through that town—a fella named Billy Graham, a 1943 Wheaton College grad who went on to take his message to the masses for 60-plus years. Now here come a few more Wheatonians who are, in many ways, doing the same thing—delivering a message to the mainstream. Sleeping at Last, comprised of brothers Ryan and Chad O'Neal and their friend Dan Perdue, started out by playing in the basement of the O'Neal family's Wheaton home. One thing led to another, and eventually their music landed in the lap of rocker Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins, Zwan), who helped land the band a deal with Interscope, a mainstream label. Sleeping at Last also gained mainstream exposure via a recent tour with the crossover Christian rock group Switchfoot. Additionally, we named Sleeping at Last one of the Best New Artists of '03, and tabbed their CD, Ghosts, as one of the year's best. We recently talked with the guys about their faith in their art, their relationship with Corgan, what drives each of them, and more.

From left: Chad O'Neal (drums), Ryan O'Neal(vocals, guitars), Dan Perdue (bass)

Why does Sleeping at Last exist?

Ryan O'NealThe main force behind the band is we realize that if we put our hearts into this, there's a good chance someone else can listen to our work and take something away we didn't even intend for them to take, and to be better off for it.

How do you weave your faith into your songwriting?

Ryan O'NealI think the faith in our songs comes really naturally. It never comes out in a pushy or overbearing way. That's kind of how we live as well, not pushing it down anyone's throats, but trying to be an example of that faith. So as it relates to songwriting, it's just there already, so it becomes a part of the music as much as anything else I want to say.

The process itself is all over the place. I haven't found one single way to write that's really been like a formula. I wish it was; that would be a lot easier. But sometimes songs will start with a part on a guitar or a part on a piano or whatever. Lyrically, what I basically do is I sit down at a typewriter and I type out whatever's on my mind. It might not even make sense or it may be a single word. It's just anything that scrapes off the top of my head. That gets all the junk out, then I can look at that and compile a lot of my lyrics from what I read and what it all looks like to me. That's where all the lyrics for Ghosts came from.

Do the rest of you guys give Ryan input for song ideas?

Dan PerdueAs far as the music goes, yes. But not lyrically; that's Ryan's thing.

Ryan O'NealThe arrangements are a group effort but the songs are generally presented in different ways. Sometimes we'll work on songs together, and other times I'll know pretty well where the parts should go and I'll finish it myself. We all do shape our different sides of the songs, so yes, it's definitely a group effort as the songs come together in the end.

Ryan, who would you like to write with some day?

Ryan O'NealI'm really finicky when it comes to writing, as far as not wanting anyone else's outside opinions on the songs. It's too personal, I guess, to have anyone share in the process. There isn't anyone out there right now I'd want to write with, but who knows about the future?

How has your relationship with Billy Corgan affected things?

Ryan O'NealHe became involved with us about three years ago. He was really great about giving us encouragement on the new songs we were writing. Being an artist himself, he knows it's a really personal and touchy thing to create your music, so he doesn't want to tell us things like Well, this is how that song should be. He was really great about standing in the outer lines and giving us encouragement.

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