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Sleeping Trees, a Bloomington, Indiana based ambient folk project has been getting noticed with their beautifully energetic single “Narrows.”

Tom Pieciak is the lead songwriter and vocalist who dreamed up the project while listening to bands like the Fleet Foxes and Bon Iver. 

“Sleeping Trees combines elements of folk, rock, and improvised music at the intersection of experience and nature,” Pieciak said. 

“Narrows” takes you on a ride like much of the album All in Motion does. Many layers of sounds put you in a daydream while you walk through a trail. 

Emerging Artist Grant

Pieciak was able to receive partial funding for the project through the Bloomington Arts Commission’s Emerging Artist Grant, and the album was engineered by Damion Schiralli and Trevor Webb at Russian Recording in 2024. It was mixed by Garrett Spoelhof in Chicago, Illinois. 

“I couldn’t have asked for a better family to make a first record with,” Pieciak said of the large cast that contributed to the recording. “Your enthusiasm and dedication to the project made it possible.”

The artists include Webb on acoustic guitar and vocals, Brendan Keller-Tuberg on bass and piano, Nadia Reist on trumpet and vocals, Peter Doyle on pedal steel guitar and Chuck Roldan on drums. The artists all play multiple instruments on the project and they’ve also included a string section.

First Performance

Pieciak played their first live show for the album in June, and “Narrows” has been in heavy rotation on local radio. Its allowed them to branch out and they’ve started booking outside of Bloomington. 

Pieciak said his parents have been his biggest supporters along the way, influencing him at a young age through their love of music. He was raised in Maryland where they bought him his first instruments and took him to lessons at an early age.

“None of this is possible without you,” Pieciak said.

Pieciak has also coached students for state solo competitions on the trumpet and he received his masters degree in jazz studies from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University.

Zion National Park

The inspiration for “Narrows” was taken from an experience Pieciak had in Zion National Park in Springdale, Utah. There is a feeling one gets that there could be an escape from our journey in life in the off-the-grid societies found in the most remote areas of our world, but in the end you have to face your inner ties that bind you. Going head first into the unknown is your only option to find the light at the end of the tunnel. 

Support the artist by streaming and purchasing All in Motion on Bandcamp.

More information on Sleeping Trees can be found here.

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