Meet Collin Sanford | Singer for Wake Me

We had the good fortune of connecting with Collin Sanford and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Collin, what are you inspired by?
Our band has evolved from being specifically inspired by other bands in a very specific genre (Thrice to name one), to appreciating and being inspired simply by good songwriting in general. That includes anything from Pop and R&B to Rock and Metal. We have grown to appreciate well crafted songs and love to take songwriting ideas from across genres and see how we can incorporate them into our rock sound.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
For Wake Me, the road has been anything but easy. For every success we’ve experienced, it feels like there have been about a hundred failures or rejections. Where we are as a band has as much to do with perseverance than anything else as our journey has been long and circuitous. That being said, when I take a moment and stop thinking about what’s next for the band and focus on that journey, we’ve had some pretty amazing moments: playing Ball Arena with Avenged Sevenfold, playing Red Rocks with Five Finger Death Punch, getting Cove from Saosin to feature on a song we wrote, somehow convincing him to come out and make the music video for that song with us….just amazing.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
The first thing I would do is check to see if there was a game we could go to at Ball Arena – preferably one Avalanche game and one Nuggets game. Totally different experiences but both a total blast. I would definitely make sure that we ate at my favorite places like La Loma (the best green chili), D’Corazon (Mexican comfort food at it’s finest), Sushi Den (where my wife and I had our very first date), Tavernetta, Osteria Marco, the list goes on. We would most definitely have to get some drinks at Union Station especially at The Cooper Lounge which feels like a little hidden bar overlooking the lobby. We wouldn’t want to miss the Green Russell speakeasy either. If there was a show at the Marquis Theater, we’d have to go. It feels like home field for Wake Me and is still one of my favorite venues after all these years. Who doesn’t like metal and a slice of pepperoni pizza? Post-show I would highly suggest 1up to wrap up the night as we’ve done a dozen times with Wake Me and other bands who ripped a show at the Marquis or the Summit. If we were feeling up to it after all the eating and drinking, I would suggest we hit up Red Hawk Ridge for a round of golf…just a gem of a course in Castle Rock with great views.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many people who have shaped me and supported me in my musical endeavors over the years so it is very hard to narrow down a dedication to just one….so I’ll name a few! I’d love to dedicate this to my mom, my dad, and my late aunt Sophia for believing in me early on when I sounded especially horrible at guitar. To my band mates, past and present, for inspiring me and driving me to always improve. And to my wife Kristi for continuing to support my dreams after all these years.

Website: www.wakemeband.com

Instagram: @wakemeofficial

Twitter: @wakemeofficial

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wakemeofficial/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@WakeMeOfficial

Image Credits
Svetlana Tucker Joe Large Spencer Peck