Chris Stamey
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. –
Chris Stamey is a pivotal figure in the development of American alternative rock. From his groundbreaking work as founder of the seminal alt-pop combos Sneakers and the dB’s, to his compelling solo releases, to his excursions as sideman with the likes of Alex Chilton, Bob Mould and the Golden Palominos and producer for such artists as Whiskeytown, Yo La Tengo, and Alejandro Escovedo, the North Carolina-bred singer/songwriter/guitarist has spent the past quarter-century building a deeply compelling body of music that supports his status as alt-pop godfather.
The Stamey oeuvre already includes a remarkable amount of enduring music. Growing up in Winston-Salem, he made his earliest ventures into recording with a series of homemade avant-garde experiments during his teens. He subsequently launched the early outfits Rittenhouse Square (with his future dB’s bandmate Peter Holsapple) and Sneakers (including dB Will Rigby and future Let’s Active leader Mitch Easter), each of which released acclaimed independent discs. Stamey subsequently moved to New York, where he started his own indie label, Car Records, and played bass in Big Star icon Alex Chilton’s band. He also formed the dB’s with fellow North Carolina émigrés Holsapple, Rigby and Gene Holder, releasing a pair of albums, 1981’s
Stands for Decibels and 1982’s
Repercussion, that remain indie-pop landmarks.Despite the band’s growing success, Stamey exited in 1983 to launch a solo career, turning out a series of smart, soulful, musically adventurous gems including
It’s A Wonderful Life,
Instant Excitement,
It’s Alright,
Fireworks and the seasonal effort
Christmas Time as well as
Mavericks, a fondly regarded 1992 reunion with Peter Holsapple.
In the ‘90s, Stamey returned to his original hometown of Chapel Hill, N.C., where he launched Modern Recording, a homespun facility combining vintage tube and transistor gear with state-of-the-art digital technology. At Modern, Stamey has produced and/or engineered projects by a diverse array of acts including Whiskeytown, Alejandro Escovedo, Le Tigre, Roman Candle, Ben Folds, Tift Merritt, the Butchies, Amy Ray, Helium, Flat Duo Jets and the Squirrel Nut Zippers, as well as his Yep Roc labelmates Caitlin Cary, Thad Cockrell and the Mayflies USA.
After spending more than a decade behind the board working with other artists as a producer and arranger, Stamey returned with perhaps his most eloquent musical statement to date,
Travels in the South. The long-in-the-works album is a musically challenging, emotionally complex song cycle that emphasizes the qualities of melodic craft, lyrical insight and sonic invention that have long been hallmarks of Stamey’s work, while adding a new level of emotional resonance that reflects the personal nature of many of its songs. The album features guest appearances from an array of talented friends, including Ryan Adams, Ben Folds, Tift Merritt, Caitlin Cary and Thad Cockrell, as well as fellow Southern-pop kingpins Peter Holsapple and Don Dixon. The album also employs a core group of musicians who’ve long been part of Stamey’s creative team, including Superchunk drummer Jon Wurster, ex-Jayhawks keyboardist Jen Gunderman, local guitar ace Brian Dennis, ex-Backslider and Trembler Danny Kurtz, and Greg Readling of Tift Merritt’s band the Carbines. The studio combo has been loosely dubbed “the Mod Squad,” in honor of Stamey’s Chapel Hill-based studio, Modern Recording.
“I think of this record as being something of a meditation on the late-’60s generation that I was a part of, and as speaking to those folks in some way,” says Stamey. “I don’t know if this conceit holds up in practice, but it was very much in my mind when I was working on this group of songs.” But the project’s initial inspiration was a bit more basic. “I was driving in a friend’s car and listening to the extra jams on the expanded edition of the Blind Faith album. I thought simultaneously, ‘This is a waste of good plastic’ and ‘It would be fun to just jam a bit sometime.’ “
Which brings us to Stamey’s most “jam”-inspired work to date:
A Question of Temperature. An inspired collection of original songs and covers of songs by everyone from Television to the Yardbirds, the album was recorded over days (rather than years) as a collaborative effort with old friends Yo La Tengo and guest artists Tyson Rogers, Caitlin Cary and former dB’s bandmate Gene Holder, as well as North Carolina bluegrass artists Chatham County Line. This heavy musical collective attacks these songs with a sense of appreciation and seemingly offhanded technical finesse that’s truly a delight to hear. This is a rock ‘n’ roll album from start to finish, with Stamey’s guitar playing serving as a reminder that before he was an accomplished pop songwriter and producer, he was just another kid with long hair who lived to buy records and play music. And at the end of the day, that’s all that really matters.
