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| Title: Lesson number 1 |
MP3, WMA, MPC, OGG, M4A, FLAC |
| Artist: Stoley P.T. |
| (c): (C) 2006 In Music We Trust Records |
| (p): (P) 2006 In Music We Trust Records |
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9.90 $ |
2005-12-28 |
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| Former front man for RCA recording artists The Lupins (as heard on both the Dumb & Dumber movie and soundtrack) and a DJ on Chicago's popular modern rock station Q101 FM, Chicago-born Stoley quickly found himself in the middle of the alt. rock signing frenzy of the mid-90s, both as a DJ with a show that A&R guys tuned in to in order to hear what local band he would spin next, and as a band leader.
But, as the majority of major label sagas go, The Lupins later found themselves without a label and would soon thereafter disband. Stoley had long quit his radio show to focus on The Lupins full-time, so when The Lupins called it a day, he was searching for something new to do musically.
Enter Joe's Apartment.
Does anyone remember Joe's Apartment? Yes, that MTV movie starring Jerry O'Connell.
Now, remember when MTV gave away a year-long, rent-free luxury apartment in a contest to help promote the movie? Stoley does. He was the winner of the contest. Packing his bags and leaving Chicago, he moved to NY to enjoy life in a suave apartment, rent free, at least for a year.
Once in New York, Stoley needed to get a job. Though his rent was free, the government still taxed him heavily for his prize winnings, and thus he needed money to pay those taxes.
After a few auditions, he landed a spot on The Late Night with Conan O’Brien, a show he still appears on to this day. If you watch the show you’ve probably seen him many times, including his roll as Gun-toting, NASCAR driving Jesus.
When he wasn’t working on The Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Stoley was in his apartment, playing his guitar and writing songs. It was the beginning of Stoley P.T., Stoley's new band, a New York-based power-trio that Stoley describes as "like a cross between Pavement and The Pixies trying to pretend they're pretty like Olivia Newton John".
The band wasn’t always a power-trio, though. Writing songs and itching to take them to the stage, Stoley would play out with backing tracks he recorded himself on his four-track.
It was these one-man live shows that started to earn Stoley a fan base of arty do-it-your selfers and self-loathing pop/rock purveyors.
Recording and self-releasing two records, one with Built To Spill/Modest Mouse producer Phil Ek, Stoley further helped establish himself on the New York scene.
But something was missing, and Stoley knew it. He wanted a band behind him.
Enter Berkeley College of Music graduate Rob Draghi on drums and producer/musician Mark Turrigiano on bass.
With the line-up complete, the band, now known as Stoley P.T. (Stoley Power Trio), began touring up and down the East Coast, and working on what would become Lesson #1, the band’s first nationally-distributed record.
Lesson #1, a record about the funny and sad perspectives of life, chronicles despair, hope, death, loneliness, rejection, and ultimately decision-making in a universal, easy-to-relate to way, whether Stoley is singing about not being good enough (“Amateur B.S.�) or the beauty in sadness (“Snowflakes�).
Opening with “T.Y.S.�, the stage is set for the record as Stoley sings “Good morning chest pains, it’s nice to have you back where you belong.�
“It’s the first song on the record because it serves as a manifesto of sorts,� explains Stoley. “It sums up the funny/sad perspective of life. The first line initially comes off humorously, but it’s actually really sad that this dude is waking up with chest pains every day�.
He further comments that “the song is about how you know if you win everyone will say they made it happen for you and if you lose everyone will say they knew that you would. So do what you want to do even if you suspect you're failing, because no matter what you do people will talk and eventually you and they will all be dead and it won’t matter what anybody did or said anyway.�
This happy/sad tug-of-war is repeated throughout, especially on the album’s first single, “Honey Mixture�, a song about escaping death and just taking what life gives you.
“Life can be a drag,� laughs Stoley. “We try to cover that up with drugs and lies, but you may as well ride it out to its inevitable conclusion. And why not express that with a happy pop hook so we can all sing along and share in the comfort of communal hopelessness?�
But, the album isn’t always about depression and overcoming it, there are a few songs, including the happy song “Sunshine�, which lets the listener know everything will be alright. And “Sight For Sightless�, a song that wakes you up and asks you to look around you - as you might find what you’ve been looking for.
“It’s like a movie for your mind about a lonely person you never see that is actually right next to you,� Stoley says of the song.
“Cat Bong� is about taking substances to make the depression go away, self-medicating yourself, if you will.
“When I don't feel good, my first instinct is to take something,� Stoley confesses. “But sometimes you've already taken so many things that the only thing to do is not take something and just wait for everything to work their way out of your system. And that is a suck-y time.
“It feels like a country song played too fast.�
Closing the album with “Here�, Stoley chose this song for a reason.
“It’s a last song if ever there was one,� Stoley says with a smile on his face. “It’s all over. Nothing is left but the residue of a good time. But, if you've been paying attention you know that everything you wanted has always been there in front of you and the only thing keeping you from it is yourself. So hopefully next time you'll get it right.�
Following the recording of Lesson #1, bassist and producer Mark Turrigiano left the band to continue focusing on his engineering and producing career.
Not missing a beat, Stoley and Rob, with the assistance of Turrigiano, began shopping Lesson #1 to various indie labels, eventually choosing Portland, Oregon-based label In Music We Trust Records, a label that had released former Lupins’ member and Stoley’s best friend Jason Chasko’s band, Suffrajett.
With a label behind them and a light blue 1984 Ford Club Wagon ready for touring, the band just needed a bass player.
Posting an ad on the popular website Craig’s List, many replied and after auditioning several people, Stoley and Rob looked at each other and said, “this is the one!� after hearing Malaysian-born Janine Yoong play.
Stoley P.T. was now complete. |
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