NUVO COVER ARTICLE
Just for good measure
by Brandon Moore Aug 29, 2007
Following Stereo Deluxe from the basement to Rib Fest
There are band stickers that will never come off the faux-oak paneling, posters of Guns-N-Roses and The Who, olive green carpet and the heavy odor of decades of sweat in this rehearsal room.
Fifty- and 60-watt amplifiers fill the basement with disarray as each musician warms up, flexes and tunes to his own sound. A couple of microphone checks and an inquisitive thumbs-up from the lead, Jay Elliott, followed by a round of nods from the rest of the band, and they’re off, tearing through an unusually long play-list.
The drummer’s mom is upstairs — after all, it is her house — and the basement thunders for almost 35 minutes without so much as a 10-second break between songs. Stereo Deluxe plays like a machine, like a streaming music file. Every song leads into the next. Sometimes Elliott will call out the title. Occasionally, the bassist, Luke Schneider, will just start into a distinctive line, or Matt Hogan, the drummer, into a signature rhythm, and that’s enough to let everyone know what song is next.
Elliott calls this “back catalog” — going through all the older originals and covers that haven’t been played in a while, making sure everything still clicks. Everything seems to loosen up as they start “Revolution,” a track from the self-titled debut album they released last year. After they finish, Elliott suggests they play it again from the bridge, “just for good measure.” Such practices usually last between two and three hours, and this balmy Tuesday session is no different.
Now it’s Elliott, Schneider, Hogan and Ben Tatum standing on the stone porch of a house in Bloomington, winding down after playing another cancer benefit on the nearby Indiana University campus. They sip High Life and Pabst Blue Ribbon and smoke, talking variably about the show, the people in the house and whether or when they want to leave. Music slips out through the door from the gathering inside, and there’s a deep sense of relaxation.
The guys who’ve known each other since the days of Sega Genesis and sneaking beers have made it through 10 years (since they were called Ultra Violet, Jackrabbit Slim and Unreel). The oldest member of the group is in his young 20s.
They started out as friends, and they remain friends. That in itself seems remarkable. Throw in that they’ve also been playing live shows, developing as musicians, earning degrees, working part-time jobs and sifting through more girlfriends than fan mail.
Across the country, hundreds if not thousands of dingy basements and garages are filled with wannabe bands, from prepubescent dreamers to washed-up musicians. They follow the rock ’n’ roll dream. Just as many bars and makeshift recording studios feature self-dubbed future rock stars and the next “the next.” Most of them won’t make it. Most of them will never sell more than a hundred CDs or play in front of more than 50 barflies. The guys from Stereo Deluxe say they know that. They say they know how the odds stack up and, quite frankly, they say they’re past that.
“Obviously, there’s the dream of being a massive rock band, being on top of the world, touring all the time and making millions of dollars,” Elliott says. “But that’s just such an unlikely thing. While I think it’s always nice to fantasize about stuff like that, I think, much more close to reality, we really could accomplish this: to turn the band into something marketable enough and, you know, attractive enough that we can make a decent life.”
There has been some talk among the group about taking the plunge, moving to L.A. and committing themselves totally to creating music. Some of the guys still live on their parents’ dime, and no one really relies on the work of the band to pay rent or survive. That, according to Elliott, is part of the allure of moving, the allure of going West (or East), for better or worse.
“It’s a self-exploration thing we want to do as a band,” he says. “Not because the shows are bigger or for better money. If anything, we’re an established band in Indianapolis, so our shows are gonna be biggest in Indianapolis because that’s where people know us and that’s where we know people. I think it would be more about just going and seeing what we’re made of, seeing how we stack up to bands that are doing it in a bigger market.”
They say the music and the camaraderie are at the core of the band, and while things like having lots of fans and being the headliners may fade away, there will always be Elliott, Schneider, Hogan and Tatum — friends.
WHAT: Stereo Deluxe, AC/DShe, Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo at Rib America Festival
WHEN: Friday, Aug. 31 at 5 p.m.; free before 5 p.m., $4 after 5 p.m., children age 12 and under are free (Rib America runs Friday, Aug. 31 until Monday, Sept. 3, gates open at 11 a.m.)
WHERE: Military Park, Indianapolis
WEB: www.stereodeluxemusic.com
Cover Story, 'Indy's Breakout Bands'
Nuvo Newsweekly (Editors)
Ask Jay Elliott, lead singer and guitarist for Stereo Deluxe, about the group’s origins and he gives a response that is as pointed and as no-bullshit as its music.
“We’re all from the Southside and have been friends since grade school. By the time we were 13, we’d put a band together and played shithole shows and backyard parties. We liked doing it so we kept doing it. None of us have ever been in another band or wanted to be in another band. We’ve just been plugging along.”
By plugging along as they have, they’ve become possibly the most talked-about and admired local band in quite some time. Their effortless blend of power-pop, the occasional ballad and pure professionalism has made them the default straight-ahead rock group of Indy.
“When we first got together, all we were about was straight-up rock and good-time fuckin’ rock,” Elliott says. “And that’s the way we are now.”
Individual band members were fans of Aerosmith, Green Day and Tool and the post-grunge music of their youth, but their style owes more to radio-friendly pop-rock of the 21st century.
They’re the definition of the hard-working modern rock band. They arrive early to gigs, wear matching suits and work like hell to please the crowd. You won’t hear any ego-trip stories about Stereo Deluxe.
“We hold professionalism in the highest regard,” Elliott says. “I hate it when a band takes forever to soundcheck, and then the lights go down and they play a six-minute song. People aren’t interested in hearing a long drum solo until you’re a big band. We just come out there with our strongest shit and never give people a chance to be bored.”
Success has come quickly for the band on a local level, but they’re looking to go even farther.
“We’re happy with what has happened, but we’ve been together for a long time and we feel like we’ve been cutting our teeth, and we just want to continue and to grow,” says bassist Luke Schneider.
“A lot of bands say they want to get signed and become rock stars,” Elliott says, “but we just want to get into more markets and get more exposure. We love Indianapolis but we want to use it as a jumping-off point for shows across the country. This is what we want to do and we’re ready to do it. We just want people to know who we are.”
Touring during the fall and winter months is difficult, since three of the four members are college students — the oldest member of Stereo Deluxe is 22 — but they stay in shape with grueling three-hour practices several times a week, in addition to local shows.
“We all commit four to six hours a day to the band, in some way,” Elliott says.
Their debut album on Indie500 Records contains a wide range of music within the pop/rock genre. They can sound like Cheap Trick, but they’re no revivalists. They can sound like Fall Out Boy, but they’re no ultra-modernists, either.
What they are, pure and simple, is a good, live rock and roll band.
“We love recording,” Elliott says, “but you really get that sense of fulfillment from playing live. It’s great when someone you’ve never met says they loved the show and they buy a record. That’s when you know you’re doing something.”
Known until 2005 as Unreel, the band began taking itself more seriously when it changed its name. Through hard work, excellent shows and effective promotion, they won the $10,000 grand prize at last year’s Battle of the Bands at the Vogue.
“We said, let’s stop being a local, fuck-around garage band, and that’s when we stepped up the hard work and professionalism and good things started happening to us,” Elliott says. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence that we started working harder and we became more successful. Doing what we think we should do has seemed to work for us.”
They won’t be defending their Battle of the Bands title again this year, but Elliott says he’s constantly asked for advice on how to succeed in the event.
“You can send out e-mails, post on MySpace and do whatever, but just talk to people. That’s how you get them out to shows. And have music that people want to hear. That’ll work better than putting flyers on cars. And work hard.”
Next up for Stereo Deluxe: more touring, more songwriting and more practices. And with the professional guidance and assistance of local notables such as Eric Johnson of the Pop Machine and Andy Wilson of Live360, the future seems especially bright for Stereo Deluxe.
- Steve Hammer, music editor
I've found the perfect band, and it is Stereo Deluxe
Gary Indiana (IndyMusicScene.com)
My first time there; a nice big venue with high ceilings and a huge stage. Sounded great. Looking around at all the Colts gear and other fashion disasters I decided that I’m more comfortable with the punk rock crowd at the Melody Inn. Caught the end of the first band’s set, which sounded a bit derivative; the 2nd group was shamelessly striving to be corporate “alternative” radio fodder, or as I like to say, “Godsmack/Nickleback/Buttcrack.”
I was thinking about leaving when four compact and dapper young men busied themselves setting up. When they placed a rack of nice guitars on the stage I got a sudden whiff of professionalism. As they took their places they really stood out in style. The bassist and rhythm guitarist had kind of an early Stones look, maybe a bit of the retro-garage thing going; the drummer had a kind of long-haired Metallica air; and the clean-cut singer and lead guitarist, in his black suit, black shirt, and black tie, looked vaguely Mod or like the frontman of the 80's band the Godfathers. To sum up, they all looked great, right down to their shoe sizes (well, I couldn’t see the drummer’s feet). When they started playing, they all had a precision, crispness, and coordination that was wonderful to behold. The bassist had a kind of laid-back coolness, while the frontman and rhythm guitarist used lots of punctuation in their movements, dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s of their music. The drummer was a blur of hair, poetry in motion, and mastered his kit. All of them were excellent musicians. The frontman’s crisp voice was always intelligible, and he dared to let his voice soar and explore and improvise, while simultaneously holding down the lead guitar duties with finesse and agility. Their songs were finely-crafted slices of pop glory with hard-rock edges and clever lyrics. And when they launched into their anti-war anthem “Uncle Sam,” the singer dedicated it to George Bush - a gesture that solidly won me over as a fan.
Bottom line: at the average age of 22, Stereo Deluxe is perfect, absolutely flawless. As I watched them I took a mental inventory of the hundreds of bands I’ve seen, the ones who made it, the ones who should’ve made it, the ones who didn’t care, the ones who were destined to fail or at least just have a small friendly following. I’m sure I’ve never seen an “undiscovered” band that was such a gem: home-grown, totally “organic” in their development, completely original - and immediately ready for the masses. It was a rock and roll epiphany for me. Who’da thunk I’d have it in Indianapolis. As I told them, I could serve them to the world on a silver platter, if I had the power. Whoever has that silver platter is going to be one damn lucky record company. Their exquisite locally-produced CD is just track after track screaming for airplay, a plethora of hits, destined to be a classic.
And I feel good saying all this about them. First, these kids are hip, no doubt about it. They’re all nice guys, completely professional, no bullshit, and their music does not offend my delicate sensibilities one iota, in fact I dig the hell out of it. Anyone who knows me knows that I do like my beer-swilling tatooed ex-junkies who try to offend the entire world. And I hate phoniness and corporate commercialism. But on the other hand I appreciate art and talent and positiveness and things that make people feel good, and if that’s commercially viable, that’s fine if corporations make money off of it, because they’re getting it out there for people to enjoy. For example, when Skunk Records sold Sublime to MCA: so be it, it worked. Stereo Deluxe deserves to sell millions of units and play to big audiences, so come on corporations, as much as I hate you, I’m giving you a tip: these kids deserve your immediate attention. They don’t need a development deal, they don’t need a year in the studio, they are ready to GO. NOW.
NUVO Newsweekly
Steve Hammaer (music editor)
"current Battle of the Bands champions Stereo Deluxe played a very tight set of danceable pop-rock tunes. Their professionalism onstage was matched only by their virtuosity..."
Nuvo Newsweekly
Wayne Bertsch (BARFLY)
“Give Stereo Deluxe 15 minutes on TRL and they’d be in heavy rotation in every market...”
Nuvo Newsweekly
Nuvo Staff
"Stereo Deluxe makes undeniably catchy power-pop with links to 70's rock swagger"
Stereo Deluxe Wins Battle
Nuvo Newsweekly
"Their songs had a wonderful pop-centric quality, made stronger by a lead singer with the vocal skills to take them to regional or perhaps even national prominence. To descirbe their sound with comparisons to other alt-rock bands would be a disservice, as their greatest strength lays in their ability to sound original and still maintain their pop sensibility."
Steve Hayes show review
Indianapolismusic.net
"Stereo Deluxe derives their song craft from the classic Midwestern school of power pop. Their sing-along choruses and danceable beats can't help but remind me of Cheap Trick (even though lead singer Jay Elliott has confessed to me that he's never listened to a lot of Cheap Trick). On stage they play with the confidence of veterans beyond their young ages. "
