Artist Information Biography Stereogrove - Growing with Sound An Introduction Music and art inherently pollinate the lives we lead. It begins with a single seed of thought set to portray creations of the mind. With time the seed transforms; a stem protrudes and continues along the line of evolution. Much of the previous prose describes the existence of Stereogrove; a musical collaboration between four men out of Boston. Once known as Stem, the group’s evolution in song writing, artistic merit, and professionalism has led them to a new name and newer path; one rarely walked by modern musicians. The roots of Stereogrove run deep, beginning almost 10 years ago. These years held periods of time for brothers AJ Butler and Matt Butler, and Matt Smith to initiate their musical relationship, holding sessions which brought about a familiarity of styles. Their melding of melodies and instinctual grooves would later be enhanced with the addition of Tony Hollums. The present group came to fruition in early 2006 and have since created a myriad of songs, a devout fan base, and artistic innovations, while performing for sold-out crowds at venues such as the Mercury Lounge and the Hard Rock Cafe. The musical influences that contributed to Stereogrove are quite diverse; delving into many genres to create a fusion of groove oriented rock music. Ultimately, if your iPod has multiple styles of music on it, then you need to hear Stereogrove and add them to your play list. There is something untimely magical when all popular styles of music from the last six decades can be combined in modern times to create a new sound that resonates with people so much that they cannot help but move, and be moved, to the extent that they feel connected. The members of Stereogrove individually come from different musical backgrounds as well. AJ Butler (vocals/guitar) displays a mix of grunge-rock guitar and reggae rhythms while fervently delivering lyrics - sung, rapped, or purely improvised in a blues-rock voice - to solidify the vocal foundation of the band. Matt Smith (guitar) weaves his bluesy notes into a web of sound along with AJ that presents the illusion of a third guitarist in the group. Matt Butler (drums) plays his instrument with every fabric of his being; passionately exploding from one beat to the next while Tony Hollums (bass) brings a new definition to funk bass, one that words cannot even describe. All space for sound is adequately filled up by these four musicians as they explore and improvise through the possibilities of what music can be. With actual work experience within the music industry, the band truly grasps the landscape they are a part of an embraces it. This is where the culmination of their music and art resides. An innovated method of growing a fan base and involving those fans comes forth while asking the fans what they want to hear and how they want to be a part of it. Visual concept art created by Tony accompanies songs from the first album Stem Vs. Them and the creation of the “Splatterbox” saw the light of day. To sum it up, the Splatterbox is a wooden box with speakers inside. Cups of paint splatter with the vibrations from the bass guitar and allow the paint to freely fall on a canvas. This invention has helped show what the music sounds like. The group is looking to further explore musically-artistic innovations through packaging, posters, t-shirts, and website graphics with their new material. The live show is truly the essence of Stereogrove, allowing them to feed off the crowd and make the audience feel like they are a part of the show. Live artists have painted to the sounds of Stereogrove to show their interpretation of the music while the band’s internal communication allows for improvisations and dynamic changes; meticulously transitioning from one piece to the next. It is easy to see that the members of the band love what they do, and want everyone in attendance to enjoy themselves. Stem was something organic; a bond that was beautiful in the eyes of the members. Stereogrove, although representing the same dedication and integral structure, is something more universal. It will continue to reach fans by the organic methods, but now, holds a greater purpose within the sharing of music and art to find a community of friends and enhancing the way music is accepted by society. The seeds have been sown; the grove is rising from the earth, touching human temperament. Stereogrove is not the first, and will certainly not be the last, but they may be one of the most inspiring and passionate bands of modern times. Beyond backgrounds and experiences, the give-and-take relationship between music, people, and art has helped Stereogrove find themselves and their fans. _________________________________________ Accomplishments: Sold Out Show at The Mercury Lounge NYC, March 2008 Sold Out Show at The Hard Rock Cafe Boston, August 2008 Boston Music Spotlight Battle of the Bands Semi-Finalists Winner - Battle of the Hyp 2007 Instrumentation AJ Butler - Guitar / Vocals Matt Smith - Guitar Tony Hollums - Bass Matt Butler - Drums Discography Keep Your Ear To The Door Vol 1 (Spring 2006) Keep Your Ear To The Door Vol 2 (Summer 2006) Home Grown Classics (Winter 2007) Vs. Them (May 2008) _________________________________________ Radio & Licensing: 101.7 WFNX / Spin Magazine - "Like You" www.wfnx.xom FM102X - Song of the Day 1/20/09 - "People Say" http://www.mevio.com/shows/?sId=19523&mId=5916418 Unheard Rock Radio - "Empty Pockets", "Dig My Own Grave" www.unheadradio.com PureStock Web Show - "Gritty Smitty" http://www.purestock.tv Under The Radar Podcast - "Don't Let It Rain On Me" used as intro theme song episodes 1-14 and and outro song in episodes 16-21 http://slundertheradar.com/ Outboundmusic.com - "Like You" http://www.outboundmusic.com/ Exploit Boston Radio http://www.exploitboston.com/ Bunk Radio http://www.bunkradio.com/ Links http://www.stemsounds.com Band Website Reverbnation Myspace Page