Biography
I'm a German-born, "recent" (since 1985) Washington native and folk/blues songwriter who performs Roots, Blues & Rants on acoustic and bottleneck-slide guitar. I am a passionate, exuberant storyteller – bad jokes optional – who picked up the acoustic guitar at 16 and hasn't set it down yet. Though I have done many different things for a living, from running nuclear power plants to cataloging obscure books to translating software into German to designing Web sites, none made me happy. Music is what makes me happy, and music from people like Son House and Sarah Vaughn and Frank Zappa helps keep me sane. I have a soft spot in my heart for ragtime, Dixieland and jug-band music, and founded two jug bands (Ten Years Late in CT and the Emerald City Jug Band in Seattle) to keep the tradition alive – and have more fun than publicly permitted in some Southern states.
My interest in music started in Germany in the early 50s, when my mom turned me on to American pop playing on the Armed Forces Network. In America I took up the guitar during the folk-music revival of the 60s, influenced by artists as diverse as Lead Belly, Woody Guthrie, Cisco Houston, Rev. Gary Davis, Elvis Presley, Bukka White, Doc Watson, Bob Dylan, Sam Cooke, Chuck Berry, etc, not to mention every fellow musician from whom I’ve ever stolen a lick. Still learning, you know.
Professional History:
1974—’81: Formed the Ten Years Late Jug Band in New Haven, CT; worked clubs, festivals, and special events in New England and New York City; recorded a 45–rpm single (and turned a profit!); educational performances (“From Ragtime to Rock on Homemade Instruments”) for assemblies in CT school districts; created Blind Bob Dylanski character (“World’s Oldest Living Polish Blues Singer”) for cheesy take–offs on Bob Dylan tunes; local TV appearances.
1981—’85: Solo singer/guitarist (acoustic blues and finger–picked folk standards); expanded Blind Bob character and club–oriented act.
1981—’85: Formed acoustic–rock duo DuoGlide with John Pendergast (formerly with Juggernaut Jug Band, Louisville, KY); continued with singer/songwriter Ron Anthony.
1985—’95: Moved to Seattle, WA; took hiatus from paid performance to concentrate on slide–guitar technique; dumped lounge repertoire (R.I.P. Blind Bob!) and began to write songs from the heart; appearances limited to Northwest Folk Life Festival (NWFL) in Seattle and local open mics.
1995—present: Returned to professional performance with revised and original material; writing songs in various genres while focusing solo performance on acoustic blues and topical songs; Bottleneck Slide Guitar workshop leader at NWFL since 1990; member of Victory Music, a non-profit organization for acoustic musicians in Puget Sound.
2001: Formed Emerald City Jug Band (“Music for the Uncommon Citizen”) with Paul Sandoval, Jim Nason, and Larry Baumgartner (since replaced); focusing on family entertainment, with bookings at fairs and festivals as well as clubs and house concerts.
2003: Formed acoustic-pop group, Teeth, Hair & Eyeballs with Paul and Jim, and David Pengra on bass, to express original material unsuitable for the jug-band idiom.
2006: Founded The RooTsters with Jim after TH&E morphed into The Other Band.
I have opened for (or played the same bill as) Mose Allison; John Fahey; Ricky Lee Jones; Martin, Bogan & Armstrong; Jeff Muldaur & Amos Garrett; Maria Muldaur & Stephane Grapelli; NRBQ; Bonnie Raitt; Riley & Maloney; Bob Seger; Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes; George Thorogood & the Delaware Destroyers; Link Wray.
Venues played: Eagle Tavern, Kenny’s Castaway, New York String Band Festival (New York City); Northwest Folk Life Festival (Seattle, WA); Rogue Valley Blues Festival (Ashland, OR); The Wreck (Misquamicut, RI); Toad’s Place (New Haven, CT); Tumbleweed Music Festival (Richland, WA); Shade Gap (PA) Bluegrass Festival; Backstage, Liquid Lounge (Seattle); National Hotel (Block Island, RI); Wobbly Barn, Pickle Barrel (Killington, VT); clubs and private functions in CT and RI; college venues throughout New England; Laurelthirst (Portland, OR).
Instrumentation
Stanislove - vocals, acoustic guitar, bottleneck slide Dobro, mandolin, harmonica, jug and kazoo (only if provoked).
Discography
1980: Recorded and released 45-rpm single ("Jelly Jam Blues"; "Lines") with Ten Years Late Jug Band.
2001: Recorded and released debut solo CD, “Long Way Home” under my own Suwimbo Music label.
2002: Recorded and released the Emerald City Jug Band's debut CD “The Best of ECJB. Honest!”
2003: Recorded and released “Rant—Journey—Anthem” solo topical EP.
2005: Recorded and released “Live at WinterJug 2005” CD with Emerald City Jug Band.
2005—’06: Recorded and released “Live at the Teeth, Hair and Eyes’ Ball (minus Hugo House)” CD with Teeth, Hair & Eyeballs; re-released in 2007 as "Ten Left" by The RooTsters.
I get occasional air play on Puget Sound stations KBCS-FM (Bellevue) and KSER-FM (Everett)
Links
| http://www.stanislove.com |