STILL543

Bob Lefsetz - Music Industry Analyst

".....Forget all the major label stuff in the cartridge. The only CD I want to
play over and over is this dude's.
There's something not right about it. His voice is too sweet. Too Kenny
Logginsish.

Still, the album hooked me from the opening notes. There's an accelerated
guitar riff. A strumming in fact. Then, an electric lead. And then the guy
starts to sing. God, what can I tell you, it was EAR-PLEASING!

This song ("I don't mind"). It had a world-weary, yet optimistic tone. It was quiet, but it wasn't DIRGY! The verse was slightly repetitious. Clive (Davis) would tell the singer/writer to mix it up, do something different. But, suddenly, there was a CHANGE! And this change...it made my heart melt. This chorus. It was me.

..... They don't make records like this anymore.

I couldn't get off this track. I played it again and again and again. I
loved the way it made me feel. Centered me. Made me feel O.K.......

I didn't want to leave. Everybody else had gone their merry way. Into the
night. For new assignations. I...just liked that feeling of being connected.
But, knowing I had STILL's "I Don't Mind" in my car changer, I finally left.
I was driving down the 101. Feeling like James Taylor driving from
Stockbridge to Boston.


I pulled the cartridge from the trunk and came inside. I was too high on
sugar to work, I didn't need to work, why should I work?

But, I was fascinated to see if this STILL album was in CDDB.
I put it in the drawer. iTunes started going through its cycle. All the
titles came down.

I ripped four tracks. Then, hooked up my iPod. In four seconds, they were
transferred.

The back of the CD shows a tall thin guy in the neighborhood of forty.
I can tell from his e-mail he's struggling. Not rich. But not giving up,
because he...believes in his mission.

Maybe fortysomethings know stuff the kids don't. Maybe this wisdom is
valuable. Maybe as the baby boomers age, elders will be revered again.
I'm not sure. But when "I Don't Mind" came through the headphones, I knew I had to write. Not because I had anything to say, but because of the way I felt.

I like a bunch of the rest of the CD. But this one song...it sets my mind
free. It's like an aural massage. THIS is the experience. You know it when
you feel it. And you feel it so rarely." - lefsetz.com

Not Lame Records

Not Lame is a big fan of this band, because there is gentle, catchy blend ever so gracefully free flowing guitar-based melodies that ricochet and bounce warmly all over the place. Fans of soft, pitch perfect, knee-weakening vocals will eat up lead vocalist Wade Biery's dynamically sweet take on his finely crafted songs.

Sounds of "World So Bright"-era Adam Schmitt dot this release, as do soaring, beautifully sung vocal arrangements and, most importantly, SONGS. Songs that are memorable, catchy and bear repeated listens. The slower songs will evoke sublime memories from everyone's past, that sort of weepy, happy nostalgia. But the majority of the material here is punchy and upbeat and filled with musical emotion.

Extremely Highly Recommended. - Notlame.com

Steve Lillywhite - Producer of the Dave Matthews Band, Peter Gabriel, U2, XTC ..etc...

This song (The Distance) starts with something that a lot of bands I've worked with over the years have not been able to get, a killer hook for the intro. The guitar hook is worthy of a band I worked with called XTC and in my book this is a very big compliment. I love this hook. It really speaks to me ...

My second favorite section of this song, I really like the bridge which introduces a very strong string sound that sort of veers towards the East. Yeah, it reminds me of say, Led Zeppelin, Kashmir, or something like that. It's very powerful and very well mixed. And then it's back to the good old mainland USA for the end of the song.

Overall this is a very good effort, as I say especially the guitar hook, and that's about all I can say about The Distance by STILL. - Producer of the Dave Matthews Band, Peter Gabriel, U2, XTC ..etc...

BandRadio, an independent musician's resource site.

THE SONG (The Distance)

A very dynamic and melodic tune. The vocals are very sweet sounding and optimistic. The main guitar riff is totally cool with the musical break being another fantastic piece to a well crafted ready for air song.

THE CD

10 amazingly crafted pop/rock tunes. The sound on this disc is truly awesome. It's obvious a lot of time went into the overall sound of this album. The songs are upbeat and have incredible energy. This is a must see and hear band, you won't be disappointed. - BandRadio.com

This review is from art101, an online (and offline) design, web-sites, internet sound and promotion company.

STILL: Waters run deep

I get a lot of email from musicians these days... people who find the work I've done to help promote music by Jimmie and Paul and Kingfisher. I love hearing from artists... and once in a while, I find an artist whose work is especially moving... work that encapsulates the richness and depth of independently produced music available online these days.

Still is a brilliant example.

Transplanted from Alaska to the wilds of Chatsworth, California, songwriter Wade Biery injects new blood into the pop rock genre with an impressive command of his tools: Inventive melodies, great chops, unpretentious lyrics, and arrangements as tight as tight can be.

Like every track on Still's "The Distance" CD, "Live in Grey" is light years ahead of most stuff one hears on the radio these days. For the life of me, I cannot fathom why Still doesn't have a major record deal. Actually, that's not entirely accurate. I could rant for hours about the state of the music biz in the closing moments of the 20th century. Don't get me started. Suffice it to say, I am of the opinion that the major labels dug themselves into the hole they now inhabit... and will need to work real hard to pull themselves back out. Fortunately, the net is leveling the playing field a little - giving projects like Still a direct, unfiltered global audience.

"Live in Grey" opens with a fuzzy guitar riff that's a perfect counterpoint to an ardent opening statement... "it's a whole new world... life without a reason." Biery's voice rides the melody line like a waterfall cascading over each stanza. This voice is drawn from some deep underground well that pours out cold and clear... sometimes edgy with emotion, but always pure. The song is driven along by lyrics that might be taken as dark if you just read them... but the delivery transforms the message into an anthem of hope in a dark, dark age. Not too many people can pull off this sort of irony without sounding pompous or silly. It's quite an accomplishment.

The second verse adds Robbie Harrington's beefy, intricate bass line to a knockout wall of buzzsaw guitars, anchored on uncommonly intelligent, deftly handled drumming. The drum track sometimes seems on the verge of exploding with an energy that's impossible to fake... dancing on the edge, but always solid and fascinating. This song has a big, big sound - not just to hammer me over the head, but for all the reasons I occasionally like to turn up the stereo real loud and dance like a fool. The track doesn't pull you in, or even drag you in... it's way beyond the self-absorbed trickery one often hears in this genre. It's more like a hurricane... a force of nature that one cannot dismiss or ignore. By the time we get to the chorus, I'm completely hooked... burning with a fever and glad to be alive..

The instrumental bridge is striking. Still uses this bridge to pull back for a moment, showcasing an unexpectedly serene and quiet point of view. Where many artists might be tempted to hammer away at some jerkoff guitar solo, Still displays an admirable respect for the listener and the material. It's a pleasing turn. I particularly like Joellen Friedkin's subtle organ and accordion pads here. Nothing is wasted... everything fits just right..

We dive back into the closing verse and chorus. I realize I'm in the presence of a true popsmith... and I mean that in the best possible way. To sum up: I can't say enough good stuff about this song. I hope lots of people get to hear it. In the jaded, predictable, beat-up world of popular music, this song restores faith in just how good new music can be. And this review only addresses one of the 11 songs on the album. Go hear the rest of them.

Andy Markley, ART101 - art101

This review is from hEARD Magazine, an Australian new music review site.

STILL - THE DISTANCE -

A totally wonderful listening experience that reminds me of sitting down to listen to any of a number of bands like maybe Creedence Clearwater, Nirvana, Something For Kate or perhaps one of your own favourite bands. Not that the style really represents any of those bands, but the feeling of music enjoyment is very strong from the outset, from both the listener's point of view & also that of the performers.

Basically a project involving a surprisingly small number of people from the Los Angeles area, with very good results. One of the best parts of the album are the unusual song pacing & the great guitar riffs such as on the opening moments of the album, during "Live In Grey".

There are many varied parts of the album too, with tracks like "The Wild Twilight" & closing instrumental track "Number 11" being more of a rock sensibility, while the rather haunting organ driven number "Not That Strong" shows a totally different side to the band's music. Most definitely an album you should take time out for.
- Australian Review magazine

(This review is taken directly from the LA Times Valley edition
of Sept. 17th, 1998. It's part of Bill Locey's "Making Music"
column, and is the full section about STILL.)

STILL, "The Distance" Lizard Heart Records

The cosmic ratio of drummers to bands must be out of whack, because STILL is yet another group on hiatus due to a between-drummers crisis. STILL features a collection of finely-crafted pop songs by Wade Biery, whose credits include Dillon O'Brian and Carlene Carter. Biery's songs are pretty mellow and won't scare the cat or cause the folks to cut you out of the will. "Not that Strong" could be the theme song for rehabs everywhere. A polished effort.

Grade: B+ - L.A. Times

STILL - The Distance (Lizard Heart Records, 1998) p - Wade Biery

Good soft rock. Well, not Really soft. It's not Barry Manilow. It's ROCK, just a little softer version of itself.... Top of the line performances and recording.

'Blessed' is a cool song that sounds like the back cover of the cd - a lake, mountains, peace. The title track, 'The Distance', starts out with someone fooling around with their guitar, then it KICKS IN. Wild electric guitar will grow out of your earholes.

Yet I like the refreshing quality of 'Rainbows' and this mood best. It's not country, it's not folk, hell, it's not even folk-rock. It's a good mood. It's playing your guitar on the back porch on a sunny day. It's a new song you wrote for that girl you're hoping will be yours. It's just good.

'Draw the Line' has some vocals that remind me of the Beatles in the early days, only Way better recorded. (And not as formula-driven as Oasis..) In 4 minutes, you get to wonder 'where do we draw the line?'

Good, not yet great, album with electric acoustics and solid voices. Most everything's done by Wade Biery, and a good job he does. Perhaps having another writer or guest artists would help shape the next album into something with greater range of musical emotion, or sound. In any case, this is worth the bucks.

Ben Ohmart - Ben Ohmart