Stein Stoess

Singer/Songwriter/Musician in Louisville, KY on the verge.... Stein Stoess (pronounced “Styne Stess”) At age 30, Stein Stoess has been a musician for over half of his life, and has five albums of original music to show for his obsession. Beginning with his self-deprecatingly named group Stein’s Rubbish and then with Pop Device, Stein’s style has evolved yet again. Now performing under his own name, the new album Finger represents an evolution that took more than a few years to take shape. Family responsibilities took him away from the music world for a while, but this past year, the siren song was too much to resist. “This year,” says Stoess, “it just felt natural to get back on the horse. I had been playing out around Louisville with Butch Rice and Joshua Glauber, and the music started firing me up again. Lyrics and melodies started coming to me at random – at odd times, I would end up sitting on the side of the road in my car, calling my own phone so that I could sing lyrics or hum a tune into my voicemail, so that I could listen to it later and bring the song to fruition.” Admittedly influenced by such diverse artists as The Who, Pearl Jam, David Gray, Train, Queens of the Stone Age, Jane's Addiction, Citizen Cope, Wilco & Ryan Adams, Stoess didn’t allow himself to be limited by any specific genre for his latest project. “The music I listen to and the music I write ranges widely,” he says. “Some songs were electric, some acoustic-based, some written for piano, some written on banjo . . . I was just writing. I had no idea how the songs would be played – by myself, as a duo, a full-on rock band, or any combination thereof. I just knew I was having fun, and I felt proud of what I was putting together.” As much care as he took working in the studio – drummer Alex Rose and bassist John Zangari now rounding out the lineup– it’s playing for the live audience that really inspires him. “Every show is like playing in a Superbowl,” he says with an easy laugh. “It’s an awesome experience to go out and just spill your guts and bang the living hell out of a guitar onstage, and see the reaction of people relating to the songs, or just soaking in the sound.” The recent addition of a web presence (steinstoess.com, myspace.com/steinstoess, sonicbids.com/steinstoess) and recognition from the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York have re-energized his desire to get busy and active again in his music career. A recent morning television appearance on FOX affiliate WDRB-41 introduced him to a new legion of Louisville-area music fans; now he eagerly awaits the opportunity to explore other regional markets and make new fans and friends.