Stout
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Stout

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The best kept secret in music

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"CD Reviews"

Stout: On The Rocks
Zarr Records

“too much history and too many folks ready to fight
why’d they have to make it all black and white?”

Taken from “Down By the Riverside”, the first track on Stout’s debut release On The Rocks, this line summarizes life in Memphis, which is exactly what defines Stout. With On the Rocks, Stout defines their musical mission: to make quality original music, with creative songwriting and solid grooves.
Memphis is arguably the home of the blues, soul, gospel, and rock and roll, and Stout combines all these influences to create a unique sound. The five piece is held together by the solid rhythm section of bass, drums, and percussion. Rory, Robert, and Tony, respectively test musical boundaries, while providing a solid beat. Matt combines a jazzy lead with rock and roll rhythm, while Junior adds precision keys with sounds analogous to influences ranging from the Allmans to Professor Longhair.
The track listing is praiseworthy, and highlights include their wide range of influences. From the first track, which exemplifies life in the delta, to the last track, which lets you down easy, the album is full of great music. With songs about inspiration and songs that prove Stout is capable of jamming with the best of them, On The Rocks will take you just about anywhere you want to go. Furthermore, recorded at Young Avenue Sound, another Memphis gem, the sound is dynamite. On The Rocks is an excellent way for Stout to enter the industry of studio recordings.
~Michael Saba
- An Honest Tune


"Sounds of a Southern Band"

Sounds of a Southern Band
By Jennifer H. Daniel
12/18/2003

Taking in a Stout show is like watching a carnival of sorts. The sideshows amid the main attraction make for a dizzying array of spectacles, entertainment and riotous behavior. The bearded lady steps right up to the front row with the coupled carousers shaking some bootie to the rollicking keyboards and gospel-infused melodies of the Memphis-based band. No wait, that's a drunken man with a beard, happy as a little girl and dancing by himself in the front row with the coupled carousers, who are fine with another addition to their group of fancy-footworkers. This band has a tendency to make all the freaks come out, get it on and rock whichever house Stout plays.

The band, its own three-ring circus, is a mix of dead-on southern rock, country-fried blues and a nug of Dixieland jam. Don't panic though — it's never phishy. Their shows are full of enough surprises and mojo that I've danced through every one, spinning like a gypsy with a full bag of booty.

Stout is a burly mix of percussion, keyboards, guitars and voices, shining together and on their own. Not only does everyone play an instrument (or two or more), but they all help out with the singing, too. At times, it's hard to pick whom to watch. But, oh, that's not the entire "freak"-show. The screamers, the singers-along and the lighter flickers — packed like tamales from the bar to the patio — complete the simultaneous entertainment at a Stout show. For these up-and-comers, it's just par for the course.

This eclectic quintet embraces the deep roots of southern rock, from New Orleans funk all the way to the band's hometown of Memphis, a city known for its original devices of gospel, rock and soul. Drummer Robert Kamm describes the band as "equal components of a functioning carnival."

Stout was formed in 2000 from the remnants of one band — Kamm, bassist Rory Gardner, keyboardist/vocalist "Junior" Schuster and guitarist/vocalist Matt Oliver — and the addition of percussionist Tony Walsh.

The band takes pleasure in the carousing of southern landscapes from Arkansas to Alabama, one city at a time. With their debut CD, On the Rocks, out on Zarr Records, incessant touring has earned them an ever-larger grassroots following in the Southeast. Stout makes believers out of disparate audiences, be it opening for alt-rock legends Violent Femmes or playing a biker bar in Mississippi where the crowd of two hundred kept their backs to the band. "But they stayed," said Kamm.

The self-produced effort, with assistance from Willie Pevear, was recorded in Memphis and mastered at the renowned Ardent Studios. On the Rocks features one dozen tracks, kick-started by the loose, gospel-inflected "Down By The Riverside."

They got the stars and bars on the one side staring down at a gang of madmen / Trying to get the right people in through the wrong side / So they don't have to cry for what could have been down by the river side

The band's ability to connect with an audience, work them into an almost religious frenzy and drink with them afterwards makes for a come-back congregation every time. According to the band, rare is the Stout show, in whatever city, that doesn't end with post-gig drinks with friends and fans.

"We are all about being with people — finding out what other people listen to and the exchange of ideas is what really turns the wheel," said Kamm. Remaining grounded and true to their fans and music is the Stout mantra, one that is ever aware of the over-hyped rock-star stereotype.

"Consistent touring knocks that rock-star gleam out of your eye and brings us together as musicians," Kamm said. "It's better that way."

The band has gathered quite a following from across the South. They've played in Huntsville four times, and they don't plan on stopping, either. Stout thrives on the energy of places like Humphrey's Bar and Grill in Huntsville.

"The place was packed. People were all up in the balcony, and you couldn't walk on the patio," said Kamm. "We don't look at anybody as the crowd. We are ridiculously thankful [that] people come out to the shows."

A new CD, a growing following and aims to please — not bad for a band that does it all themselves: marketing, publicity, booking and producing, as well as playing almost every night. "Everything we do is in-house," Kamm said. "We only outsource our design, artwork and manufacturing. It's a non-stop process."

As if that isn't enough, the feel-good, funked-up boys from Memphis like to balance out their fun-filled lifestyle by giving a little bit back to the community when they can. The band recently played a free show at the Shelby County Correctional Facility in Tennessee.

"It was cool, and they want us to come back. It was more about entertaining than putting on a show," Kamm said. When asked if this first-time experience was awkward or scary, Kamm replied, "Yeah, it was weird at first, but then comfortable and then a blast! We like to do good things to combat all our smoking and drinking. We definitely plan on doing more gigs like that."

To purchase the new Stout CD, On the Rocks, visit www.stoutband.com. You can also find out each band member's nickname, along with other neat-o information and tidbits about the current ringleaders of a fresh southern sound.

http://www.valleyplanet.com/article.php?id=242
- Valley Planet


"STOUT: POURNG IT ON"

Stout | 03.07.04 | Jake's Toadhouse | Decatur, GA

Music is good. Live music is great! Live music on a beautiful sun-drenched spring day in Atlanta is amazing. Being invited to hear a new band play on a day like that is great if they were outside, but they weren't. Stout rolled into town sporting a gummy trailer drenched in fumes from an apparently wild evening in Chattanooga the previous night. Rumor has it that there were women marinated in cold beer and men bouncing off the walls, and there's film to prove it. But that's all a rumor. Maybe that's what Stout is all about: Stout-drenched Southern ladies. Women covered in Stout, Stout covered in ladies. An ironic pun on words and anatomy. So when the five-headed monster hopped on stage at Jake's Toadhouse (formerly Jake's Roadhouse) in Decatur, GA, no pressure was put on the boys. It was to be a laid-back Sunday of music and musicianship. Last night was for the freaks, today was for the music. It took a while to settle in--everyone including the soundman was up very early for a Sunday--but in the end things worked out.

In case you don't know who or what Stout is (and I didn't), then get out and go to see them (sorry everyone not in the Southeast or Texas). They are on a marathon tour throughout the South, and were even invited to the famous South by Southwest music conference. Stout has two lead men, each bringing a different style to the stage. Craig Schuster slams keys and sings, combining the soulful vocals of Van Morrison, Professor Longhair, a slight hint of Jimmy Smith, and maybe Rick Danko, although it is rumored that he is the offspring of Dr. John and Groucho Marx. He and Matthew Oliver share writing duties for the band. Matt plays lead guitar and brings his own vocal style. I thought that a young Ozzy Osborne/David Bowie was singing at times. Matt swore they were trying to keep it light for a Sunday afternoon, but his voice went to dark, deep, soulful places at times, and man it was good.

The supporting cast is no loose back-up band--these guys are tight like a pop-top bottlecap. The backbone of the band is Robert Kamm, playing drums and acting as liaison for the band, changing rhythms with ease as the band explored several genres of music. Robert makes everyone in the room feel important. He came to play and wasn't concerned that his brain was pounding with remnants of Tennessee. Bassist Rory Gardner grew up with a guitar in his hands and has been playing bass for about three years. Somehow he found time to get a degree in magic, graduating Magna Cum Laude. None of that prevented him from being a bass player, which he is, and playing in a band, which he does. The final ingredient, making the brew taste just right, is percussionist Tony (aka "the married one" or Tony Two Times) Walsh, son of Eagles Joe Walsh (OK not really). You know how lots of times a band sounds like they are missing something? Well Stout isn't missing anything because of Tony. He fires back rounds of percussion to the mixture of jazz, gospel, rock, soul, and blues that are volleyed at him like bombardments by the rest of the band. Robert makes everyone in the room feel important, but Tony puts everybody at ease with his down to earth personality.

As I look back I see Stout as a band with good music and good times. The second I walked into the dungeon of Jake's, Rory came over to make sure that I was ready for what was to come. All the guys were in the audience mingling with the sold-out crowd, really appreciating the conversations and making time to answer everyone's questions. It's hard to keep grounded in the music business, and especially when you have such talented musicians. Things can become a blur. But the boys of Stout put together the music and the time to keep things in perspective. Now is the time to check these guys out. Getting that small crowd experience is the best part of the music scene and Stout is offering it at this very moment. I felt like school was in session. Here comes Tony out to chat right after sound check, and he's talking about the sound and what the band is influenced by and what they are going for, and then he gets up on stage and they play a set. It was like Stanton Moore on the Jam Cruise giving a drum clinic. He would talk and teach the crowd about beats and techniques and then play them, a real 101.

On with the show! To be honest I had never of, or seen Stout before this week so my knowledge was limited to mp3 snips and the bio section from their web site. So going in I had no idea what to expect. I don't want to give any expectations either. The live music scene is a personal experience that differs from one person to the next. Stout ran through their catalogue of songs changing pace from gospel, blues, and rock, to jazz, funk, and piano ballads like "Really." They also came with some solid covers of the Band and Paul Simon. And to really put it right, Stout played tight. They played like a band that has been putting in the necessary hours of work and effort. From the CD that I now own to this lazy Sunday show, Stout is putting together solid music for people to enjoy and pour all over themselves.

Words & Images by: Jeremy Jones
JamBase | Georgia
Go See Live Music!

[Published on 3/22/2004]

- jambase.com


Discography

Radio Airplay:

107.5 Memphis - "The Crow and The Monkey", "Bucket o' Funk", "Down By The Riverside"

94.1 Memphis - "Down By The Riverside", "The Crow and The Monkey"

KDHX St Louis - In Studio Session

Photos

Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

Few places (if any) in the world can claim a musical legacy as rich in artistry and diversity as Memphis. The hardscrabble city on the banks of the Mississippi is arguably the birthplace of blues, soul, gospel, and rock music. It is also the home of Stout.

Comprised of a five distinct and eclectic musicians and personalities which drummer Robert Kamm describes as “equal components of a functioning carnival,” Stout was formed in 2002 from the remnants of one band—Kamm, bassist Rory Gardner, keyboardist/vocalist “Junior” Schuster, and guitarist/vocalist Matt Oliver - and the addition of percussionist Tony Walsh.

Much like the city where they started, the five members of Stout are unpretentious and genuine. They spent their first summer together playing outside on Beale Street, working out early set lists by gauging the reaction of passersby. Rare is the Stout show, in whatever city, that doesn't end with post-gig drinks with friends and fans.

Stout's ability to connect with an audience, though, begins when they take the stage. Although serious about their musicianship (and talented players individually), Stout is a “functioning carnival.” Their straight-ahead rock and roll is infused with the testimonial fire of blues and soul, making their shows cathartic, sweat-soaked, and memorable gatherings.

In less than a year, Stout’s incessant touring has earned them an ever larger grassroots following in the Southeast, making believers out of disparate audiences, be it opening for alt-rock legends Violent Femmes or playing a biker bar in Mississippi - the crowd of two hundred keeping their backs to the band. “But they stayed,” says Kamm.

Now, they've released their debut CD On The Rocks, self-produced by the band with assistance from Willie Pevear, recorded in Memphis and mastered at the renowned Ardent Studios - a dozen tracks kick started by the loose, gospel-inflected “Down By The Riverside.” Driven by Schuster's relentless, rollicking keyboards, the song addresses the issue of racial tension—something the band has witnessed first-hand in their hometown. It's a difficult subject, but Stout tackles it simply and earnestly, offering no answers, merely a view, while never forgetting the groove.

On The Rocks is populated by odd characters the band has met along the way, like the titular “poet of Arkansas” at the end of the bar on “Jackspeare.” The song moves along briskly, building momentum to a frenzy of percussion, piano, and guitar during the bridge. They slow things down, temporarily, on the smoldering “The Crow And The Monkey,” Oliver’s dirty blues guitar and throaty, powerful vocal giving conviction to the rumination on vices, offered as an Aesopian fable.

Walsh's percolating percussion and some breezy harmonica (courtesy of Junior) gives a devil-may-care attitude to the manic blues/funk workout "Harmony In Dreams," with Stout's rhythm section of Kamm and Gardner – as always - providing the backbone. And the uplifting "The Family" is a soulful testament to the power of the ties - both blood and forged - that holds everything together.

With On The Rocks, Stout has announced themselves as a high-octane musical force with which to be reckoned. It's an opening toast with serious mojo to which the ghosts of Memphis would certainly drink.

Welcome to the carnival.