Stook
The Soundtrack to my Minneapolis

I’ve been listening to a lot of local music lately, and I’ll be the first to admit I generally think most of it is pretty great. Of course, one can’t help but give an obligatory handicap to locally or DIY produced/released material when listening. That’s why I sport a “Support Your Local Band” sticker and only buy local art for my walls.

So a few weeks ago when I got an e-mail from Joshua Stuckey (a.k.a. Stook) saying that he recorded an album in a basement with a couple of microphones and a handful of close friends, I set my expectations at the appropriate level. And when the disc arrived in the mail with its elegant cover art and unimposing packaging, I still had little inclination as to how really fantastic this album would be.

With straightforward lyrics, smart arrangement and subtle production, Soundtrack to my Minneapolis boasts a sound unencumbered by the restraints of the Twin City music scene, regardless of the name of the album. The key word is authenticity — something not easily found in any band, in any region of the country.

The quick background: originally from Indiana, Stook headed to the Twin Cities to pursue his musical dreams and eventually decided to write and record his own album with the help of an all-star cast of local talent…

The result is a rock/alt-country/blues masterpiece boasting a wide variety of tracks. Highlights include the would-be classic, “When You Come Knockin’,” that I can imagine a sold-out club of Stook fans singing along with in the near future, and the delicate, yet heartfelt piano blues ballad “I Keep Fallin’ in Love.”

Instrument arrangements range from simple piano to jazz organ and electric to slide to acoustic guitar. Unapologetic writing and vocal influences include Tom Petty, Dylan, Stones, Beatles and Jayhawks, and I’ll add the Wallflowers, Blind Faith and Wilco.

And you won’t find the stereotypical artsy fartsy photos of obscure Twin Cities locales amidst the liner notes. In fact, the Pete Lochner artwork — including a hand drawn Minneapolis skyline — perfectly fits the tone of the soundtrack. There’s no flash or fancy production here - rather a dude in a basement with a head full of songs, which coincidentally are actually pretty damn good and worth checking out.

With a release party TBD, unfortunately you’ll only find the disc at CD Baby for now. However, the plans for the upcoming CD release show are in full force.

We sat down with the peanut butter-loving, Saturn-driving, singer/songwriter you’ll soon know as Stook to talk about the album, upcoming release gig and the skinny about a few of the new tracks:

Q. First off, why is this is the soundtrack to your Minneapolis?
A. All of the songs are about people who live in Minneapolis, and things that I have experienced in the fine city of Minneapolis.

Q. It appears you have an all-star lineup who helped you record the album and plan to help you perform the tracks live. True?
A. I feel very fortunate that I had the opportunity to make this record with close friends, and they all volunteered once again to play in the live band.

Jordan Carlson will be playing drums. He played drums on the record and also plays in town with Joanna James, Paul Metsa, and hip hop group Kanser; last year he toured with Renee Austin.

Toby Marshall is playing keyboards. He played and sang on the record, he also plays in town with Paul Mayasich, and formerly played with Lonnie Brooks, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Joe Juliano, Jesse Lang, Mick Sterling, and Bo Diddly. Jonathan Earl is playing electric guitar and singing and has played with local band Clovis and toured last year with Renee Austin. He didn’t play on the record, but he is a fantastic guitar player and a welcome addition.

Pete Lochner is playing acoustic guitar. He didn’t play on the record but did all of the artwork and design. Christopher Becknell played some fiddle on the record and will probably make an appearance. Erin Heitkamp sang a lot of backups on the record and she will be singing with the band. Garn produced, engineered, mixed, mastered, and played bass on the record. He will be playing bass. I’ll be there too. Rehearsals have been going really well and everyone is excited about playing. I’ve played a few times acoustically with Toby and I am going to try and book the two of us more often. I think at some point there probably will be another record, but right now were all just trying to get this one off of the ground.

Q. Who plays the guitar solos on the album? Or are the traded off? There’s a wide variety of style here.
A. I played all of the guitar parts on the record, acoustic and electric, baritone, and a little lap steel. I also played some of the keyboards, and a lot of harmonica that never quite made the final cut.

Q. What’s your writing style? Listening to the album you can hear more than a few influences. Do you start with lyrics and then put down a riff – vice versa?
A. I just try and write a song every couple of days, either at the piano or with an acoustic guitar. Sometimes I start with the lyrics and sometimes I start with the music.

Q. Which artists do you feel has most influenced your work the most?
A. Probably, Obviously, Petty, Dylan, Jayhawks, Beatles, Stones, etc.

Q. Where are you going with, “A song is more than just a song,” on that track?
A. That is actually my favorite song on the record. I guess I was inspired by people who really enjoy music and songs, and it has a nice story to it. The girl has a bad experience and takes off and the radio plays sad songs that she relates to herself. Then she gets where she’s going and is out to see some live music and meets a boy, and they dance and get more caught up than they should because of the music.

In the last verse, she is at his house and they are having a good time and he breaks out the vinyl and it’s all over, because girls should fall in love with boys who have lots of vinyl. The chorus ties it all together, and it was really fun to record, Caleb Garn, Toby Marshall, Angie Kasperski and I huddled around one mic and did a fun group vocal chorus.

If there is one thing that makes me happiest about this album it is the fact that I got to do it with just a bunch of my really close friends, and I am very proud that we made a good solid album while having way too much fun.

Q. Where can people buy the album?
A. Right now at CD Baby but hopefully everywhere soon

While the CD release party is still TBD, it looks like you can catch Stook at Coffee Grounds (Hamline in St. Paul) on March 10 at 8 p.m.