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Live Static Roots Oberhausen, Germany

by The Stephen Stanley Band

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oal66
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oal66 Fantastic performance - a must have album Favorite track: The Troubadour's Song.
Rene Geilenkirchen
Rene Geilenkirchen thumbnail
Rene Geilenkirchen It's one of the rare live recordings when you really can feel how much fun a band has doing what they love. Favorite track: Under the Mynah Bird.
Dietmar Leibecke
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Dietmar Leibecke This album brilliantly captures the magic of wonderful night of music at the Static Roots Festival, Germany. Stephen Stanley and his band absolutely kill it! Favorite track: Next to Me.
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1.
Intro 01:03
2.
On this street there is a scene that we’ve been caught up in between And all the pictures of you that I wish I’d never seen Come flowing back into my brain every time you walk away And there’s this poison line that runs between us every time I don’t know if I want to hold you or charge you with a crime You had your hair pulled back again and I can’t get you off my mind You have changed and I have been moving slow but I love you just the same, just the same And every drink and every line, that voice that serves to undermine Today, if someone were to ask, she used to be a friend of mine But I’m still stuck on the tomorrows that we had; without a doubt they’ve fallen behind And now I curse the printed page, I curse the digital age And every picture of you that wanders past me unengaged There was a time not long ago that I never was afraid; now I fear every day If this seems strange I’d eat these words and never mention it again But that really wouldn’t change a thing... And you may be gone, that’s the thing I don’t even know where you’ve been, or where you’re going to, or if we’ll ever talk again Behind your name there is a song that I’ll be singing all along And if my voice should start to crack, it doesn’t mean that I’m not strong It’s just the heartbeat in my temples went too long and all the blood rushed to my head I don’t expect it anymore, but if you did walk through that door I don’t know if my eyes would focus or if I’d turn them to the floor You always said it would get better, and I hope it has for you And every day I tell myself it’s okay, but it really hasn’t changed a thing...
3.
By Her Side 08:36
Has this been the longest goodbye of your life? Has this been the only way you survive? As it burns each night down in a silent rage And steals your words til you can’t engage But you know there is a morning you just can’t see Has this been the hottest year of your life? Did you wake up and nothing had changed overnight? Did the wind that blows away your doubts and pain Open up the sky for seven more long days of rain? And sweep you away even further, so you just couldn’t see? Has she been the only one on your mind? Is she moving forward while you stay behind? In a haze of alcohol and misgivings Is this what she meant when she said start living? And you know you can’t be anywhere but by her side Would you cross the city, just to hear her breathe? Is the night that much darker when she decides to leave? Do unfinished sentences and prevaricating eyes Fill you with questions, until you apologize cuz you know you can’t be anywhere but by her side And you know you can’t be anywhere but by her side
4.
Hey Darlene 02:27
Hey Darlene, I’d like a word with you You’ve been thinking out loud and none of that is true When you talk through your hat, well no one wants to hear that Hey Darlene Oh the return of the prodigal son Happens every day when your work is done Let’s not get caught up in deception But you’ve earned his affection Hey Darlene Hey Darlene (Bridge) Oh light a fuse and let it burn There’s a lesson to be learned Hurling missives dripping wet in gasoline I guess the deepest blood connection Can somehow lead to an infection Of the body, mind and fully vented spleen Hey Darlene Hey Darlene Hey Darlene, I’m flattered just the same You talk a lot about me But take it all in vein When you whisper in the night Does your left hand know the right Hey Darlene Hey Darlene Her Darlene
5.
40 Endings 06:19
I stayed up all night, determined to forget about you Thought every bottle I did drain would do the job and get me through But in the cold light of day your name took the place of my heart Now I don’t know where my resolve does end or where my indecision does start Bless all those people walking in the street holding hands And bless the thin-skinned desires that fold when I strike up the band You made me swear an oath to the church of my head in the sand But now I’m down on my knees again picking shards of you out of my hands The forty endings to this story were all the same You play the same cards every time Drain the blood after the big flood and drag my lifeless name through the mud Dark, dark windows, won’t you save me from myself tonight I’m just in here washing my hands, but these stains ain’t coming out tonight And IMHO, your hat was on a little too tight Should you come again to darken my door, I hope I’m running toward the light The forty endings to this story were all the same You play the same cards every time Drain the blood after the big flood and drag my lifeless name through the mud Hey fallen star, in a two-buck-a-beer local bar No that’s not who you once were, but now it is who you are I stayed up all night, determined to forget about you Thought every bottle I did drain would do the job and get me through But in the cold light of day your name took the place of my heart Now I don’t know where my resolve does end No I don’t know where my resolve does end No I don’t know where my resolve does end or where my stupid indecision does start
6.
He wasn’t busy being born, but he didn’t want to stay at home Things were moving faster than the days were flying by And it seemed like a disaster, when the bank put you to pasture But you came up with a new plan in the blinking of an eye Took a job as a stock boy in a sporting goods store Because shutting it down wasn’t something you were made for You spent your last days under the Mynah Bird More than a memory fades under the Mynah Bird You spent your last days under the Mynah Bird And didn’t know the trail you blazed A naked singer sings a funeral song and the go-go dancers dance along A glass box gimmick hanging out over Yorkville’s avenues Neil Young and Rick James played there then they stole the name Long before the Super Freak and the Buffalo Springfield A scene was blowing up as you were breaking down I wonder if you ever stopped to listen to that sound You spent your last days under the Mynah Bird More than a memory fades under the Mynah Bird You spent your last days under the Mynah Bird And didn’t know the trail you blazed I hope you weren’t like Syl Apps and his truncheon army gas masks Filling wagons with the voices of a city being born And I’d like to think you heard something, even just the floor boards thumpin’ After-hours in the basement filling shelves down in the store A scene was blowing up as you were breaking down I gotta think you must have stopped to listen to that sound You spent your last days under the Mynah Bird More than a memory fades under the Mynah Bird You spent your last days under the Mynah Bird And didn’t know the trail you blazed
7.
8.
Next to Me 03:08
Let’s stay together, let’s fall apart I blame the weather, your jealous heart Choose to remember, I choose to forget Life and life only, I paid my debts Next to me, where you stand, take my blood, take my hand Rescue me from myself, to the past may it burn in hell Another fire, a false alarm Behind the curtains, and safe from harm They’ll drag the river, nothing to show The saints, the sinners, you’ll never know Next to me, where you stand. take my blood, take my hand Quarter me with a smile and denial, we both walked that mile Can’t you see, can’t you see, can’t you see, can’t you see A heavy heart still beating cancel all my plans goodbye my friends And if by chance we meet again May we both hold the ground where we stand Where we stand, where we stand, where you stand. where I stand Next to me, next to me, take my blood, take my hand Rescue me from myself, to the past, let it burn in hell
9.
When I first heard Alun play the “Dust of Beijing,” we were at the Troubadour and you’d just walked in You wondered out loud how did my skin get so thin But there’s so much hidden in that song, and when a moment passes is it gone? But I thought this year we were going to win Now it seems so many things are coming to an end Don’t cry for me and don’t cry for my friends Let the last person who walks through that door whisper goodbye to the Troubadour The last time I stood next to her was up on these boards But I never really figured out what she was looking for Not a word was spoken and we both walked through that door And in a cloud of smoke we parted ways, now we don’t speak too much these days And I thought this year we were going to win Now it seems so many things are coming to an end Don’t cry for me and don’t cry for my friends Let the last person who walks through that door whisper goodbye to the Troubadour It took you by surprise, hold Kristi if she cries, I can see it in her eyes but the sun is going to rise, and we’ll drink to better days, so keep your glasses raised, keep your glasses raised... Michael O’Grady please pour another round And play the tin whistle because we need to hear that sound And let this be one night that our feet don’t touch the ground We’ll linger and hang on every word, later we’ll kick the daylight to the curb But I thought this year we were going to win Now it seems so many things are coming to an end Don’t cry for me and don’t cry for my friends Let the last person who walks through that door whisper goodbye to the Troubadour And I thought this year we were going to win One chapter close to let another one begin So let’s agree for now that this is not the end We’ll let the last person who walks through that door whisper goodbye to the Troubadour Let the last person who walks through that door whisper goodbye to the Troubadour
10.
We are gathered here today to say goodbye I didn’t think this day would ever come so soon, goodnight moon And that fly up on the wall is just a fly Nothing happens here that anyone would ever want to talk about; tall tales, half-truths and lies Jimmy built this pool hall then silently he documents the rise and fall Of every boy who grew up way too soon beneath the shadow of that moon But now the cranes are hanging high... Brick by brick they build it up, then all at once it’s blocking out the sky And you can call me what you will, but I’m not a glass-half-empty sorta guy She whispers “you’ve been paralyzed,” but that’s not true, I just can’t move Fill my glass up one more time and say goodbye to Jimmy and the moon This past winter took a toll and there were nights I couldn’t make it down here from the second floor, my fire escape encased in ice And the day was coming soon, and so I cried and prayed and cursed and put my fist right Through the kitchen wall; wonder if anybody made it there tonight? But Jimmy kept the lights on still, if I could get there I would be there on that corner stool But conversation would be scarce; am I the only one who cares? They’re putting cranes up in the sky They dig a hole four stories deep and the cement trucks idle down Gerrard Call me a sentimental fool, but for sixty years I’ve called this corner my back yard And should I fight to keep things as they are, cuz my time is coming soon So fill my glass up one more time and say goodbye to Jimmy and the moon Jimmy and the moon, Jimmy and the moon... Take one last look up to the sky My glass half-empty, watch it die...

about

It started with an unexpected email from Dietmar Leibecke, the one-man tour-de-force behind Oberhausen, Germany’s Static Roots Festival. We were in the early stages of dreaming up a European tour behind our record Jimmy & the Moon, and when Dietmar got in touch, the deal was done. We’d start a 3 week run through Europe at the 2018 Static Roots Festival...

The band for this trip would consist of Chris Bennett on lead guitar, Chris Brown handling both the keyboard and bass duties, Hadley McCall Thackston on vocals and Michael Mormecha an astounding drummer (and producer) from just outside of Belfast, Northern Ireland. Then a further message came in from Dietmar asking how I would feel if he flew Gerard Maloney in from Kilkenny, Ireland to join us on accordion for our set? I didn’t really know what to say, It was already a thrill that we were heading for this festival. I knew enough about it to be very excited as my friend David Corley (a beautiful songwriter, poet from Indiana) had played the festival the year before. At this point, I had not yet met Ger, he had played some beautiful music on “The Troubadour’s Song” from Jimmy & the Moon, but that had been recorded in Ireland, and I was not in attendance at that session.

So, the answer was yes.

I have never been precious about arrangements. A song can live many lives - I relished the idea of the band being something other than what it is on North American shores. I got quite excited about what this gig might end up being...

After some travel that culminated in the headstock being snapped off the top of my Les Paul, we arrived at the venue for a afternoon-of-the-gig rehearsal. This would be the first time that this group of players had ever played these songs together. I now had the added concern of not having a workable guitar for the show. Enter Dietmar again with an offer to let me play his Gretsch Black Falcon. The stars were all lining up. I left the rehearsal 100% certain we were going to have a great set that night, this was a remarkable group of musicians, Michael and Ger became instant comrades - and the venue and production were nothing short of spectacular. Oh, and the German beer was flowing in abundance...

It’s a Friday evening in early July 2018, the band is introduced by my friend Jeff Robson, the radio host of UMFM’s Tell the Band to Go Home in Winnipeg, Manitoba. This was another wonderful reconnection, Jeff was the voice who narrated the documentary that accompanied the 20th anniversary re-release of my former band Lowest of the Low’s record, Shakespeare My Butt.... The Roots crowd packed the house and we launched into Things I Wish I’d Never Seen.

We played a set I will literally never forget. As I write this, I can remember everyone’s face as I looked around the stage. This was a group of friends making music, loving the connection, savouring every moment of it, and for most of us, we were 6000 kms from home. I don’t remember it as perfection but I do remember it as about the most perfect experience playing music that I had ever had. And as we’d made no arrangements to record the show. I figured that it would live on that way in my mind’s eye, and nowhere else...

Unbeknownst to me, a regular attendee of the festival, a man named René Geilenkirchen recorded the entire show. He had coordinated with the festival’s sound person, Oliver Hutten and together they captured what in my estimation is a very beautiful documentation of this night in Oberhausen, Germany.

It was never my intention to formally release this recording, several people have asked to hear it over the past couple of years, so I thought I would add it to our website for people to check out at some point or other. Then enter a pandemic... time to listen, time to consider and time to scheme. With the blessing of René. Jeff and Dietmar, and coinciding with the inevitable postponement of this year’s Static Roots Festival, the time seemed right to put this album out. To lean on an old cliché, we hope you enjoy listening to LIVE STATIC ROOTS as much as we enjoyed making it. It was truly one of the greatest musical pleasures of my life.

credits

released July 10, 2020

Recorded & mixed by René Geilenkirchen
Executive producer Dietmar Leibecke
Additional recording by Oliver Hutten
Recorded at Zentrum Altenberg
in Oberhausen (Rheinland), Germany
Mastered by Tim Branton at Joao Carvalho Mastering
Introduction by Jeff Robson
Cover photo by Klaas Guchelaar
Cover art by Stephen Stanley
Single Art for “Under the Mynah Bird” by Violet Stanley

The Band
Chris Bennett - Lead Guitar, Vocals
Chris Brown - Keyboard, Bass
Gerard Maloney - Accordion
Hadley McCall Thackston - Vocals
Michael Mormecha - Drums
Stephen Stanley - Vocals, Guitar

Released on Wolfe Island Records in North America and Continental Record Services (CRS) in Europe.
wolfeislandrecords.com
continentalrecordservices.bandcamp.com

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The Stephen Stanley Band Toronto, Ontario

The Stephen Stanley Band announce their new album, Before The Collapse Of The
Hive (Wolfe Island Records) will be released on November 10, 2023. It's an album
brimming with raw, unflinching urgency, steadfast observation and soul-searching storytelling
that highlights Stephen's immediate world: those he loves, and those he's lost.


Photos by Russell Styles
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