Louis Schefano (born January 26, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter, producer/engineer and multi-instrumentalist originally from

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

, United States. He has recorded under various monikers including Regia, Louis, and Suspicious Light. Schefano was also a founding member of

Remy Zero Remy Zero was an American alternative rock band from Birmingham, Alabama, formed in 1989. It was composed of August Cinjun Tate (vocals, guitar), Shelby Tate (guitar, vocals, keyboards), Cedric LeMoyne (bass), Jeffrey Cain (guitar, vocals), and L ...

and Little Red Rocket (featuring Maria Taylor and

Orenda Fink Orenda Fink is an American singer, musician, and writer. Perhaps best known as half of the duo Azure Ray, Fink is also a member of Art in Manila, O+S, Closeness, and High Up, and has played with or appeared as a guest on records by Bright Ey ...

of Azure Ray), and has performed, produced or recorded with Azure Ray, Maria Taylor,

Verbena ''Verbena'' (), also known as vervain or verveine, is a genus in the family Verbenaceae. It contains about 150 species of annual and perennial herbaceous or semi-woody flowering plants. The majority of the species are native to the Americas a ...

, Cheshires (featuring members of

), Bright Eyes,

The Ladybug Transistor The Ladybug Transistor is a Brooklyn-based indie pop group associated with The Elephant Six Collective. History Started in 1995 by Gary Olson, Edward Powers and Javier Villegas, The Ladybug Transistor released '' Marlborough Farms'' the sa ...

, and Jaymay.

Biography

Schefano was the original drummer for

when they first formed in

in 1990. He later joined

replacing their original drummer, and is featured on the 1996 EP ''Pilot Park'' on

Merge Records Merge Records is an independent record label based in Durham, North Carolina. It was founded in 1989 by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan. It began as an outlet for music from their band Superchunk and music created by friends, and has expande ...

. Schefano then joined Maria Taylor and

of Azure Ray in Little Red Rocket as their drummer, and also contributed guitar, piano, and vocals to the group's 1997 debut album, ''Who Did You Pay'' on

Tim/Kerr Tim/Kerr (also known as T/K) was an American independent record label in Portland, Oregon, United States, run by Thor Lindsay and Thomas "Tim" Kerr IV from 1985 until 1999. Between 1978 and 1984 Lindsay and Kerr were also co-owners of an independ ...

records. Little Red Rocket was subsequently signed to Geffen Records in 1998. Regia's ''The Art of Navigation,'' Schefano's solo debut, was released in 1999 on

spinART Records SpinART Records was a New York City-based independent record label that released recordings by The Apples in Stereo, Clem Snide, Frank Black, and Michael Penn. The label was started by Joel Morowitz and Jeff Price in 1991. SpinART filed for ban ...

. ''The Art of Navigation'' was co-produced by Shelby Tate of

and mixed by

Robert Schneider Robert Peter Schneider (born March 9, 1971) is an American musician and mathematician. He is the lead singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer of rock/pop band the Apples in Stereo and has produced and performed on albums by Neutral Milk H ...

, best known as a producer for his work on

Neutral Milk Hotel Neutral Milk Hotel was an American band formed in Ruston, Louisiana, by musician Jeff Mangum. They were active from 1989 to 1998, and again from 2013 to 2015. The band's music featured a deliberately low-quality sound, influenced by indie roc ...

's critically lauded ''

In the Aeroplane Over the Sea ''In the Aeroplane Over the Sea'' is the second studio album by American rock band Neutral Milk Hotel, released on February 10, 1998, by Merge Records. The music is predominantly indie rock and psychedelic folk, and is characterized by an inte ...

.'' MTV praised ''The Art of Navigation'' as "great sixties-inspired pop" and ''CMJ New Music Monthly'' called Schefano an "ace songwriter and lyricist." Maria Taylor, who was previously romantically linked to Schefano, credits him for teaching her "how to write songs, play drums and find my voice.". Taylor covered several of his songs on her releases including "Nature Song" on her 2005 debut 11:11 and "A Small Part of Me" co-written by Schefano on 2007's

Lynn Teeter Flower ''Lynn Teeter Flower'' is the second album by Maria Taylor and was released on March 6, 2007. This is the 102nd release of Saddle Creek Records. The album features a guest appearance and co-write from Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst on the track "The ...

. In 2007, Schefano, recording under the name "Louis," released ''Freak Show Revenge'' on Superphonic Records. Exclaim! praised the EP as "reminiscent of Elliott Smith, with whimpering vocals that hug gentle guitar slides and strums." That same year he also co-produced, engineered and contributed to Jaymay's debut album Autumn Fallin'. Schefano is also credited with additional recordings on Bright Eyes' 2007 critically acclaimed '' Cassadaga'' on

Saddle Creek Records Saddle Creek Records is an American record label based in Omaha, Nebraska. Started as a college class project on entrepreneurship, the label was founded by Mike Mogis and Justin Oberst in 1993 (as Lumberjack Records). Mogis soon turned over hi ...

. Maria Taylor again covered Schefano on her third album LadyLuck in 2009 with the song "A Chance". "Louis" released their second effort, a 7" single, "Laura," on Goodnight Records in 2013. In 2015, Schefano released the single "Burned" as Suspicious Light. Gigwise subsequently called them one of the "10 hottest new bands coming out of NYC."

The Deli Magazine ''The Deli'' was a Brooklyn based independent music magazine, with both print and online editions, as well as a blog (still active) that covers local music scenes and their emerging artists. Magazine In its print version, ''The Deli'' was a quar ...

referred to their recordings as "melancholic, reverb-soaked, indie-rock" and declared them as March 2015's artist of the month. Shefano is featured on Maria Taylor's newest record

In the Next Life ''In the Next Life'' is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Maria Taylor, also a member of Azure Ray. It was released on December 9, 2016, on her label Flower Moon Records. The first single "If Only", features guest vocals by ...

, credited with vocals and additional recordings on several tracks. On January 6, 2017 Buzzbands.LA premiered the first single "Come to Think" from Schefano's debut self-titled solo LP ''Opposite Side of the World,'' released on Maria Taylor's new label, Flower Moon Records. Buzzbands.LA called "Come to Think" "a rhythmically tricky, ’60s-flavored jingle that adroitly buries its cloudy emotions behind a sunny melody." Paste premiered the album's second single "Song for Anthony" on February 2, 2017.

PureVolume PureVolume (formerly Unborn Media) was a website for uploading and streaming of music files, the first independently run of its type. PureVolume was created by Unborn Media, Inc; Mitchell Pavao; Brett Woitunski; and Nate Hudson, all from the Univer ...

premiered the video for "Come to Think" on March 7, 2017. "Come to Think" was featured in episode 6 of

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

' Me, Myself & I on October 30, 2017, and also in Freeform's The Fosters. The hit TV show

Pretty Little Liars ''Pretty Little Liars'' is an American mystery teen drama television series based on the novel series of the same name written by Sara Shepard. Developed by I. Marlene King, the series was broadcast on Freeform between June 8, 2010, and June ...

premiered a new single "Wish Something Would Happen" on during Season 7 Episode 17 on June 6, 2017.

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

called Schefano's "smooth melodic urgencies and poignant lyrics" reminiscent of

Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...

and

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternati ...

In April 2018, Paste premiered a new single from Maria Taylor called "Real Life" featuring Schefano, from a compilation released by her label, Flower Moon Records. Schefano's track from the album, "The Future is Now," premiered in May 2018 in LA Weekly, calling it a "sprawling, drawling, epic pop-rock song that sways in and out of layers like a beautiful Pink Floyd/ Beatles hybrid." Schefano was tapped to record & co-produce Azure Ray's 2018 EP, ''Waves'', following the band's most recent 6 year hiatus. It was released Oct. 26, 2018 on

Taylor Taylor, Taylors or Taylor's may refer to: People * Taylor (surname) ** List of people with surname Taylor * Taylor (given name), including Tayla and Taylah * Taylor sept, a branch of Scottish clan Cameron * Justice Taylor (disambiguation) Pl ...

's label, Flower Moon Records.

Discography

Bands

– ''

'' (1996,

Geffen Records Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint. Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and h ...

) *

– ''Pilot Park'' (1996,

) *Little Red Rocket – ''Who Did You Pay?'' (1997,

)

Solo

*Regia – ''The Art of Navigation'' (1999,

) *Louis – ''Freak Show Revenge'' (2007, Superphonic Records) *Louis – ''Laura/The Numbers'' 7" (2013, Goodnight Records) *Suspicious Light – ''Burned'' single (2016) *Louis Schefano – ''Opposite Side of the World'' (2017, Flower Moon Records) *Louis Schefano – ''Wish Something Would Happen'' EP (2017, Off World Records) * Maria Taylor and Louis Schefano – ''Light of the World'' single (2017, Flower Moon Records)

Compilations

*Regia – ''Happy Happy Birthday To Me Vol. 1'' (

Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records Happy Happy Birthday To Me Records is an American independent record label based in Athens, Georgia. Its catalogue features indie rock, indie pop and hip-hop music, with several of its artists associated with or influenced by The Elephant 6 Reco ...

) *Regia – ''Happy Happy Birthday To Me Vol. 5'' (

) *Louis Schefano – ''Flower Moon Records Friends and Family Volume 1'' (2018, Flower Moon Records)

Other Contributions

* Maria Taylor – '' 11:11'' (2005,

Saddle Creek Saddle Creek Records is an American record label based in Omaha, Nebraska. Started as a college class project on entrepreneurship, the label was founded by Mike Mogis and Justin Oberst in 1993 (as Lumberjack Records). Mogis soon turned over his ...

) * Bright Eyes – '' Cassadaga'' (2007,

) * Maria Taylor – ''

'' (2007,

) * Jaymay – '' Autumn Fallin''' (2007,

Heavenly Recordings Heavenly Recordings is a London-based independent record label founded by Jeff Barrett in 1990. Heavenly released the first albums from Saint Etienne, Beth Orton and Doves, and early singles by Manic Street Preachers. Current Heavenly artists ...

) * Maria Taylor – '' LadyLuck'' (2009,

Nettwerk Nettwerk Music Group is the umbrella company for Nettwerk Records, Nettwerk Management, and Nettwerk One Publishing. Established in 1984, the Vancouver-based company was created by Nettwerk principals Terry McBride and Mark Jowett as a record ...

) * Maria Taylor – ''

'' (2016, Flower Moon Records) * Maria Taylor – "Real Life (Trump Era)" – ''Flower Moon Records Friends and Family Volume 1'' (2018, Flower Moon Records) * Azure Ray – ''Waves'' (2018, Flower Moon Records)

References

External links

Official Louis Schefano website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schefano, Louis Living people Musicians from Birmingham, Alabama 1970 births American multi-instrumentalists 21st-century American singers Remy Zero members Singer-songwriters from Alabama