Stavesacre are an American rock band from
Huntington Beach
Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County in Southern California, located southeast of Downtown Los Angeles. The city is named after American businessman Henry E. Huntington. The population was 198,711 during the 2020 census, maki ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
formed in 1995. The band is composed of vocalist
Mark Salomon
Mark Salomon (born 1970) is an American singer best known as the lead singer of the hard rock bands Stavesacre and the Crucified. Other bands in which he has been a key member include the punk rock Outer Circle and rap-oriented Native Son and Ne ...
, guitarists Jeff Bellew and Ryan Dennee, bassist Dirk Lemmenes and drummer Sam West.
Stavesacre has released six studio albums, two EPs, one split album, one compilation, and one DVD.
In 2007, the band stated they would disband following the recording of new songs with original guitarist Jeff Bellew, who had departed in 1999 after the recording of ''Speakeasy''. Those songs were released in the 2009 ''Against the Silence'' EP/DVD documentary.
However, after a period of inactivity, the band began writing new music in 2014, and in 2016 the group announced a crowdfunding project for its sixth studio album.
''MCMXCV'' was released in August 2017.
History
Stavesacre was formed in 1995 as a
post-hardcore
Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. It was initially inspired by post-punk and noise rock. Like post-punk, the term has been ...
band following the breakup of
the Crucified
The Crucified is an American Christian hardcore and crossover thrash band from Fresno, California that formed in 1984. Its lineup is vocalist Mark Salomon, guitarist Greg Minier, bassist Jeff Bellew, and drummer Jim Chaffin. The band are considere ...
. Vocalist
Mark Salomon
Mark Salomon (born 1970) is an American singer best known as the lead singer of the hard rock bands Stavesacre and the Crucified. Other bands in which he has been a key member include the punk rock Outer Circle and rap-oriented Native Son and Ne ...
and guitarist Jeff Bellew played in The Crucified and, following its disbandment, the two still had a desire to write music. Salomon and Bellew recruited bassist Dirk Lemmenes and drummer Jeremy Moffett. They knew Lemmenes from his former band,
Focused, which The Crucified toured with. Salomon and Moffett had been roommates for a while, and Moffett played in the band
the Blamed
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
.
They signed to
Tooth & Nail Records
Tooth & Nail Records is a Christian rock record label founded by Brandon Ebel in California in November 1993. The label later moved to Seattle, Washington where it is situated today. It is home to many well-known musical acts, including Underoat ...
because The Crucified was on the label and Salomon enjoyed working with the label owners.
The band soon got to work on its debut album, ''Friction'', which was released on June 7, 1996. After the album's release, Moffett left the band and was replaced by former
Scaterd Few
Scaterd Few was a Christian punk band originating from Burbank, California. ''CCM'' magazine described their music as "pure punk for dread people," stating that it was a cross between Janes Addiction and Charlie Mingus.
History ''Sin Disease'' e ...
drummer Sam West. The following year, they released ''Absolutes''.
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
reviewer
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...
gave the album four out of five stars, saying the lyrics didn't stand out to him but "the sound is so heavy and foreboding that the lack of strong writing becomes a moot point." Following the release of ''Absolutes'', Ryan Dennee joined the band as a second guitarist. Bellew soon departed to focus on his marriage; however, he recorded additional guitars for the band's next album.
Their third studio album, ''
Speakeasy
A speakeasy, also called a blind pig or blind tiger, is an illicit establishment that sells alcoholic beverages, or a retro style bar that replicates aspects of historical speakeasies.
Speakeasy bars came into prominence in the United States d ...
'', was released on November 16, 1999.
Doug Van Pelt of
''HM'' magazine praised the album and its lyrics, saying, "Lyrically, the band seems to open up its heart for surgery." ''Speakeasy'' gained the band its first chart position, debuting at number 44 on the
''Billboard'' Top Heatseekers Chart and number 35 on the Top Contemporary Christian Chart. This was the band's last studio album on Tooth & Nail. The label released a collection of songs from the band's first three albums on ''Collective'' and the band released ''Split/EP'' with Denison Marrs on famed indie label
Velvet Blue Music
Weave details visible on a purple-colored velvet fabric
Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric in which the cut threads are evenly distributed, with a short pile, giving it a distinctive soft feel. By extension, the word ''velvety'' means ...
. In support of the album, the band toured for nearly two years and grew immensely tired of being on the road.
Neil Samoy joined the band before the recording of its fourth studio album, ''(stāvz'ā'kər)''. The new album was released on October 1, 2002 through
Nitro Records. Allmusic reviewer Bradley Torreano gave the album a four out of five stars stating "First, they've managed to balance the mix of guitar and vocals perfectly, with Mark Salomon's dark moan carrying beautifully over the fuzz-drenched guitars" and ''CCM'' magazine said "With the release of its self-titled Nitro Records debut, Stavesacre finally delivers on the potential greatness it has often hinted at through three Tooth & Nail releases and a few EPs." Even though the album received favorable reviews, the band was not happy with the final product. In December 2003, Samoy left the band for personal reasons.
In 2005, they released the ''Bull Takes Fighter'' EP, and the following year released its fifth studio album, ''How to Live with a Curse'', through
Abacus Recordings, an imprint of
Century Media Records
Century Media Records is a heavy metal record label with offices in the United States, Germany and London. In August 2015, Century Media was acquired by Sony Music for US$17 million.
Background
Century Media was founded by Robert Kampf and Oli ...
. Praising the lyrical themes on the album, Andrew Shaw stated "the overall feel of the disc was straightforward and truthful, something that there is all too little of in the industry."
The band announced in February 2007 that they would be disbanding following the recording of several new songs with original guitarist Bellew and the release of a
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
documenting the band's history. However, Lemmenes announced on March 17, 2008, that the band was unsure if they would be disbanding or not and that West was working on the DVD while a few songs had already been recorded with Bellew. They recorded a new EP, ''Against the Silence'', marking the first songs recorded with Bellew since ''Speakeasy'' in 1999. ''Against the Silence'' was released on July 14, 2009.
They released ''MCMXCV'' on September 1, 2017. The album was originally titled ''Stavesacre VI''.
In September 2021 the band played a set at
Furnace Fest
Furnace Fest is an American music festival held over three days at the Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark, National Historical Landmark in Birmingham, Alabama. It ran annually each August from 2000–2003, and has since resumed each Sept ...
in Birmingham, Alabama.
Members
Current
*
Mark Salomon
Mark Salomon (born 1970) is an American singer best known as the lead singer of the hard rock bands Stavesacre and the Crucified. Other bands in which he has been a key member include the punk rock Outer Circle and rap-oriented Native Son and Ne ...
- vocals (1995–2009, 2014–present) (also performed in
The Crucified
The Crucified is an American Christian hardcore and crossover thrash band from Fresno, California that formed in 1984. Its lineup is vocalist Mark Salomon, guitarist Greg Minier, bassist Jeff Bellew, and drummer Jim Chaffin. The band are considere ...
,
Neon Horse
Neon Horse was an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed by Mark Salomon, Jason Martin and Steven Dail. They were previously signed to Tooth & Nail Records with whom they have released two studio albums. Neon Horse's sound has b ...
,
Argyle Park
Argyle Park was an underground industrial rock supergroup founded in New York City in 1994 and active until 1996. Members of the group reformed under the name AP2 in 1998, and were active under that name until winter 2000. Signed to Christian m ...
, Outer Circle, etc.)
* Jeff Bellew - guitars, backing vocals (1995–1999, 2007–2009, 2014–present) (also performed in
The Crucified
The Crucified is an American Christian hardcore and crossover thrash band from Fresno, California that formed in 1984. Its lineup is vocalist Mark Salomon, guitarist Greg Minier, bassist Jeff Bellew, and drummer Jim Chaffin. The band are considere ...
,
CHATTERbOx
Chatterbox also styled as CHATTERbOX was a project of the Crucified's Jeff Bellew. The project has hosted many session musicians, including Stavesacre and the Crucified's Mark Salomon, and Argyle Park and Circle of Dust's Scott Albert. Bellew ha ...
,
Argyle Park
Argyle Park was an underground industrial rock supergroup founded in New York City in 1994 and active until 1996. Members of the group reformed under the name AP2 in 1998, and were active under that name until winter 2000. Signed to Christian m ...
)
* Dirk Lemmenes - bass guitar, backing vocals (1995–2009, 2014–present) (also performed in
Focused)
* Sam West - drums, percussion (1997–2009, 2014–present) (also performed in
Scaterd Few
Scaterd Few was a Christian punk band originating from Burbank, California. ''CCM'' magazine described their music as "pure punk for dread people," stating that it was a cross between Janes Addiction and Charlie Mingus.
History ''Sin Disease'' e ...
,
The Violet Burning
The Violet Burning is an independent American Christian alternative rock band based in Boston, Massachusetts. The band was formed in 1989 in Orange County, California by Michael J. Pritzl.
The band is the project of singer, songwriter and guit ...
,
Saviour Machine
Saviour Machine is an American Christian gothic metal band that formed in 1989. They have released five studio albums and two live albums on Frontline and subsequently on MCM Music, distributed through Massacre Records. Saviour Machine's music ...
)
* Ryan Dennee - guitar, backing vocals (1999–2009, 2014–present)
Former
* Jeremy Moffett - drums (1995–1996) (also performed in
The Blamed
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
,
Deliverance
''Deliverance'' is a 1972 American survival thriller film produced and directed by John Boorman, and starring Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, and Ronny Cox, with the latter two making their feature film debuts. The screenplay was adapted ...
)
* Neil Samoy - guitars (1999–2003) (also performed in Flowers for June)
; Timeline
ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:20
PlotArea = left:100 bottom:80 top:0 right:0
Alignbars = justify
DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy
Period = from:01/01/1995 till:12/31/2015
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
Colors =
id:Vocals value:red legend:Lead_vocals
id:LGuitar value:teal legend:Lead_guitar
id:RGuitar value:brightgreen legend:Rhythm_guitar
id:Bass value:blue legend:Bass
id:Drums value:orange legend:Drums
id:BV value:pink legend:Backing_vocals
id:album value:black legend:Studio_album
id:EP value:gray(0.55) legend:Other_release
id:bars value:gray(0.95)
Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:4
BackgroundColors=bars:bars
ScaleMajor = increment:5 start:1995
ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1995
LineData =
layer:back
color:album
at:06/07/1996
at:11/04/1997
at:11/16/1999
at:10/01/2002
at:04/18/2006
color:EP
at:01/01/2001
at:11/06/2001
at:08/06/2002
at:12/06/2004
at:06/01/2005
at:06/09/2009
BarData =
bar:MS text:"Mark Salomon"
bar:JB text:"Jeff Bellew"
bar:NS text:"Neil Samoy"
bar:RD text:"Ryan Denee"
bar:DL text:"Dirk Lemmenes"
bar:JM text:"Jeremy Moffett"
bar:SW text:"Sam West"
PlotData=
width:11
bar:MS from:01/01/1995 till:01/01/2010 color:Vocals
bar:MS from:01/01/2014 till:end color:Vocals
bar:JB from:01/01/1995 till:01/01/1999 color:LGuitar
bar:JB from:01/01/2007 till:01/01/2010 color:RGuitar
bar:JB from:01/01/2014 till:end color:LGuitar
bar:NS from:01/01/1999 till:01/01/2003 color:LGuitar
bar:RD from:01/01/1999 till:01/01/2003 color:RGuitar
bar:RD from:01/01/2003 till:01/01/2010 color:LGuitar
bar:RD from:01/01/2014 till:end color:RGuitar
bar:DL from:01/01/1995 till:01/01/2010 color:Bass
bar:DL from:01/01/2014 till:end color:Bass
bar:JM from:01/01/1995 till:01/01/1997 color:Drums
bar:SW from:01/01/1997 till:01/01/2010 color:Drums
bar:SW from:01/01/2014 till:end color:Drums
width:3
bar:DL from:01/01/2014 till:end color:BV
bar:JB from:01/01/1995 till:01/01/1999 color:BV
bar:JB from:01/01/2007 till:01/01/2010 color:BV
bar:JB from:01/01/2014 till:end color:BV
bar:RD from:01/01/1999 till:01/01/2010 color:BV
bar:RD from:01/01/2014 till:end color:BV
bar:DL from:01/01/1995 till:01/01/2010 color:BV
Discography
Studio albums
Other albums
Videos
References
*
Footnotes
External links
*
{{Authority control
American post-hardcore musical groups
Christian rock groups from California
Christian hardcore musical groups
Musical groups established in 1984
Musical groups established in 1995
Tooth & Nail Records artists
Musical groups from Orange County, California