Thomas Howard Stevens (September 17, 1956 – January 23, 2021) was an American bassist, guitarist, singer, and songwriter, often associated with the
Paisley Underground
Paisley Underground is a musical genre that originated in California. It was particularly popular in Los Angeles, reaching a peak in the mid-1980s. Paisley Underground bands incorporated psychedelia, rich vocal harmonies and guitar interplay, owin ...
and
alternative country
Alternative country, or alternative country rock (sometimes alt-country, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative), is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that differ significantly in style ...
movements as bassist for
roots rock
Roots rock is a genre of rock music that looks back to rock's origins in folk, blues and country music. It is particularly associated with the creation of hybrid subgenres from the later 1960s, including blues rock, country rock, Southern rock, ...
band
the Long Ryders
The Long Ryders are an American alternative country and Paisley Underground band, principally active between 1982 and 1987, who have periodically regrouped for brief reunions (2004, 2009, 2014, 2016). In 2019 they released a new studio album ...
. He was a member of Magi and Danny & Dusty, and recorded as a solo artist. In his solo work, Stevens incorporated elements of
folk rock
Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers suc ...
,
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...
,
psychedelia
Psychedelia refers to the psychedelic subculture of the 1960s and the psychedelic experience. This includes psychedelic art, psychedelic music and style of dress during that era. This was primarily generated by people who used psychedelic ...
and
garage rock
Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...
into his music, and released what music reviewer
Stewart Lee
Stewart Graham Lee (born 5 April 1968) is an English comedian, screenwriter, and television director. His stand-up routine is characterised by repetition, internal reference, deadpan delivery, and consistent breaking of the fourth wall.
Lee b ...
calls "fascinatingly different solo albums." Stevens was based in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
in the 1980s, but later returned to his native
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
.
Early life
Stevens was born and raised in
Elkhart, Indiana
Elkhart ( ) is a city in Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. The city is located east of South Bend, Indiana, east of Chicago, Illinois, and north of Indianapolis, Indiana. Elkhart has the larger population of the two principal cities of th ...
and started playing music at age nine in various
garage
A garage is a covered structure built for the purpose of parking, storing, protecting, maintaining, and/or repairing vehicles. Specific applications include:
*Garage (residential), a building or part of a building for storing one or more vehicle ...
and
hard rock
Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...
bands in the 1960s and 1970s. Classically trained, he received scholarship offers from several universities to study
double bass
The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...
, but turned them all down, as he wanted to play
rock music
Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States an ...
. "The thought of either playing in a
symphony orchestra
An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families.
There are typically four main sections of instruments:
* bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, ce ...
or teaching music in a
high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
did not appeal," he said.
Career
Magi
In 1975, after graduating from high school, Stevens joined Indiana hard rock band Magi, who released their sole album ''Win or Lose'' in 1976. It was recorded in August 1976 at Uncle Dirty's Sound Machine Studios in
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. At the 2010 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 74,262. Kalamazoo is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage Metropolit ...
and co-produced by the band and Bryce "Uncle Dirty" Roberson, a former
session guitarist
Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...
with
Chess Records
Chess Records was an American record company established in 1950 in Chicago, specializing in blues and rhythm and blues. It was the successor to Aristocrat Records, founded in 1947. It expanded into soul music, gospel music, early rock and roll ...
. The self-financed album was released with no major distribution in a limited edition of 1,000 copies, and the band toured Indiana, Michigan and
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
in the late 1970s. "We were very, very popular in those areas, drawing big crowds everywhere we played. To this day more people in
Northern Indiana
Northern Indiana is a region of the U.S. State of Indiana, including 26 counties which border the states of Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio. Northern Indiana is also considered part of the Great Lakes Megalopolis. The area is generally classified in ...
know Magi than the Long Ryders," Stevens said in 2004. Trying to attract music industry interest, the band relocated to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
in 1979. However, with their style of hard rock being out of fashion in Los Angeles at the time, the band unsuccessfully tried to adapt to a scene dominated by
punk
Punk or punks may refer to:
Genres, subculture, and related aspects
* Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres
* Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
and new wave. Lack of success led to the band slowly falling apart in 1980. Magi reunited for a one-off show in August 1994 at the Elkhart County Fairgrounds and again in March 2011 in
Nappanee
Nappanee is a city in Elkhart and Kosciusko counties in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 6,648 as of the 2010 U.S. Census and had grown to 6,913 by the 2020 U.S. Census. The name Nappanee probably means "flour" in Algonquian. The ...
, Indiana for a benefit concert.
Early solo work
As Magi was dissolving, Stevens began looking for bands and session work in Los Angeles. He found several bands, but "none that I felt were worth my time," he said. The only session work he found was for "some
disco
Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...
singer that was doing an update on " Sealed with a Kiss." During this period, in between working shifts at the
Tower Records
Tower Records is an international retail franchise and online music store that was formerly based in Sacramento, California, United States. From 1960 until 2006, Tower operated retail stores in the United States, which closed when Tower Records ...
music store on the
Sunset Strip
The Sunset Strip is the stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through the city of West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with the city of Los Angeles near Marmont Lane to its western border with Beverly H ...
, Stevens seriously began writing songs and played his first solo acoustic gig in December 1980 at the Troubadour in
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood, ...
. In November 1981, Stevens recorded a demo with Sunny Paul, then a co-worker at Tower Records and a former touring guitarist for R&B singer
Geno Washington
Geno Washington (born William Francis Washington; December 1943, in Evansville, Indiana) is an American R&B singer who released five albums with The Ram Jam Band between 1966 and 1969, and eight solo albums beginning in 1976.
Music career 19 ...
. The four-track recordings were recorded and mixed by Paul, who also played drums on the tracks. The demo led to a deal with Los Angeles
independent record label
An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...
Pulse Records. Stevens then enlisted the help of drummer Mark Cuff of
the Textones
Carla Olson (born July 3, 1952) is a Los Angeles-based songwriter, performer and record producer.
Biography
Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Olson moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1978 where she formed the Textones, whose debut album ''M ...
and bassist Johnny Bethesda of
Rubber City Rebels
Rubber City Rebels are an American punk band from Akron, Ohio that formed in 1976.
Early years
The original lineup of the band consisted of Rod Firestone (vocals), Buzz Clic (guitar), Donny Damage (bass), Stix Pelton (drums) and Pete Sake (key ...
and, with Stevens on guitar and vocals, they recorded six songs at Perspective Studios in Los Angeles on September 29, 1982.
The result was the ''Points of View'' EP, which was engineered by
Thom Wilson
Thom Wilson (died February 8, 2015) was an American punk rock record producer and engineer.
Career
Wilson began his musical career in the mid-1970s, engineering recordings by soft rock artists Burton Cummings and Seals & Crofts. He began working ...
and with production credited to Stevens. The instrumentation was deliberately spare, with only one guitar, bass, drums and vocals. In a retrospective review in 1998, ''Q'' magazine called the EP "serviceable melodic
power pop
Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...
" with "insipid production" that makes the songs "jangle along too politely." While Stevens later said that the EP was a good start of trying to make a different style for himself, he felt that the production was weak: "I’m credited, but I really had no control ... and the mastering was terrible. Still, there was and is a demand for that record," he said in 2004. "The label owners were very keen on having
Rodney Bingenheimer
Rodney Bingenheimer (born December 15, 1946) is an American radio disc jockey who is best known as the host of ''Rodney on the ROQ'', a radio program that ran on the Los Angeles rock station KROQ from 1976 to 2017. In the early 1970s, he also ma ...
give it a good push on his
KROQ
KROQ-FM (106.7 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Pasadena, California, serving Greater Los Angeles. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an alternative rock format known as "The World Famous KROQ" (pronounced "kay-rock").
The stat ...
radio show, but Rodney said it was a folk album and declined to play it - Rodney was playing hard-core punk at the time. I think the label thought this would be a big cash cow for them, and it wasn’t, although it did sell steadily," Stevens said. ''Points of View'' received decent reviews at the time of its release and sold its 1,000 pressing in a couple of years.
The Long Ryders
By 1983, Stevens had left his day job at Tower Records for another job at Sounds Good Imports in
Santa Monica
Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to ...
. He recounted in 2004 that one of his co-workers "brought a pre-release cassette of his old roommate's band, which was ''
10-5-60
''10-5-60'' is an EP and the first release by American band the Long Ryders. It was released in September 1983 by PVC Records and preceded the bands full-length debut album '' Native Sons''.
Background and musical style
The Long Ryders had fun ...
'' by
the Long Ryders
The Long Ryders are an American alternative country and Paisley Underground band, principally active between 1982 and 1987, who have periodically regrouped for brief reunions (2004, 2009, 2014, 2016). In 2019 they released a new studio album ...
, and played it a lot while we were working. I was impressed with that EP and wound up buying it." A few months later, around Christmas time, that same co-worker revealed to Stevens that the Long Ryders had just fired their bass player. "Without missing a beat, I said, "hell, I'll play bass for them," Stevens remembered. Soon after, mutual friends phoned up Long Ryder guitarist
Sid Griffin
Albert Sidney "Sid" Griffin (born September 18, 1955) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist-mandolinist, bandleader, and author who lives in London, England. He led the Long Ryders band in the 1980s, founded the Coal Porters group in t ...
, recommending Stevens for the job. "I didn't even have to formally audition. The Long Ryders had gigs coming up in the
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
area and needed someone quickly," he said.
Stevens officially joined the Los Angeles-based Long Ryders in January 1984, recording three studio albums with the band between 1984-1987, all featuring Stevens-penned songs. The Long Ryders were originally associated with the Los Angeles
Paisley Underground
Paisley Underground is a musical genre that originated in California. It was particularly popular in Los Angeles, reaching a peak in the mid-1980s. Paisley Underground bands incorporated psychedelia, rich vocal harmonies and guitar interplay, owin ...
movement of the 1980s, but unlike other bands of the genre,
psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...
played only a small role in their music. Instead, the band were more influenced by the
roots rock
Roots rock is a genre of rock music that looks back to rock's origins in folk, blues and country music. It is particularly associated with the creation of hybrid subgenres from the later 1960s, including blues rock, country rock, Southern rock, ...
approach of
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Folk Plus or Fol ...
and
country rock
Country rock is a genre of music which fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal s ...
bands like
the Byrds
The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...
,
the Flying Burrito Brothers
The Flying Burrito Brothers are an American country rock band, best known for their influential 1969 debut album, ''The Gilded Palace of Sin''. Although the group is perhaps best known for its connection to band founders Gram Parsons and Chris ...
, and
Buffalo Springfield
Buffalo Springfield was a rock band formed in Los Angeles by Canadian musicians Neil Young, Bruce Palmer and Dewey Martin and American musicians Stephen Stills and Richie Furay. The group, widely known for the song "For What It's Worth", relea ...
. According to ''the Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll'', the Long Ryders "blended punk attitude with late 1960s country rock instrumentation and became one of the principal exponents of mid-1980s
cowpunk
Cowpunk (or country punk) is a subgenre of punk rock that began in the United Kingdom and Southern California in the late 1970s - early 1980s. It combines punk rock or New wave music, new wave with country music, country, folk music, folk, and b ...
." They toured
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
and
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
several times as well as reaching the charts in the UK and earning a large cult following in the US while doing well on
college radio
Campus radio (also known as college radio, university radio or student radio) is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively created or produced ...
. The band broke up in 1987 after failing to break through into the mainstream and would later turn out to be an influence on the
alternative country
Alternative country, or alternative country rock (sometimes alt-country, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative), is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that differ significantly in style ...
movement that would surface in the 1990s.
Their 1984 debut album '' Native Sons'' received strong reviews, and did especially well in the UK, where the band's take on American musical traditions went down well with critics. The album was called "a modern American classic" by British music magazine the ''
Melody Maker
''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...
'' and established the band's diverse blend of folk rock, punk and country rock influences.
Island Records
Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...
signed the band in 1985 for their first
major label
A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produc ...
album, 1985's ''
State of Our Union
''State of Our Union'' is the second studio album by American band the Long Ryders, released in September 1985 by Island Records. It was a success at college and alternative radio stations in the US and reached number 66 on the UK Albums Chart ...
'', and the band soon found themselves more popular in Europe than in the US. In 1987, following the release of their third album ''
Two-Fisted Tales
''Two-Fisted Tales'' is an anthology war comic published bi-monthly by EC Comics in the early 1950s. The title originated in 1950 when Harvey Kurtzman suggested to William Gaines that they publish an adventure comic. Kurtzman became the editor of ...
'', the lack of commercial success and label support began to take its toll on the band. Disillusioned by the band's relentless touring schedule and lack of money, Stevens left the Long Ryders in June 1987 to devote time to his young family and to find another source of income. In 1988, he moved back to Indiana.
The Long Ryders, including Stevens, have since 2004 occasionally reunited and released their first studio album in 32 years, '' Psychedelic Country Soul'', in 2019. On January 21, 2022, the Long Ryders released a tribute single to their bandmate titled "Tom Tom."
Danny & Dusty
Along with other members of the Long Ryders,
the Dream Syndicate
The Dream Syndicate is an American alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California, originally active from 1981 to 1989, and reunited since 2012. The band is associated with neo-psychedelia and the Paisley Underground music movement; of the b ...
and
Green on Red
Green on Red was an American rock band, formed in the Tucson, Arizona punk scene, but based for most of its career in Los Angeles, California, where it was loosely associated with the Paisley Underground. Earlier records have the wide-screen psy ...
, Stevens recorded the Danny & Dusty album, '' The Lost Weekend'' in 1985. It featured songs written by Dan Stuart (Danny) from Green on Red and
Steve Wynn
Stephen Alan Wynn (''né'' Weinberg; born January 27, 1942) is an American real estate developer and art collector. He is known for his involvement in the American luxury casino and hotel industry. Early in his career he oversaw the construction ...
(Dusty) from the Dream Syndicate and was recorded in a single 32 hours recording session in February 1985 at Control Center Studios in Los Angeles. Backing up Stuart and Wynn, besides Stevens on bass, were guitarists Sid Griffin and Stephen McCarthy from the Long Ryders, keyboardist Chris Cacavas from Green on Red, and drummer Dennis Duck from the Dream Syndicate. ''The Lost Weekend'' appeared on many year-end top 10 lists, including ''
the New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
. After the album's release, the seven-piece band played only a few shows in Los Angeles. In 2007, Danny & Dusty released a second album, ''Cast Iron Soul'', without Stevens' involvement.
Collaborations, live and session work
Stevens supported former
Byrd Byrd commonly refers to:
* William Byrd (c. 1540 – 1623), an English composer of the Renaissance
* Richard E. Byrd (1888–1957), an American naval officer and explorer
Byrd or Byrds may also refer to:
Other people
* Byrd (surname), includin ...
Gene Clark
Harold Eugene Clark (November 17, 1944 – May 24, 1991) was an American singer-songwriter and founding member of the folk rock band the Byrds. He was the Byrds' principal songwriter between 1964 and early 1966, writing most of the band's best ...
on a few of Clark's last live Los Angeles performances with former Textones vocalist
Carla Olson
Carla Olson (born July 3, 1952) is a Los Angeles-based songwriter, performer and record producer.
Biography
Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Olson moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1978 where she formed the Textones, whose debut album ''M ...
. In March 1987, between Long Ryders tours, Stevens was asked to play
standup bass
The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...
for a Clark and Olson gig at At My Place in Santa Monica. Together with
Dwight Yoakam
Dwight David Yoakam (born October 23, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter, actor, and film director. He first achieved mainstream attention in 1986 with the release of his debut album '' Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.''. Yoakam had considerab ...
, pianist Skip Edwards and drummer
Michael Huey
J. Michael Huey (born October 24, 1950) is an American drummer and producer, earning 18 Gold / Platinum Top Ten Awards. He has played with a diverse group of artists in genres including Rock/Pop/Country/R&B such as Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh, Juice ...
they performed material from Clark and Olson's then-current album ''So Rebellious a Lover''. A year later, Stevens was asked once again to perform with Clark and Olson at Club Lingerie in Hollywood. Performing with Clark "was an honor I cherish to this day," Stevens said in 1996.
In the late 1980s, Stevens played with Chris Cacavas in his band Junk Yard Love and contributed bass and backing vocals on two tracks on their 1989 album ''Chris Cacavas and Junk Yard Love''. He also produced Green on Red bassist Jack Waterson's 1989 solo album ''Whose Dog?'', as well as playing bass, lead guitar and singing backing vocals. Since 2014, Stevens has recorded with
psychedelic
Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of ...
garage
A garage is a covered structure built for the purpose of parking, storing, protecting, maintaining, and/or repairing vehicles. Specific applications include:
*Garage (residential), a building or part of a building for storing one or more vehicle ...
band Donovan's Brain, a recording collective with a revolving lineup that includes founder Ron Sanchez,
Ric Parnell
Ric Parnell (13 August 1951 – 1 May 2022) was an English rock drummer. Notable for his work in the band Atomic Rooster, he is probably best known for his role as the ill-fated drummer Mick Shrimpton in the film ''This Is Spinal Tap''.
Caree ...
(
Atomic Rooster
Atomic Rooster are a British rock band originally formed by members of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, organist Vincent Crane and drummer Carl Palmer. Throughout their history, keyboardist Vincent Crane was the only constant member and wrote ...
the Windbreakers
The Windbreakers were an American power pop group from Jackson, Mississippi, led by singer-guitarists Tim Lee and Bobby Sutliff. The band released their first EP in 1982, and were best known for an acclaimed 1985 album, ''Terminal''. After three m ...
).
Later solo work
Stevens' first full-length solo release, the cassette-only ''Last Night'', was released by California
indie label
An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...
Devil in the Woods in 1992 . It featured new songs as well as rerecordings of unused Long Ryders material such as "17 Ways", "The Upper Hand" and "Sad Sad Songs". Two tracks were produced by Jack Waterson and recorded at Larry's Pro Sound in California in 1988 with Chris Cacavas on bass and organ an Jim McGrath on drums. The rest of the recordings were produced by Stevens and recorded at Allen Recording Studio in Indiana in 1989. Musicians included studio owner Scott Allen on drums, violinist Gretchen Priest and former Magi-guitarist Larry Stutzman. Stevens handled bass and most of the guitar duties. " cott Allen as his time allowed, let me use his studio to slowly finish it. By slowly, I mean excruciatingly so," Stevens said in 1996. "Nearly two years passed before ''Last Night'' could be completed, and then cassettes with rough mixes that were screwed up but powerful sounding were the result. I also had a few polite, clean mixes but they were not nearly as involving."
His second album, ''Another Room'', was produced by Waterson at the Root Canal in Hollywood in early 1993. The album was originally slated to be released on
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
label Doggybag Records and distributed by
Sony
, commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...
Germany, but complications delayed its release for two years when Doggybag went bankrupt. It was eventually released in October 1995 on
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
-based Maia Records. The only two musicians featured on the album are Stevens (vocals, guitar, bass) and Jet Redd (drums). "Howard Hilliard II" is credited with bass duty, but is actually a pseudonym for Stevens. Waterson, Melisa Malvin and John Thoman of the Rain Parade supply backing vocals on three tracks. The album was well received by fans and critics alike. ''
Bucketfull of Brains
''Bucketfull of Brains'' (also known as ''BoB'') was a London-based music magazine, founded in 1979 and published until 2015 . An associated record label was launched in 2010.
History
''Bucketfull of Brains'' was founded by Nigel Cross in 1979, a ...
'' magazine called it "a splendid piece of
Americana
Americana may refer to:
*Americana (music), a genre or style of American music
*Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States
Film, radio and television
* ''Americana'' (1992 TV series), a documentary series presented by J ...
" and "a typical example of the hidden gems on the bi-ways of American music." ''
Relix
''Relix'', originally and occasionally later ''Dead Relix'', is a magazine that focuses on live and improvisational music. The magazine was launched in 1974 as a handmade newsletter devoted to connecting people who recorded Grateful Dead concert ...
'' magazine described it as an "unpretentious rootsy
pop-rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music
Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and ...
adventure" with an "abundance of hook-filled songs that tevenslaces liberally with folk, country and rock influences".
1997 saw the release of ''Points Revisited'' (Maia Records), a collection of Stevens' solo recordings from 1981-1989. "After my solo CD ''Another Room'' came out, people were writing to the label asking for a ''Points of View'' reissue. I instead put out ''Points Revisited'', which contained some ''Points of View'' tracks, but substituted demos for some other ''PoV'' tracks that I thought told the story better," Stevens said. The compilation contains three tracks from the original EP, three alternate demo versions, the entire ''Last Night'' album (with one track in an alternate version), and two home demos. It received four-star reviews from
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 ...
and '' Q'' magazine, and '' Goldmine'' called it "unfailingly melodic and memorable" and rivaling "anything that the Long Ryders ever laid down".
In 1999, Stevens contributed his version of "
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
''Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere'' is the second studio album by Canadian-American musician Neil Young, released in May 1969 on Reprise Records, catalogue number RS 6349. His first with longtime backing band Crazy Horse, it peaked at number 3 ...
" to the
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Furay ...
tribute album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records coll ...
''This Note's for You Too! A Tribute to Neil Young''. All proceeds from sales went directly to benefit Neil and
Pegi Young
Margaret Mary "Pegi" Young (née Morton; December 1, 1952 – January 1, 2019) was an American singer, songwriter, environmentalist, educator and philanthropist.
Music career
After marrying Canadian folk rock musician Neil Young in 1978, her deb ...
's Bridge School foundation, and the album included artists such as
the Bevis Frond
The Bevis Frond is an English rock band formed in 1986 in Walthamstow, London, England. The band is fronted by Nick Saloman and has recorded many singles and albums on various independent labels.
Information
Saloman was originally in a band kno ...
,
Lee Ranaldo
Lee Mark Ranaldo (born February 3, 1956) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, guitarist, writer, visual artist and record producer, best known as a co-founder of the alternative rock band Sonic Youth (guitar and vocals). In 2004, ''Rolling ...
,
the Coal Porters
The Coal Porters were a British-American bluegrass band headquartered in London and led by Sid Griffin (mandolin, autoharp, harmonica and vocals) and Neil Robert Herd (guitar and vocals). The group disbanded in July 2018. The other members we ...
Steve Wynn
Stephen Alan Wynn (''né'' Weinberg; born January 27, 1942) is an American real estate developer and art collector. He is known for his involvement in the American luxury casino and hotel industry. Early in his career he oversaw the construction ...
, and
the Walkabouts
The Walkabouts were an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984. The core members were vocalist Carla Torgerson and vocalist and songwriter Chris Eckman. Although the rest of the line-up changed occasionally, for most of the time ...
. Stevens had recorded the song, along with several originals, in March 1997 at Doug Harsch's Raw Pop Studios in Indiana with Steve Gee on drums and Harsch on backing vocals.
Stevens' proper third album, ''Home'', was recorded in his new home basement studio in Indiana and released in 2007 by Avebury Records, a label founded by
Wednesday Week
"Wednesday Week" is the seventh single released by the Undertones. The song was written in December 1979 by the band's rhythm guitarist and principal songwriter, John O' Neill, during a Christmas break the band had taken while recording their ...
drummer Kelly Callan. The self-produced and mostly self-recorded album features guest appearances by Sarah Stevens on violin and vocals, and "Uncle John" Potthast on banjo and guitar on a few tracks. The album was inspired by his family's move to a new house in 2003, where he set up his studio to record musical ideas. "Having a full recording setup inspired me to complete many songs I had in various stages of assembly, and also write new ones as I settled in with my new environment," Stevens said. Most of the songs were written or completed between 2003 and 2005, with a few taken from earlier songwriting periods. ''Bucketfull of Brains'' described the music as a " paisley potpourri" of "LA
folk-pop
Folk-pop is a musical style that may be 1) contemporary folk songs with large, sweeping pop arrangements, or 2) pop songs with intimate, acoustic-based folk arrangements. Recording production values created a unblemished style that appealed to ...
,
psychedelia
Psychedelia refers to the psychedelic subculture of the 1960s and the psychedelic experience. This includes psychedelic art, psychedelic music and style of dress during that era. This was primarily generated by people who used psychedelic ...
, and a little bit of
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...
" and called the album "a stone classic." In a four-star review on AllMusic, music critic
Jack Rabid
''The Big Takeover'' is a bi-annual music magazine published out of New York City since May 1980 by critic Jack Rabid.
History Establishment
Jack Rabid and Dave Stein began publishing ''The Big Takeover'' in May 1980 as a fanzine dedicated to N ...
felt that there wasn't "one under-considered, underplayed, or under-written second" on the album. On their Best Albums of 2007 list, the Popnarcotic website called it an "absolutely breathtaking album", noting that Stevens "seems to be able to find his muse where
Gram Parsons
Ingram Cecil Connor III (November 5, 1946 – September 19, 1973) who was known professionally as Gram Parsons, was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist who recorded as a solo artist and with the International Submarine Band, ...
,
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...
, and
Alex Chilton
William Alexander Chilton (December 28, 1950 – March 17, 2010) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer best known as the lead singer of the Box Tops and Big Star. Chilton's early commercial success in the 1960s ...
all hang out to shoot the breeze."
Stevens also self-released two six-song EPs, ''Workology'' and ''Sooner''. 2001's ''Workology'' was recorded at the same March 1997 sessions as "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" and contains early versions of songs that would later end up on ''Home'' and ''Sooner''. Released in November 2009 through
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
, ''Sooner'' contains new and old songs that Stevens has written and recorded over the years but never released before, as well as a rerecording of the Long Ryders era song "How Do We Feel What’s Real?" and a cover of
the Only Ones
The Only Ones were an English rock band formed in London in 1976, whose original band members are Peter Perrett, Alan Mair, John Perry and Mike Kellie, they first disbanded in 1982. They were associated with punk rock, yet straddled the music ...
CD-R
CD-R (Compact disc-recordable) is a digital optical disc storage format. A CD-R disc is a compact disc that can be written once and read arbitrarily many times.
CD-R discs (CD-Rs) are readable by most CD readers manufactured prior to the in ...
s through Stevens’ website.
To celebrate its 35th anniversary in 2010, German record label Bear Family Records asked musicians and songwriters to write and record "bear" songs for the compilation album ''35!!! Years - Bear Family Records''. They asked Stevens to contribute a song and he wrote "Bear in the Woods" for the occasion. In 2017, the Long Ryders recorded their own version of the song as their first new studio recording in 30 years and released it as a digital download single.
In September 2012, Stevens recorded the song "Bitter Fruit" for the 2013 benefit album ''Skrang: Sounds Like Bobby Sutliff''. Sutliff, a former Devil in the Woods labelmate, had been in a near-fatal car accident and to help him financially, friends and colleagues offered to record tracks. The album contains 18 Sutliff songs performed by members of Rain Parade, True West,
the dBs
The dB's are an American alternative rock and power pop group, who formed in New York City in 1978 and first came to prominence in the early 1980s.
Their debut album, '' Stands for Decibels'', is often acclaimed as one of the greatest "lost" powe ...
, and
Wilco
Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup changed frequently dur ...
among others.
Other career
In the 1990s, Stevens received a degree in
computer science
Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to Applied science, practical discipli ...
and worked for many years with computer and networking technologies alongside music.
Death
On January 23, 2021, Tom Stevens died suddenly at his home in Indiana of undisclosed causes. He was 64 years old. In a statement accompanying the tribute single "Tom Tom," the remaining Long Ryders called him "a terrific person, a devoted husband and father, and the best bass player of his generation in Los Angeles." Sid Griffin, in a tribute in ''
Shindig!
''Shindig!'' is an American musical variety series which aired on ABC from September 16, 1964 to January 8, 1966. The show was hosted by Jimmy O'Neill, a disc jockey in Los Angeles,
Frontier
A frontier is the political and geographical area near or beyond a boundary. A frontier can also be referred to as a "front". The term came from French in the 15th century, with the meaning "borderland"—the region of a country that fronts o ...
)
*''
State of Our Union
''State of Our Union'' is the second studio album by American band the Long Ryders, released in September 1985 by Island Records. It was a success at college and alternative radio stations in the US and reached number 66 on the UK Albums Chart ...
'' (1985,
Island
An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...
)
*''
Two-Fisted Tales
''Two-Fisted Tales'' is an anthology war comic published bi-monthly by EC Comics in the early 1950s. The title originated in 1950 when Harvey Kurtzman suggested to William Gaines that they publish an adventure comic. Kurtzman became the editor of ...
Windsong
''Windsong'' is the ninth studio album recorded by American singer-songwriter John Denver, which was released in September 1975. Denver's popularity was at its peak by this time.
The album contained the songs " I'm Sorry" and " Calypso," wh ...
Chronicles
Chronicles may refer to:
* ''Books of Chronicles'', in the Bible
* Chronicle, chronological histories
* ''The Chronicles of Narnia'', a novel series by C. S. Lewis
* ''Holinshed's Chronicles'', the collected works of Raphael Holinshed
* ''The Idhu ...
The Best of the Long Ryders
''The Best of the Long Ryders'' is a compilation album by American band the Long Ryders, released on 14 June 2004 by Prima Records. Spanning the Long Ryder's career from 1983 to 1987, the album features 18 tracks from the band's first three studio ...
'' (2004, Prima)
*''
State of Our Reunion
''State of Our Reunion'' is a live album by American band the Long Ryders, released in October 2007 by Prima Records. It was recorded in 2004 in the UK on the band's first tour in 17 years.
Background
Between their formation in 1982 and their ...
'' (2007, Prima)
*''
Final Wild Songs
''Final Wild Songs'' is a four-CD compilation box set by American band the Long Ryders, released in 2016 by Cherry Red Records. It collects the debut EP ''10-5-60'', the three studio albums '' Native Sons'', '' State of Our Union'' and ''Two-Fi ...
Omnivore
An omnivore () is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize the nutr ...
* ''Points of View'' EP (1982, Pulse)
* ''Last Night'' (1992, Devil in the Woods)
* ''Another Room'' (1995, Maia)
* ''Points Revisited'' (1997, Maia)
* ''Workology'' EP (2001, Not on label)
* ''Home'' (2007, Avebury)
* ''Sooner'' EP (2009, Not on label)
Other solo appearances
* ''This Note's for You Too! A Tribute to Neil Young'' (1999, Inbetweens) – "
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
''Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere'' is the second studio album by Canadian-American musician Neil Young, released in May 1969 on Reprise Records, catalogue number RS 6349. His first with longtime backing band Crazy Horse, it peaked at number 3 ...
"
* ''35!!! Years - Bear Family Records'' (2010, Bear Family) – "Bear in the Woods"
* ''Skrang: Sounds Like Bobby Sutliff'' (2013, The Paisley Pop Label / Career / Cool Dog Sound) – "Bitter Fruit"
Guest appearances
* Jack Waterson: ''Whose Dog?'' (1988, Heyday) – producer, guitar, bass, vocals
* Chris Cacavas and Junk Yard Love: ''Chris Cacavas and Junk Yard Love'' (1989, Heyday / World Service) – bass, backing vocals on two tracks
* Donovan's Brain: ''Shambaholic and Other Love Songs'' (2014, Career) – bass, backing vocals on six tracks
* Donovan's Brain: ''Heirloom Varieties'' (2015, Career) – bass on all tracks; guitar, vocals on three tracks
* Donovan's Brain: ''Convolutions of the Brain'' (2018, Career) – engineer; bass on three tracks
* Donovan's Brain and Fraudband: ''Burnt Trees in the Snow'' (2019, Kasumuen / Career) – bass on two tracks