A lot has happened since the last update. Most importantly, Loren and Chris both graduated from college. The downside of that is that Chris is losing two of his accounts, one of which was where the sound files were located.
Before anyone starts worrying, don't fret. Our site is about to undergo a huge transformation. Stay tuned.
During the last week Chris was at school, he recorded seven new songs onto four-track. Next week, he'll be recording them more carefully, along with several other songs. The next Stoneykirk release? MMM... Could be...
Reuben's band Lipmonger is currently touring all over the US. They should be in Michigan by now. If you like poppy punk, be sure to check them out.
Well, enjoy the rest of the summer, and we'll see you in a few.
For the time being, Sean Urban has put up a Covered and Smiling web page. If you're interested in learning more about it, go there.
Announcement!
Good news! The White Lightning Everclear Tribute Tape has been released!
It features ten songs, each performed by members of the Everclear White Lightning mailing list. Two of those songs are performed by Stoneykirk - "Kill the Sun" and "Anita Sonic Love".
Technically, these two songs are not Everclear songs - Everclear lead singer/guitarist Art Alexakis wrote and recorded them in 1992 while with his previous band, Colorfinger. The album that they appeared on, entitled Deep in the Heart of the Beast in the Sun was released on Art's own label, Shindig Records, which went out of business in 1993. The Colorfinger album is, therefore, out of print.
A web page is currently being planned to further describe the Tribute Tape. The short of it is that the tape costs $5 (which includes postage), and it can be ordered through us. Click here to get the basic ordering info.
Due to the constraints of the continuing education of the members of Stoneykirk, the two songs that appear on the Trib are not actually performed by the entire band. Lead singer/guitarist Chris Blackburn supplied the drums and bass for the recordings. This isn't the first time this has happened - it may surprise some of you who own Clearing Vision that Chris actually played bass and drums on "Skit" as well. Chris also supplied the bass for two other songs on Clearing Vision, but it's up to you to figure out which ones.
Chris recorded the drums at Loren's house in late June of 1996. The guitars and bass were recorded in Chris' basement during early July. The vocals were originally recorded in Chris' basement that same month, but were re-recorded in March of 1997 in his dorm room at Duke.
The recordings are much lower-fi than Clearing Vision, and reflect just how the next Stoneykirk release might sound.
Stay tuned...
Note from Chris:
Ugh. Everything's getting weird.
The Everclear Trib is STILL coming. Whenever I make an annoucement on White Lightning saying that it's coming out, someone emails me and asks me if they're too late to send something. So I back off, and wait for them to send me their tape. And wait. And wait. And nothing comes. So, now we're entering the umpteenth month of this. Now, everything's closed. However, I can't go buy the tapes until Spring Break. So they probably won't be released until late March.
Part two: the next Stoneykirk release. Well, it looks like there might be a new release coming out within the next couple of months. It'll be lower-fi than Clearing Vision, but I'm really excited about it. The main thing holding it back right now is that, well, my amp's in the shop. And has been since November. Basically, no one knows exactly where it is. And so things are getting delayed.
Sorry to make you guys wait so long! I'm trying to get everything done as quickly as possible, while still getting ready for graduation (I'm finally out of here!).
If you ever want to get in touch with me, just drop me a line!
SPECIAL NOTE: We've been gone on Winter Break for the latter half of December through the first half of January. If you ordered a tape during that period, don't fear! We got all of the orders today and will try and get them all out as soon as possible. Hopefully, it won't take more than a couple of days. Thanks for being patient.
The Everclear Trib is coming together nicely. It will probably be available sometime in the middle of February. Unfortuately, the Tribute to Brent isn't coming together as nicely. It may be released as a cassette single or something with three or four songs (up to two by us), but it's not likely. We'll have to wait and see.
In other news, Chris spent a large part of his break trying to complete new material. He's currently in the works of recording some of the songs on four-track. If it turns out well, it may lead to the next Stoneykirk release.
Chris and Reuben jammed on some of the songs during the break. They're different from the songs on Clearing Vision - slightly more intricate. Keep your eyes peeled!
Since we're not really playing together at the moment (thanks to our continuing college education), we thought we'd make a quick plug for Reuben's other band, Lipmonger. Lipmonger is a four-piece punk outfit based out of the University of Hartford.
Here's a link to the Lipmonger webpage. DISCLAIMER - Their page is a little on the risque side of things. Parental discretion is advised.
If you're eagerly waiting for new Stoneykirk music, there will be clips of the Compilation contributions appearing here soon - probably right after the tapes are released. The current release date has been pushed back to late December. On the bright side, you won't have to go too far to find them - they'll probably be available here.
Also - corrected some of the historical information on the Stoneykirk History page. Looks like some things didn't really happen the way we remembered.
Following Brent's death, several members of the White Lightning mailing list expressed a desire to contribute original songs as a tribute to Brent. A new compilation has been organized, and Stoneykirk has pledged two songs.
One of the songs to be contributed to the Tribute to Brent is a song tentatively titled, "Troubled", which was recorded in Atlanta on July 27, 1996, the day following the Centennial Olympic Park explosion. The four-track recording, performed and recorded by Chris in the span of about an hour, is not perfect, but its imperfections aid the dark tone of the song.
The second song is a more upbeat song. It is not complete yet, but should be recorded Thanksgiving weekend.
The Everclear Tribute Tape project has been delayed by the tragic death of Brent Fusco on October 11, 1996. After discussing it with the members of the White Lightning mailing list, Chris has volunteered to complete the project for Brent, as a tribute to all of the work he did for the Everclear community. The current completion date is December 6th.
Stoneykirk is contributing two songs to an upcoming Everclear Tribute Tape organized by the Everclear White Lightning mailing list. Stoneykirk's contributions are "Kill the Sun" and "Anita Sonic Love", which were written by Everclear's lead singer, Art Alexakis, for his pre-Everclear band, Colorfinger. Stoneykirk's versions were recorded on a 4-track in Loren's basement during June of 1996.
The tape is being compiled by Brent Fusco, who runs the officially-endorsed Everclear web page, Nehalem. Check back here for info on ordering the tape as soon as it is completed.