Stranger Kings

Finding a solution in dissolution, Stranger Kings was a fortunate accident. With the departure of guitarist Jeff Schroeder for the Smashing Pumpkins and vocalist Wayne Everett for solo work in New York, The Lassie Foundation breathed its last, and guitarist Eric Campuzano was left with an eight track recorder of unfinished songs. Unfettered by the unexpected new beginning, he turned to long-time friend and bassist Herb Grimaud Jr. to work on old songs and new ideas. Grimaud had completed three albums of dark ambience as The Sound Gallery after leaving Southern California alt-band The Violet Burning, and was looking for a new musical home. Early demos merged their Cali-gaze dream guitars and 80’s Brit post-punk melodic bass lines successfully enough to attract friends and contributors. Local solo artist Holly Nelson gave it a voice, and Brady Esquivel (Set To Sea) brought the drums to life, while Steve R (monorocket) and John Hertzberg added additional synthscaping. The songs were largely recorded one at time from start to finish as they were written, each being released on the band’s Bandcamp site with original artwork. An EP collection of the initial tracks was announced, and then a full-length album was put into action by the band’s new label (SUBDIVISION), in a partnership with Northern Records (former home to The Lassie Foundation). Andy Prickett has been responsible for the majority of production, and all of the mixing, as he was for most of the Lassie material (including their seminal ‘California’ and ‘Pacifico’ recordings). The album is truly an album, a collection of unique moments captured in time, all from the single great occasion of being a new band. Weeks and weeks of regular writing and practice produced a new coming of age, a new youth and innocence, as the music they always loved was resurrected in their hearts. With each member pulling from their own soul-imprinted 80’s, they found a point of mutual inspiration in the idea of “John Hughes movies,” which always featured great soundtracks of current bands, and Molly Ringwalds loving Jake Ryans. So you hear it here; bass like The Cure and New Order, clean, singing guitars and washes of Cocteau chords, synths and drums from Modern English and Simple Minds. Songwriting elements hail from Echo & The Bunnymen, Depeche Mode, and The Psychedelic Furs, with the romantic angst in Nelson’s lyrical storylines balancing their sincere but measured delivery. Not a single note is sung or played in cool irony, or retro-tribute, but rather as if it were their first band in 1991, and not a moment has passed since. While never intending to be a live performing band, local shows have been well-received, and as the album readies for release more are in the works. New songs are already being written, and multiple remixes of the album material have been completed by numerous people (including one by Schroeder), all of which will be released simultaneously with the album. "If any of our songs ever did make it on the top ten, I'd disband the group immediately." - Robert Smith