When the principal players of the Stick Arounds (Jeff Gower: ex-Gentleman Callers/Jason Lantrip: ex-Calliope/Matt Carlson: ex-Pantones) fabricated the band around a shared love for acts like The Knack, Elvis Costello, Big Star and Teenage Fanclub; the concept was to meld together a band that paid homage to the power pop era of rock and roll with a collection of cover songs and original compositions.

Over the past eight years, since the band began playing together, and with the addition of drummer Joel Kuiper (ex-Gentleman Callers/Pantones) and Ian Walker on bass, the Stick Arounds have morphed into a five piece celebration of what makes rock and roll still feel important.

The cover choices are a striking melange of power pop stalwarts like “Good Girls Don’t” by The Knack and “Angels Wanna Wear My Red Shoes” by Elvis Costello interspersed with chimey rock n’ roll takes on Tom T. Hall and David Bowie. Yet, it’s with the original songs where The Stick Arounds really show off their chops and diversity.

In the more than 20 original songs that the band regularly plays live, you’ll find bombastic garage rock, sharp Byrds-esque pop, Guided By Voices inspired abandon, and classic rock turned on its’ ear, all themed together with a thread of instrumental ingenuity and a penchant for clever and thoughtful lyrics.

The Stick Arounds are a rock band in an era sorely lacking bona fide rock bands. Their first album “Mystery Garage” features twelve original compositions recorded live in front of an audience over two nights.