Stavesacre
Encyclopedia
Stavesacre was an American rock
band from Huntington Beach
, California
formed in 1995. The band was composed of vocalist Mark Salomon
, guitarists Jeff Bellew and Ryan Dennee, bassist Dirk Lemmenes and drummer Sam West.
Since its formation, Stavesacre has released five studio albums, two EPs, one split album, one compilation, and one DVD.
In 2007, the band stated they would be disbanding following the recording of a few new songs with Jeff Bellew, the band's original guitarist, who departed after the recording of Speakeasy. Their final release was the Against the Silence EP/DVD documentary.
band following the breakup of The Crucified
. Vocalist Mark Salomon
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 touring with 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 newly formed Stavesacre signed to Tooth & Nail Records
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
drummer Sam West. The following year, Stavesacre released Absolutes
. Allmusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine
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.
, 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 Stavesacre's first three albums on Collective and the band released Split/EP
with Denison Marrs
on famed indie label Velvet Blue Music
. 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.
, and the following year released its fifth studio album, How to Live with a Curse
, through Abacus Recordings, an imprint of Century Media Records
. 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."
documenting the band's history. The announcement was made on the official Stavesacre MySpace
:
On March 17, 2008, Lemmenes announced on the band's MySpace that Stavesacre was unsure if they would be disbanding or not. He said West is working on the DVD and a few songs have already been recorded with Bellew. The band stated they are recording a new EP titled "Against the Silence". It marks the first songs recorded with previous bandmember Jeff Bellew since "Speakeasy" in 1999. If all goes according to plan, presale on the new EP is set for June 25, while the first batch is slated to ship on July 10, 2009.
In February, 2009, Stavesacre was announced on the lineup of Cornerstone festival 2009 which runs from June 29 - July 4 in Midwestern Illinois. The band last played Cornerstone in 2002 with a set on Main Stage. Stavesacre has since disbanded.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band from Huntington Beach
Huntington Beach, California
Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County in Southern California. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 189,992; making it the largest beach city in Orange County in terms of population...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
formed in 1995. The band was composed of vocalist Mark Salomon
Mark Salomon
Mark Salomon is an American singer and author 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 is rumored to be one of the voices of Neon Horse, though...
, guitarists Jeff Bellew and Ryan Dennee, bassist Dirk Lemmenes and drummer Sam West.
Since its formation, Stavesacre has released five studio albums, two EPs, one split album, one compilation, and one DVD.
In 2007, the band stated they would be disbanding following the recording of a few new songs with Jeff Bellew, the band's original guitarist, who departed after the recording of Speakeasy. Their final release was the Against the Silence EP/DVD documentary.
Formation, Friction and Absolutes
Stavesacre was formed in 1995 as a post-hardcorePost-hardcore
Post-hardcore is a genre of music that developed from hardcore punk, itself an offshoot of the broader punk rock movement. Like post-punk, post-hardcore is a term for a broad constellation of groups...
band following the breakup of The Crucified
The Crucified
The Crucified is an American Christian crossover thrash metal 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 Crucified released two studio albums and three demos...
. Vocalist Mark Salomon
Mark Salomon
Mark Salomon is an American singer and author 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 is rumored to be one of the voices of Neon Horse, though...
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 touring with 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 newly formed Stavesacre signed to Tooth & Nail Records
Tooth & Nail Records
Tooth & Nail Records is a record label founded by Brandon Ebel in the U.S. state of California in November 1993. The label later moved to Seattle, Washington, where it is situated today...
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
Friction (Stavesacre album)
-Track listing:# "Threshold" – 5:03# "Loader" – 3:45# "At The Moment" – 5:53# "Suffocate Me" – 4:33# "Minus" – 4:34# "Devil" – 3:25# "Tranewreck" – 1:36# "Burning Clean" – 6:29# "Anna Thema" – 3:46# "Stars & Clouds" – 9:41-Personnel:...
, 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
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.-Sin Disease era:...
drummer Sam West. The following year, Stavesacre released Absolutes
Absolutes (album)
-Track listing:# "Shiv" – 2:56# "Sand Dollar" – 3:08# "Colt .45" – 5:45# "Inclusive" – 3:45# "Wither/Ascend" – 6:19# "Acquiesce" – 4:07# "An Eclipsing" – 2:59# "The Two Heavens" – 6:13# "Wither " – 2:36...
. Allmusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
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.
Speakeasy and (stāvz'ā'kər)
Stavesacre's third studio album, SpeakeasySpeakeasy (album)
Speakeasy is the third full length album by Christian rock band Stavesacre. It was the band's final studio album to be released on Tooth & Nail Records....
, 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
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
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 Stavesacre's first three albums on Collective and the band released Split/EP
Split/EP
Split/EP is an EP split between the bands Stavesacre and Denison Marrs released in 2001.- Track listing :#"Night Town" - 4:10#"Island" - 4:18#"Sad Parade" - 4:43#"The New Droan " - 4:28#"A Consequence Plan" - 4:17#"Zero Gravity" - 3:28...
with Denison Marrs
Denison Marrs
Denison Marrs was a U.S. indie rock band from Lakeland, Florida. They formed in 1995 originally under the name Divine Child, and released their first self-recorded and published EP Every Seven Minutes in 1998. In March 1999, the band signed a record deal with 6x6 Records and changed their name to...
on famed indie label Velvet Blue Music
Velvet Blue Music
Velvet Blue Music is an independent record label founded in 1996 by Jeff Cloud . They are a label that has prided itself on a completely independent nature and DIY ethics while also living up to these same qualities...
. 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
Nitro Records
Nitro Records is an independent record label created and owned by Dexter Holland and Greg Kriesel . They started the label in 1994. The label is famous for being an incubator for punk rock artists who have subsequently become successful, most notably AFI...
. 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.
How to Live With a Curse
In 2005, Stavesacre released an EP, titled Bull Takes FighterBull Takes Fighter
Bull Takes Fighter is an EP released by the Christian rock band Stavesacre in 2004. It was limited to 1,000 copies.- Track listing :#"Bull Takes Fighter" - 3:48#"Time Honored Tradition" - 4:35#"Next Age" - 3:55#"Handful of Words" - 5:10-Personnel:...
, and the following year released its fifth studio album, How to Live with a Curse
How to Live with a Curse
How to Live with a Curse is the fifth full length album from rock band Stavesacre, released in 2006 .-Track listing:# "A Reason To Believe" - 3:51# "It's Beautiful " - 3:19# "We Say" - 2:59...
, through Abacus Recordings, an imprint of Century Media Records
Century Media Records
Century Media Records is an Independent record label with offices in the United States, Germany, Australia, France, Italy, Sweden, Finland, and the United Kingdom.- Background :...
. 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."
Recent Developments
On February 27, 2007, Stavesacre announced they would be disbanding following the recording of several new songs with original guitarist Bellew and the release of a DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
documenting the band's history. The announcement was made on the official Stavesacre MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
:
On March 17, 2008, Lemmenes announced on the band's MySpace that Stavesacre was unsure if they would be disbanding or not. He said West is working on the DVD and a few songs have already been recorded with Bellew. The band stated they are recording a new EP titled "Against the Silence". It marks the first songs recorded with previous bandmember Jeff Bellew since "Speakeasy" in 1999. If all goes according to plan, presale on the new EP is set for June 25, while the first batch is slated to ship on July 10, 2009.
In February, 2009, Stavesacre was announced on the lineup of Cornerstone festival 2009 which runs from June 29 - July 4 in Midwestern Illinois. The band last played Cornerstone in 2002 with a set on Main Stage. Stavesacre has since disbanded.
Discography
Studio Albums- FrictionFriction (Stavesacre album)-Track listing:# "Threshold" – 5:03# "Loader" – 3:45# "At The Moment" – 5:53# "Suffocate Me" – 4:33# "Minus" – 4:34# "Devil" – 3:25# "Tranewreck" – 1:36# "Burning Clean" – 6:29# "Anna Thema" – 3:46# "Stars & Clouds" – 9:41-Personnel:...
(1996) - AbsolutesAbsolutes (album)-Track listing:# "Shiv" – 2:56# "Sand Dollar" – 3:08# "Colt .45" – 5:45# "Inclusive" – 3:45# "Wither/Ascend" – 6:19# "Acquiesce" – 4:07# "An Eclipsing" – 2:59# "The Two Heavens" – 6:13# "Wither " – 2:36...
(1997) - SpeakeasySpeakeasy (album)Speakeasy is the third full length album by Christian rock band Stavesacre. It was the band's final studio album to be released on Tooth & Nail Records....
(1999) - (stāvz'ā'kər) (2002)
- How to Live with a CurseHow to Live with a CurseHow to Live with a Curse is the fifth full length album from rock band Stavesacre, released in 2006 .-Track listing:# "A Reason To Believe" - 3:51# "It's Beautiful " - 3:19# "We Say" - 2:59...
(2006)
Members
- Mark SalomonMark SalomonMark Salomon is an American singer and author 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 is rumored to be one of the voices of Neon Horse, though...
: vocals (1995–2009) - Jeff Bellew: guitars, backing vocals (1995–1999, 2007–2009)
- Dirk Lemmenes: bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocals (1995–2009) - Sam West: drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
(1997–2009) - Ryan Dennee: guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(1999–2009)