Stump The Host
Encyclopedia
Stump The Host was a band from Chicago
, USA, featuring lead singers Steve Dawson and Diane Christiansen, who later formed the band Dolly Varden
. From 1988 to 1993 they played primarily in Chicago and the Midwest. Their music was a mix of country, rock, and R&B, featuring dual male / female harmony vocals, country-blues electric guitar, saxophone and rhythm section. After a series of local and national reviews of their cassette recordings, and a performance at South By Southwest
, they signed a publishing deal with PolyGram Music and were courted by Zoo Records. They eventually released one 7" single, "California Zephyr" on the independent label Minty Fresh
.
In 1991 the band signed a publishing deal with Polygram
/Island Music
, and was also a finalist in Musician magazine
's Best Unsigned Bands Contest.
In 1991 the band caught the ear of Jim Powers, an A+R rep for Zoo Records. Zoo paid for the band to demo four songs, "Married in a Taxi Cab," "10,000 Pounds," "Bronko Nagurski," and "Pink to Black", with producer Steve Berlin
(of Los Lobos
) and engineer Jim Rondinelli. The company did respond with an offer, but neither Powers nor the band were happy with it and they passed. In 1993, Powers set up his own independent record label, called Minty Fresh
, through which he released Stump The Host's only single.
The stress of the music business contributed to the band's breakup in 1993. Another factor was that some members of the band wanted to begin touring more actively while others did not.
Drummer Leslie Santos left the group in 1992, eventually joining the Long Gone Lonesome Boys, and was replaced by Dan Massey of the group the Wildroots. Dave Gay, the bass player, also eventually decided to leave the band, and went on to play full time with Freakwater
, who he'd been a member of from the beginning. A replacement was found in Lisa Wertman, formerly of the band Get Smart!
, but before Lisa got started with the band, they broke up. Lisa would continue to play with Steve and Diane, though, as a founding member of Dolly Varden
. Stump the Host played its last show on Saturday, June 11 at the Beat Kitchen in Chicago.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, USA, featuring lead singers Steve Dawson and Diane Christiansen, who later formed the band Dolly Varden
Dolly Varden
Dolly Varden may refer to:* Dolly Varden , a character in the novel Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens. The original usage.* Dolly Vardens , a group of Black women baseball players that comprised the first professional baseball team* Dolly Varden , a musical group from Chicago, Illinois* Dolly Varden...
. From 1988 to 1993 they played primarily in Chicago and the Midwest. Their music was a mix of country, rock, and R&B, featuring dual male / female harmony vocals, country-blues electric guitar, saxophone and rhythm section. After a series of local and national reviews of their cassette recordings, and a performance at South By Southwest
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
, they signed a publishing deal with PolyGram Music and were courted by Zoo Records. They eventually released one 7" single, "California Zephyr" on the independent label Minty Fresh
Minty Fresh
Minty Fresh is a Chicago-based record label, founded in 1993 by Jim Powers with Anthony Musiala. The label is known for launching the careers of Veruca Salt. They also gave the Swedish band The Cardigans their first US release and released the debut single by Liz Phair...
.
Career
The band began in 1988 as an acoustic trio with Steve Dawson on guitar and vocals, Tom Murray on violin, and Diane Christiansen on vocals. By 1989 they added Dave Gay on upright bass and Leslie Santos on drums and began playing larger venues in Chicago. Brian Dunn was added on electric guitar and Murray left in late 1989 as the band recorded its first cassette release with Timothy Powell in Chicago. In 1990 Davyd Johnson was added on tenor saxophone and the band recorded its second cassette release, which was given a spotlight review in CMJ.In 1991 the band signed a publishing deal with Polygram
PolyGram
PolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...
/Island Music
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
, and was also a finalist in Musician magazine
Musician (magazine)
Musician was a monthly magazine that covered news and information about American popular music. Initially called "Music America", it was founded in 1976 by Sam Holdsworth and Gordon Baird. The two friends borrowed $20,000 from relatives and started the publication in a barn in Colorado...
's Best Unsigned Bands Contest.
In 1991 the band caught the ear of Jim Powers, an A+R rep for Zoo Records. Zoo paid for the band to demo four songs, "Married in a Taxi Cab," "10,000 Pounds," "Bronko Nagurski," and "Pink to Black", with producer Steve Berlin
Steve Berlin
Steve Berlin is an American saxophonist, keyboardist and record producer, best known as a member of the rock group Los Lobos and, before that, Top Jimmy & The Rhythm Pigs, The Blasters, and The Flesh Eaters...
(of Los Lobos
Los Lobos
Los Lobos are a multiple Grammy Award–winning American Chicano rock band from East Los Angeles, California. Their music is influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country, folk, R&B, blues, brown-eyed soul, and traditional Spanish and Mexican music such as cumbia, boleros and norteños.-History:The...
) and engineer Jim Rondinelli. The company did respond with an offer, but neither Powers nor the band were happy with it and they passed. In 1993, Powers set up his own independent record label, called Minty Fresh
Minty Fresh
Minty Fresh is a Chicago-based record label, founded in 1993 by Jim Powers with Anthony Musiala. The label is known for launching the careers of Veruca Salt. They also gave the Swedish band The Cardigans their first US release and released the debut single by Liz Phair...
, through which he released Stump The Host's only single.
The stress of the music business contributed to the band's breakup in 1993. Another factor was that some members of the band wanted to begin touring more actively while others did not.
Drummer Leslie Santos left the group in 1992, eventually joining the Long Gone Lonesome Boys, and was replaced by Dan Massey of the group the Wildroots. Dave Gay, the bass player, also eventually decided to leave the band, and went on to play full time with Freakwater
Freakwater
-Career:In 1989, Janet Beveridge Bean and Catherine Irwin founded the band, and they have been supported by several musicians since then, including members of Califone . Bassist David Wayne Gay, formerly of Stump The Host, is another long-time member of the band...
, who he'd been a member of from the beginning. A replacement was found in Lisa Wertman, formerly of the band Get Smart!
Get Smart! (band)
Get Smart! was a three piece band formed in Lawrence, Kansas in 1980 consisting of Marc Koch, Lisa Wertman Crowe and Frank Loose.-Career:The band formed while at University of Kansas in Lawrence, KS in 1980 and, along with bands like the Embarrassment and the Mortal Micronotz, they were prominent...
, but before Lisa got started with the band, they broke up. Lisa would continue to play with Steve and Diane, though, as a founding member of Dolly Varden
Dolly Varden (band)
Dolly Varden is a Chicago band built around the singing and songwriting of husband and wife duo Steve Dawson and Diane Christiansen. Their music combines elements of folk, rock and pop and country. The band has released 5 albums, along with several collections and side projects...
. Stump the Host played its last show on Saturday, June 11 at the Beat Kitchen in Chicago.
Reception
- "When you turn over the traditional rock of country music, you unearth a colony of cherished influences. A sense of fair play binds modern country melodies with rugged Southern gospel and the bottleneck guitar of rural blues. That's how Stump the Host plays the game." (Dave Hoekstra, Chicago TribuneChicago TribuneThe Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, September 27, 1989) - "Here, goodness gracious, is one Chicago rock band that has it all: excellent original songs, two appealing and emotionally credible singers, a guitarist playing memorable licks, a rock-solid rhythm section--and yes, a name that people remember. Stump the Host play rock 'n' roll that's been soaked overnight in a big bucket o' country feeling and hung up to dry in the gritty air of the big city. " (Renaldo Migaldi, Chicago Reader, February 8, 1990)
- "In concert, Stump the Host is capable of transcendent power, especially when Dawson and Diane Christiansen blend their voices on one of their original songs. Brian Dunn is an astonishing guitarist, one of the best I've seen in Chicago, and the rhythm section of Dave Gay and Leslie Santos smolders like one of Gay's omnipresent cigarettes." (Greg KotGreg KotGreg Kot is an American writer and journalist. Since 1990, Kot has been the music critic at the Chicago Tribune, where he has covered popular music and reported on music-related social, political and business issues...
, Chicago TribuneChicago TribuneThe Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, May 10, 1990) - "With Dawson`s and Christiansen`s voices intertwining in the foreground, the band plays a country rock tinged with gospel, blues and rhythm & blues." (band Profile, Chicago TribuneChicago TribuneThe Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, September 21, 1990) - "Stump the Host will perform its soul and western musical stylings. One of the best new bands to emerge in the late '80s, Stump the Host is homegrown. The musicians' harmonizing is beautiful and makes their lyrical songs sound uncommonly good." (Jae-Ha Kim, Chicago Sun-TimesChicago Sun-TimesThe Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
, March 15, 1991) - "Strong vocals, performances on locally circulated tapes; Dawson's songwriting skills could provide fluke break. " (Bill Wyman, Chicago Reader, July 1, 1993)
- "Stump The Host adhered to a rustic yet rocking songcraft that was peerless in Chicago." (Rick Reger, Chicago TribuneChicago TribuneThe Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, December 22, 1995) - "I still have vivid memories of Steve Dawson onstage one night at the Lounge Ax with his first band, Stump the Host. Killing time while some guitar strings got changed, he sang an impromptu version of "(You Make Me Feel Like) a Natural Woman"--lost in the tune, his eyes closed, he made the gender flip irrelevant. Dawson understood that soul singing isn't about bombast and flash but careful shading and deep intuition." (Peter Margasak, Chicago Reader, August 25, 2005)
Members
- Steve Dawson - guitar, vocals
- Diane Christiansen - vocals
- Brian Dunn - lead guitar
- Dave Gay - bass (standup and electric)
- Leslie Santos - drums #1
- Dan Massey - drums #2
- Davyd Johnson - saxophone
Reception
- "When you turn over the traditional rock of country music, you unearth a colony of cherished influences. A sense of fair play binds modern country melodies with rugged Southern gospel and the bottleneck guitar of rural blues. That's how Stump the Host plays the game." (Dave Hoekstra, Chicago TribuneChicago TribuneThe Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, September 27, 1989) - "Here, goodness gracious, is one Chicago rock band that has it all: excellent original songs, two appealing and emotionally credible singers, a guitarist playing memorable licks, a rock-solid rhythm section--and yes, a name that people remember. Stump the Host play rock 'n' roll that's been soaked overnight in a big bucket o' country feeling and hung up to dry in the gritty air of the big city. " (Renaldo Migaldi, Chicago Reader, February 8, 1990)
- "In concert, Stump the Host is capable of transcendent power, especially when Dawson and Diane Christiansen blend their voices on one of their original songs. Brian Dunn is an astonishing guitarist, one of the best I've seen in Chicago, and the rhythm section of Dave Gay and Leslie Santos smolders like one of Gay's omnipresent cigarettes." (Greg KotGreg KotGreg Kot is an American writer and journalist. Since 1990, Kot has been the music critic at the Chicago Tribune, where he has covered popular music and reported on music-related social, political and business issues...
, Chicago TribuneChicago TribuneThe Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, May 10, 1990) - "With Dawson`s and Christiansen`s voices intertwining in the foreground, the band plays a country rock tinged with gospel, blues and rhythm & blues." (band Profile, Chicago TribuneChicago TribuneThe Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, September 21, 1990) - "Stump the Host will perform its soul and western musical stylings. One of the best new bands to emerge in the late '80s, Stump the Host is homegrown. The musicians' harmonizing is beautiful and makes their lyrical songs sound uncommonly good." (Jae-Ha Kim, Chicago Sun-TimesChicago Sun-TimesThe Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
, March 15, 1991) - "Strong vocals, performances on locally circulated tapes; Dawson's songwriting skills could provide fluke break. " (Bill Wyman, Chicago Reader, July 01, 1993)
- "Stump The Host adhered to a rustic yet rocking songcraft that was peerless in Chicago." (Rick Reger, Chicago TribuneChicago TribuneThe Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, December 22, 1995) - "I still have vivid memories of Steve Dawson onstage one night at the Lounge Ax with his first band, Stump the Host. Killing time while some guitar strings got changed, he sang an impromptu version of "(You Make Me Feel Like) a Natural Woman"--lost in the tune, his eyes closed, he made the gender flip irrelevant. Dawson understood that soul singing isn't about bombast and flash but careful shading and deep intuition." (Peter Margasak, Chicago Reader, August 25, 2005) }}