Kelley Stoltz

Kelley Stoltz (born 1971) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. He currently resides in San Francisco, California. His music has been compared to that of Brian Wilson,[1] Velvet Underground, Nick Drake and Leonard Cohen.

Kelley Stoltz
Stoltz performing in 2014
Background information
Born1971
OriginBirmingham, Michigan, United States
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • songwriter
  • record producer
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • piano
Years active1999–present
Labels
Associated acts
Websitewww.kelleystoltz.com

Musical career

Kelley Stoltz was born in New York City in 1971 and grew up in Birmingham, Michigan. He moved to New York City in his early twenties.[2] While living in New York in the mid 1990s, Stoltz served as an intern with Jeff Buckley's management company where he worked as a "fan-mail" sorter. In the late 1990s he relocated to San Francisco and began his own musical career. Stoltz recorded his first album The Past Was Faster in 1999, released on Telegraph Records. Stoltz self-released his second album Antique Glow in 2001. The original release was 300 vinyl LPs in hand-painted sleeves. Later the album gained wider distribution when it was released by Jackpine Social Club in the US, Beautiful Happiness in the UK and Raoul Records in Australia.[2] His next project was recorded in the last week of 2001: a track by track cover of Echo & the Bunnymen's Crocodiles album recorded on his 8-track tape recorder.

In late 2003, Stoltz toured Australia for the first time and recorded a 4 track direct to disc EP at Corduroy Records.[2] In 2004, Mojo Magazine gave Antique Glow a four (out of five) star review and featured an article on Stoltz in their "Mojo Rising" column. In 2005, Stoltz signed to Sub Pop and released "The Sun Comes Through" EP. He also toured Europe in April and Australia for a second time in Dec 2005-January 2006. His first full-length release for Sub Pop, entitled "Below the Branches", was released in February 2006.

In tandem with the release of "Below the Branches" was an industry first: "Below the Branches" was the first record in history to make an on-package claim about renewable energy use with the Green-e logo. Stoltz tracked his electricity use and with the help of the Green-e program, offset the all the electricity used to record his record with green tags from the Bonneville Environmental Foundation. In Kelley's words: “Using renewable energy to offset the electricity I needed to power my guitar amps and my recording machines was a simple and effective way for me to do something about my impact on the environment. Green-e certifies that I am buying 100 percent renewable energy. Hopefully, people will see their logo; check into what they do, and make renewable energy a part of their lives, too."

Stoltz and his band were the opening support band for The Raconteurs, on their July and August 2006 tour. Stoltz also performed at the 2006 Lollapalooza in Chicago. His song "Birdies Singing" from "Below the Branches" has been used by Volvo for the Volvo C30 commercial in Sweden in 2007; it has also been used for the Regions Financial ad campaign of 2007 in the U.S. Stoltz's song, "Memory Collector" is featured in a Marriott Hotels ad, and several of his songs were used in the hit FX series, "Damages." In early 2006, Stoltz produced God's Boat, the debut album from The Passionistas, which was released on June 5, 2007. He also produced or worked on other Bay Area albums: Oh Sees - Sucks Blood, Bart Davenport - Palaces, Moore Brothers - Aptos and Colossal Yes - Charlemagne's Big Thaw.

On February 5, 2008 Stoltz's album Circular Sounds was released by Sub Pop. In 2010 he opened for his heroes Echo & the Bunnymen on a North American Tour after the scheduled opening group was waylaid by the 2010 Icelandic volcano eruption.[3]

In October 2010 Sub Pop released Stoltz's album To Dreamers. Stoltz also appeared on Sonny Smith's Sonny and the Sunsets album Tomorrow is Alright.[4]

In 2012, Kelley played keyboards, along with members of the Fresh & Onlys, in the backing band to songwriter Rodriguez during a string of live concerts.

In September 2013, Double Exposure was released on Third Man Records. He and his band served as opening act for Jack White on his Lazaretto tour.[5]

After recording an EP and a further album under a pseudonym, Stoltz's next proper album, In Triangle Time, was released in November 2015.[6]

Stoltz played rhythm guitar in Echo & the Bunnymen on their UK, European and USA tours 2016-2018.

Released "Que Aura" on Castle Face Records August 12, 2017.

Released "Natural Causes" on Banana & Louie Records February 21, 2018.

Released "My Regime" on Banana & Louie Records September 2019.

Supported Ezra Furman on USA Tour Feb/March 2020.

Discography
  • The Past Was Faster (1999)
  • Antique Glow (2001)
  • Crockodials (Late 2001)
  • Australian Tour LP (2003)
  • Discount City/84 Tigers 7" (2004, Cass Records)
  • Live to Acetate (2004, Corduroy Records)
  • The Sun Comes Through EP (2005, Sub Pop)
  • Below The Branches (2006, Sub Pop)
  • With My Face On the Floor 7"EP Art School Drop Out
  • Circular Sounds (2008, Sub Pop)
  • My Baby Always Knows (What Time It Is)7" split tour single with the Dirtbombs Cass Records
  • Your Reverie/Owl Service (2008, Sub Pop)
  • Baby I Got News For You/Fire Escape (2009, Chuffed)
  • To Dreamers (2010, Sub Pop)
  • Two Imaginary Girls 7" (2012, Les Disques Steak[7])
  • Double Exposure (2013, Third Man Records)
  • Cross Your Mind/The Anarchist In Me (2013. Stroll On Records)
  • 4 New Cuts EP (2015, Stroll On Records)
  • The Scuzzy Inputs of Willie Weird LP under the pseudonym "Willie Weird" (2015, Stroll On Records)
  • In Triangle Time LP (2015, Castle Face Records)
  • YTAWFUMB/PublicTV 7" (2016 Fueled By Grappa)
  • Que Aura LP (2017, Castle Face Records)
  • STRAT - Live At the Whammy Bar LP (2017, Puzzle Records)
  • Transnational Series Vol 1 LP (2017, La Suisse Primitive) Split LP with Augenwasser
  • ‘’Natural Causes’’ LP (2018, Banana & Louie Records)
  • My Regime LP (2019, Banana & Louie Records)
  • Falcon/Falkland - Energy Beats Perfection LP (2019, Chuffed Records)
  • Hard Feelings LP (2020, Chuffed Records)
  • Crockodials LP (2020, 9x9 Records)
  • Ah!(etc) LP (2020), Agitated Records)

References
  1. "From out of the bedroom and into our lives – Motown transplant and Mission District regular Kelley Stoltz unveils Below the Branches, his great full-length debut on Sub Pop and a long-awaited follow-up to the home-recorded Antique Glow". Sfbg.com. Retrieved 2016-01-01.
  2. Matheson, Craig (December 29, 2005). "Kelley Stoltz - Gig Preview". The Age.
  3. Pirro, Jonathan (May 20, 2011). "Show Review: Echo & the Bunnymen with Kelley Stoltz at The Warfield, 5/19/2011". Spinning Platters.
  4. "SONNY & THE SUNSETS". Softabuse.com. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  5. "Kelley Stoltz: New Album Streamed!". Mojo. October 8, 2013. Archived from the original on April 3, 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  6. "PREMIERE: Stream Kelley Stoltz's 'In Triangle Time' Now". PureVolume. November 4, 2015.
  7. "TWO IMAGINARY GIRLS 7", by Kelley Stoltz". Les Disques Steak. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
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