Stella Schindler

Distant Hum by Stella Schindler

Standout Track: No. 7, “Hiram’s Lament,” a country & western waltz in the voice of a man who’s been left by his lover. The verses have the pace of a tired horse on a desert trail, but the chorus speeds to a lively trot as Hiram recites a litany of woes: “The whiskey cup is empty and the dog won’t get up/And the paint is getting thinner every time I look up.”

Musical Motivation: Brookland singer-guitarist Stella Schindler, wrote “Hiram’s Lament” after reading a biography of Hiram “Hank” Williams. “It’s an Old Testament name, but at the same time it conjures up for me the image of a man in the Midwest,” she says. From there, Schindler imagined a man who comes home every day from work and reads a Dear John letter. “Clearly this woman is not coming back, but he’s in denial,” she says. That idea inspired the verse: “Nellie, the lamplight is low/And I can’t read this letter you wrote/Have you gone back to Kansas or are you coming on home?/Oh Nellie, the lamplight is low.”

Hank You Friends: Hiram may be lonely, but that didn’t stop Schindler from enlisting several musician pals to accompany the lament with guitar, percussion, and lap steel. And while Schindler is used to playing solo, everyone who contributed to her album will be performing at her record-release party at the Velvet Lounge. “It’s a small stage,” she says. “I hope we can all fit up there.”
(Sadie Dingfelder, July 30, 2008)
- DC's City Paper

"Death Valley" by Stella Schindler: Local songstress offers up a spooky, noirish tale with a galloping beat that, as the title implies, gives off a definite riding-in-the-desert vibe. (David Malitz, 2008)
- Washington Post

Here’s a sensual, trilling voice that hits you straight away and sticks in your memory, and the songs are equally compelling. Schindler’s Americana vision has an eerie aura exemplified by the haunted, voice-from-the-grave “Faded Memory”; the panoramic “Ancient Trail” on which her reverbed vocal achieves a hypnotic, Mazzy Starr vibe; and her catchiest song, “Broken Glass.” On each of Schindler’s tunes, the mix of voice and instruments is expertly rendered. - Music Connection

Stella Schindler's 2001 debut "New Horizon" was an album to spend plenty of time with, but six years might be enough. Her sweet voice and smart lyrics stood out, but it was the honesty she conveyed that made her bluegrass-tinged folk songs sound so convincing. She works in the same bittersweet-yet-still-uplifting territory as Maria McKee, singing sad songs that will make you smile. "New Horizon" was certainly a tough act to follow, but she's finally getting around to it." (David Malitz) - Washington Post

With an emotive delivery that at various points brings to mind Marianne Faithfull and Iris Dement under the spell of eerie gothic gloom, Stella Schindler makes a striking impression on Distant Hum. Her seductive style has a hazy feel that’s elusive yet inviting. She effectively integrates various strands of quiet despair, resulting in an album deliriously imbued with imagery and allusion.

The set begins provocatively with the dirge-like ballad “Ancient Trail” and maintains its sensual sway. However, Schindler hits her stride with “Get Along Joseph,” an upbeat shuffle that suggests vintage Dylan helmed by Gram and Emmylou. --Lee Zimmerman, June 2008
- Performing Songwriter Magazine