Stereogrove
Boston, Massachusetts, United States | SELF
Music
Press
"...it was the most-rocking base lines I’ve heard in years (and bassist voted to be most like a Mexican jumping bean) – along with vocals that were a captivating sound combination of hip hop, rock, and maybe a moment of folk punk and jazz.--- It was good song after good song, with a packed house and an energetic crowd that was moving to the sounds." - Chickswithguitars.com
"Four-piece groove rock band from Boston, whose powerful grunge vocals react with interplaying guitars, melodic and raw. The drums and bass drive funky rhythms that implore the audience to dance beyond control." - Relix
Orchard St concerts often follow a simple formula: skinny jeans * (indie rock band + text messaging hipsters) = waiting for the DJ. The equation fell apart on Saturday when Boston four piece Stereogrove played The Annex, one of the more fashion-conscious venues in the city - - the boys were obviously out of their element when they emerged on stage clad in the same t-shirt and sweatpants they slept in. Despite confused looks from the crowd, the young group played a set that proved rock is more about attitude than image. Too fiery to be called jam/reggae, yet too melodic to be dismissed as angry rock, these guys reminded me of early Sublime - - the sound I grew up on...they're destined for great things. - Mike Frankel
Top Notch production and the best packaging I have ever seen from a local band HANDS DOWN. I can't stop listening to this CD [vs. them]. Stereogrove is GOING FAR, FAST!
- Mark From HearNowLive
"Had to bring back the stomps and kicks with Stereogrove and their track "Empty Pockets". This band stems from Boston kinda Rock / Jam Band that fuses elements of reggae, Hip Hop and blues. I would say a little Rock-a-Billy too. Check out more tunes http://www.stereogrove.com or http://www.myspace.com/stereogrove tell em’ Earl sent you."
-Empty Pockets featured on the Earl Clifton Radio Podcast - August 21st 2009 ECR-13-2009 - Earl Clifton
This record [vs. them] has a great vibe to it. The spontaneity draws you in, and the more you listen, the more you understand what its about and you get drawn into the whole experience of the music. - John Paul Gauthier - Grammy Award Winning Producer/Engineer, Owner of Lake West Recordings
"With music that captures the essence of what rock was like before it was watered down while infusing the influences of Reggae, Hip Hop and Blues, Stereogrove demonstrates a no frills approach to forging a sound unto their own." - James O'Connor, Fresh Press Media - Fresh Press Media
The first thing that struck me about Stereogrove is the diversity of the song-writing. They use influences like Sublime, Everlast, and Nirvana to create a sound that is unique, and distinctive. The energy they give off is that of a band who has reached a crucial comfort level with their emotions and their abilities… a rare gift for a young band. The music is raw, powerful, and very accessible… some of the coolest shit I've heard in a while. - Type 3 Media
Recommended if you like: Primus, Alice In Chains
Why we picked them: Jam band-inflected funk, mixed with '90s- Alternative Rock vocals and lyricism - Spin
The 11 song album [Live At The Bridge] is laced with ear-catching elements of rock, reggae, funk, and jam, with some ska rhythms tossed in the mix and a grungy growl slapped on top. - PlaygroundBoston.com
"Runtime" is a perfect noun to describe what happens while "Wakefield" is coming out of your speakers. This is a ferocious track that absolutely, positively moves. And it's not just running in circles. Stereogrove actively propels us to different musical destinations, all in the same general town, but each different enough to remain interesting - and fairly awesome.And live, I mean come on!
- Boston Band Crush
"it makes me want to drink and stand right in front of the stage and make you put your foot on my head in rock n roll fashion" - Jenn Bair from the International Songwriting Competition
Few bands can mix rock and rap well. Rage Against The Machine was great at it, Linkin Park is ok at it, and Limp Bizkit was terrible at it. The challenge for any rock/hip-hop band is to avoid the stereotypical sound established by the likes of Limp Bizkit in the late 90’s. Boston based band Stereogrove attempts to prove that they can mix the two styles on its debut album Vs. Them with varied success.
Stereogrove does make use of several different styles well on the CD. Much of the guitar playing on the album draws directly from the sounds of reggae and ska. Guitarist Matt Smith uses smooth, upstroke riffs on many of the songs, most noticeably on “Dig My Own Grave,” and “Stuck.” Smith combines these reggae riffs with heavy, grunge style ones in the vein of Alice In Chains and Nirvana. The resulting sound is a catchy and unique one that will have you bobbing your head.
Vocalist AJ Butler switches between rapping and singing throughout Vs. Them. While he’s not a great rapper, he manages to put together some decent raps. Since most of the songs don’t rely solely on rapping, when it does happen it makes for a nice change of pace. However, the songs that are entirely rapped, like “And It Goes” and “The Philosofists”, are pretty generic and not that interesting.
Butler’s real appeal comes from his singing ability. He uses the raspy vocals favored by 90’s alternative rock bands like Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Alice In Chains with great success. On “Franky,” a catchy number about a pot smoker, Butler’s vocals are identical to Layne Staley of Alice In Chains. “Lord Don’t Givith” also draws this comparison. If you’re a fan of 90’s alt-rock these songs are right up your alley.
Bassist Tony Hollums also makes a strong contribution to Vs. Them. His funky bass playing sounds similar to Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers. Hollums provides a solid rhythm behind every song, which gives the album a funk-feel that gets inside your head and makes it hard not to enjoy.
Over all, Vs. Them is a good debut album. Stereogrove avoids the pitfalls of rap-rock, and does a great job of replicating 90’s alt-rock. The band adds its own style to supplement, resulting in a sound that totally belongs to them.
MuzikReviews.com Contributor- Chris Homer
- Chris Homer; muzikreviews.com
Punk, Reggae, Blues, Funk and Hip-Hop fuse together to create the sound of Stereogrove. The Boston base, four man unit fills a void in the rock world that has been left by the passing of Sublime. With a 420 friendly outlook, Stereogrove brings the audience back to old school 90's groove rock and at the same time propels them forward through the doors of a future where it takes more to rock than a t-shirt from hot topic and some eyeliner. - Marc Scortino
Discography
Live At The Bridge (May 2010)
Vs. Them (May 2008)
Home Grown Classics (Winter 2007)
Keep Your Ear To The Door Vol 2 (Summer 2006)
Keep Your Ear To The Door Vol 1 (Spring 2006)
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Radio & Licensing:
101.7 WFNX - "Do Somethin"
101.7 WFNX / Spin Magazine - "Like You"
www.wfnx.xom
FM102X - Song of the Day 1/20/09 - "People Say"
http://www.mevio.com/shows/?sId=19523&mId=5916418
Unheard Rock Radio - "Empty Pockets", "Dig My Own Grave"
www.unheadradio.com
PureStock Web Show - "Gritty Smitty"
http://www.purestock.tv
Under The Radar Podcast - "Don't Let It Rain On Me" used as intro theme song episodes 1-14 and and outro song in episodes 16-21
http://slundertheradar.com/
Outboundmusic.com - "Like You"
http://www.outboundmusic.com/
Exploit Boston Radio
http://www.exploitboston.com/
Bunk Radio
http://www.bunkradio.com/
Photos
Bio
Stereogrove - Growing with Sound
An Introduction
Music and art inherently pollinate the lives we lead. It begins with a single seed of thought set to portray creations of the mind. With time the seed transforms; a stem protrudes and continues along the line of evolution.
Much of the previous prose describes the existence of Stereogrove; a musical collaboration between four men out of Boston. Once known as Stem, the group’s evolution in song writing, artistic merit, and professionalism has led them to a new name and newer path; one rarely walked by modern musicians.
The roots of Stereogrove run deep, beginning almost 10 years ago. These years held periods of time for brothers AJ Butler and Matt Butler, and Matt Smith to initiate their musical relationship, holding sessions which brought about a familiarity of styles. Their melding of melodies and instinctual grooves would later be enhanced with the addition of Tony Hollums.
The present group came to fruition in early 2006 and have since created a myriad of songs, a devout fan base, and artistic innovations, while performing for sold-out crowds at venues such as the Mercury Lounge and the Hard Rock Cafe. The musical influences that contributed to Stereogrove are quite diverse; delving into many genres to create a fusion of groove oriented rock music. Ultimately, if your iPod has multiple styles of music on it, then you need to hear Stereogrove and add them to your play list. There is something untimely magical when all popular styles of music from the last six decades can be combined in modern times to create a new sound that resonates with people so much that they cannot help but move, and be moved, to the extent that they feel connected.
The members of Stereogrove individually come from different musical backgrounds as well. AJ Butler (vocals/guitar) displays a mix of grunge-rock guitar and reggae rhythms while fervently delivering lyrics - sung, rapped, or purely improvised in a blues-rock voice - to solidify the vocal foundation of the band. Matt Smith (guitar) weaves his bluesy notes into a web of sound along with AJ that presents the illusion of a third guitarist in the group. Matt Butler (drums) plays his instrument with every fabric of his being; passionately exploding from one beat to the next while Tony Hollums (bass) brings a new definition to funk bass, one that words cannot even describe. All space for sound is adequately filled up by these four musicians as they explore and improvise through the possibilities of what music can be.
With actual work experience within the music industry, the band truly grasps the landscape they are a part of an embraces it. This is where the culmination of their music and art resides. An innovated method of growing a fan base and involving those fans comes forth while asking the fans what they want to hear and how they want to be a part of it.
Visual concept art created by Tony accompanies songs from the first album Stem Vs. Them and the creation of the “Splatterbox” saw the light of day. To sum it up, the Splatterbox is a wooden box with speakers inside. Cups of paint splatter with the vibrations from the bass guitar and allow the paint to freely fall on a canvas. This invention has helped show what the music sounds like. The group is looking to further explore musically-artistic innovations through packaging, posters, t-shirts, and website graphics with their new material.
The live show is truly the essence of Stereogrove, allowing them to feed off the crowd and make the audience feel like they are a part of the show. Live artists have painted to the sounds of Stereogrove to show their interpretation of the music while the band’s internal communication allows for improvisations and dynamic changes; meticulously transitioning from one piece to the next. It is easy to see that the members of the band love what they do, and want everyone in attendance to enjoy themselves.
Stem was something organic; a bond that was beautiful in the eyes of the members. Stereogrove, although representing the same dedication and integral structure, is something more universal. It will continue to reach fans by the organic methods, but now, holds a greater purpose within the sharing of music and art to find a community of friends and enhancing the way music is accepted by society.
The seeds have been sown; the grove is rising from the earth, touching human temperament. Stereogrove is not the first, and will certainly not be the last, but they may be one of the most inspiring and passionate bands of modern times. Beyond backgrounds and experiences, the give-and-take relationship between music, people, and art has helped Stereogrove find themselves and their fans.
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Accomplishments:
Hand picked and featured along side Dave Matthews Band, Phish, The Allman Brothers, and Drop Kick Murphys on Kevin Youkilis' "Music Hits Home" Compilation: http://www.you
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