Stillwater Black came together in 1991 when Chris Thayer met Ahmed and Sam Pierstorff while playing in the pit band for a high school musical production. Issac McCorkell was quickly recruited on drums and the band recorded its first EP, The Last Virtuous Lady of Athens.

In 1995 they signed with Cleaves Entertainment, a now-defunct independent label based out of Southern California's Inland Empire. Stillwater Black recorded their debut LP, Adam. They played frequently with local and national acts including Dishwalla, Save Ferris, Reel Big Fish, and IE punk/ska mainstays, The Skeletones.

In 1997 the members parted ways and the project lay dormant for two decades.

Monday, October 16, 2017

Drum day: 10/14


We finally got Issac into the studio (hiding far left!) to start tracking drums for three new songs. It was a minor miracle that he could stand up, let alone play.



His band, The Sovereign Artist, played just the night before at a private Halloween party in Rialto. They were set up in a drained pool surrounded by kids absolutely ready to have an amazing time. Things got loud and rowdy and it wasn't long before the police showed up.

And when that happens and you've got rock in your veins, you've got only one option: pack up, move down the road, and do it all over again!

Issac and The Sovereign Artist didn't even start playing until after midnight. And then he had to be in-studio with us at 9 am. And then a gig at Anaheim's House of Blues for another show with The Sovereign Artist that same night. Just ridiculous.

Chris had it only slightly easier with a three-hour set in Temecula the night before with Big Papa and the TCB.

The only thing I had going on was a cup of Bad Coffee with my sister in the morning:


Chris and Issac were on time. I was late.

Chris flipped me a double-bird and we got started.

I don't know how to describe the music that's coming. I'm not joking when I say that, if a Grammy is coming, it'll be for one of these three songs. One of them, perhaps my favorite, is this junky, slide-guitar prayer. There's another that Chris wrote years ago that has one of the strongest opening motifs that we've ever done and this absolutely aggro-punk passage in the middle that is just stellar. And then there is another song, a soulful groove-fest with an irresistible, pulsing bass-line that drops my jaw with every listen. And with some of the drum tracks down, we're finally getting a little momentum.

Over the next few weeks, Chris and Issac will schedule some more time to wrap the drums. Without Sam on bass and my radically diminished guitar chops (I haven't played in 20 years, but I'm practicing!), Chris will assume essentially all responsibilities associated with writing, performing, and tracking instruments. He works fast, and we're guessing these songs will be ready for vocals by early November.

No promises yet, but we're fully expecting to have new music out before the end of the year. All of it absolutely worth the wait.

Thank you for all of your wonderful feedback, notes, messages, and support. We're planning our 1000-view celebration for longshot which could be coming up real soon (800+ views at the time of this post)!!! You don't want to miss that, so stay in touch through all of our social media platforms: FacebookInstagramTwitter, and SoundCloud.

Special recognition goes out to Molly, who just bagged her sixth marathon in Chicago! Word is, longshot was on her marathon playlist :)

Download it and see what incredible things you'll be able to accomplish!

Until Thursday!

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