Stephen Speaks
Stephen Speaks and hundreds have been listening. (OK, that play on words was way too easy.) But the keyboards and vocals that deliver “Disappear” (Symptoms of Love 2007) will attract the attention of more fans as this group spreads the word. Straight out of Stillwater, Oklahoma, Stephen Speaks also makes its mark with “So Many People” from the same recording. This is not a rock band, really, but an acoustic ballad effort that works.
Generally considered a “garage band” throughout a successful run that began almost a decade ago, Stephen Speaks has reached audiences around the world. “Passenger Seat” and “Out Of My League” go back to 2000 and 2003, finding international success years ago. It really should be no surprise. The piano on “Out Of My League” is fine, fine!
Much of the top-quality work from Stephen Speaks comes from a home studio, through the efforts of Rockwell Ryan Ripperger and Dain Samuelson. In fact, the “distribution” of music is literally a word-of-mouth tale, with radio play and fans responsible for the group’s popularity. As the band’s information states, most of this was accomplished with “no lawyer, no record label and no booking agent.” Ripperger and Samuelson do get professional help when playing some larger venues, with individual musicians and rock bands such as The Hero Factor helping out. Can we expect more widespread greatness out of this dynamic duo? It remains to be seen.
Tags: stephen speaks, indie, independent music, indie music, music
I listened to all their songs on Myspace, and really I think their most redeeming quality is the piano. They are not terrible by any means, but they just didn’t stand out to me. They sound like any average band you hear anywhere. I love acoustics, but it just seems that every song sounds a bit the same to me. I would be interested in seeing if they get better as they go along.
Stephen Speaks, a bit too softly for my taste. Sorry, I got the play on the name from the intro. The vocals were excellent, however I would had liked to see a bit more variety in the rhythm of the songs. Good looking band, their physical appearance and their grungy “just got home from a hard day of work” appeal had me checking them their pictures our more than once.
Undoubtedly, if Stephen Speaks were to stretch a bit and add a few songs with more “oomph” for listeners, this band would appeal to a wider audience. Personally, I don’t mind their sound – I kinda like soft rock myself – and they do sing well, but they do sound a bit too generic at times.
I agree that the play on words was just too easy at the beginning of the blog. Unfortunately Stephen is speaking something that I don’t find very interesting. In my opinion, they’re just another cookie cutter band. The name is interesting, but they don’t have the talent needed to back up the name.