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The Stonecutters (1994)

by Kip Loui

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1.
That Little Lie 02:44
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2.
Consolation Prize 03:28
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3.
Slowing To A Stop 04:08
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4.
Buddy Holly's in Heaven 02:29
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5.
Red Rose Of Texas 02:57
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6.
Not With A Bang 03:33
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7.
Yesterday's Kiss 03:55
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8.
Runner On The Road 03:07
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9.
Enough 03:28
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10.
Lost And Found 02:48
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11.
Cry, Cry Again 02:33
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12.
Foolish Me (Unreleased Bonus Track) 03:56
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about

In 1994, I was back in St. Louis after a brief second stint living in Seattle. Everything was up in the air, but I had an idea for a new band: rather than retreading the punky power pop of my earlier outfit the Heebie Jeebies, I wanted to mess around with country/folk elements and instrumentation, only electrified. To that end, I sought out a certain long haired guitarist I'd heard at an open mic down in Cicero's Basement Bar who could play some sweet country licks. His name was John Horton. He was destined to become a lead guitarist in Son Volt and the Bottle Rockets among other bands, but in 1994 he was an undergraduate college student studying music at Webster University. On bass, we had my former Heebie Jeebies' bandmate and good friend David Hilditch. On drums Spencer Marquart, John's buddy from Washington, MO who would go on to perform with Diesel Island, One Fell Swoop, Mike Ireland & Holler, and more. Lynne Reif, at that point a musical newcomer to the St. Louis music scene, joined our crew as a second lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist. In time, she would go on to establish and front the modern folk band Salt Of The Earth, who are still active in St. Louis to this day.

In the summer of '94, The Stonecutters recorded a thirteen song project in St. Louis at Madcap Studios, which was essentially the living room of a rental house in Dogtown where Sean Garcia and Brian Simpson of the band Three Merry Widows lived. Sean and Brian recorded a few acts there, including us. They engineered the sessions and mixed the songs found on this collection. Originally conceived as a CD release, money was tight in our self funded production budget, so we put out the album as a cassette only affair the way bands frequently did back in the day. It sold reasonably well and garnered some airplay on KDHX 88.1 FM.

Long out of print, this is the first time I've offered The Stonecutters album for download or streaming. All of the songs were written by me in '92-'93 and represent my earliest recorded foray into the country/folk realm. One of the songs included here, "Foolish Me", was slotted for the album but never released--it had an r&b or soul music vibe and was deemed too much of a departure from the more country oriented material. It's a cool little number though, and I was tickled to rediscover it while preparing this album for digital release.

About six months after the release of The Stonecutters cassette, the band changed its name to Belle Starr and signed with BJAM Records, a small, long defunct St. Louis record label. Belle Starr would proceed to record and release three albums of original songs, and a compilation of that band can be found on this Bandcamp page. The Stonecutters were the predecessors of Belle Starr and the original inspiration for Belle Starr's alt-country orientation.

credits

released July 5, 2023

Kip Loui: rhythm guitar, lead & harmony vocals
Lynne Reif: rhythm guitar, lead and harmony vocals
John Horton: lead guitar, mandolin, lap steel
David Hilditch: bass
Spencer Marquart: drums

Cover photo: Cary Horton

2023 mastering: Jack Petrocek

All songs written by Kip Loui. All songs copyrighted 1994 Kaplooey Music

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Kip Loui St. Louis, Missouri

Kip Loui has been making music for a bit, mostly in his hometown of St Louis, Missouri. He is a musician by vocation and a Special Education teacher. Kip is a co-founder of the annual Twangfest music festival in St Louis; a former morning DJ on St. Louis radio station KDHX 88.1 FM; and a founding member of Diesel Island, a classic country band fronted by Brian Henneman (Bottle Rockets). ... more

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