Kelley Stoltz

As part of California's garage rock scene since the 2000s, singer-songwriter Kelley Stoltz has risen from making DIY cassette tapes in his basement to becoming a cult treasure beloved for his lo-fi, heart-twanging, guitar pop gems. Raised in suburban Michigan, Stoltz first fell in love with music when his elder step-brother introduced him to British post-punk and new wave acts such as Echo and the Bunnymen, Depeche Mode and Roxy Music, and he grew up playing in high school bands and writing goofy, funny songs for his friends. He also interned in New York City for Jeff Buckley's management company in his early 20s, but later found himself back in Detroit, living with his grandmother and dreaming of rock and roll adventures while working at a local club and jamming with friends on his nights off. Heading to San Francisco in 1996, he continued to jam regularly and gradually improved his songwriting but, as his collaborators lost interest, Stoltz found himself playing drums, bass and guitar and cobbling together demo recordings on his own. It resulted in him releasing his debut solo album 'The Past Was Faster' in 1999, and when Stoltz bought a dusty old Tascam 388 eight-track machine to record follow-up 'Antique Glow', he created a scuzzy, retro sound that would become the template for a new Bay Area garage rock scene and inspire friends, including John Dwyer of Thee Oh Sees, Ty Segal and Sic Alps. Stoltz's mix of Brian Wilson's surf-psych melodies, bubblegum hooks and spiky, garage band jams led to a deal with the indie label Sub Pop in 2005, and his albums 'Below the Branches', 'Circular Sounds' and 'To Dreamers' helped land him support slots with The Raconteurs and his heroes Echo and the Bunnymen. He also had his songs used in international advertising campaigns for Volvo and Marriott Hotel and made album 'Double Exposure' for Jack White's Third Man Records, before adding Krautrock synths and motorik beats to the mix and signing to Castle Face Records for 2017's acclaimed 'Que Aura'.

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