Stockholm Syndrome

Stockholm Syndrome - Holy Happy Hour - 2004 - Terminus

Holy Happy Hour, the debut album from Stockholm Syndrome is a bracing and revelatory intersection of captivating songs, deep grooves and virtuosic playing that marks the arrival of an important new band in no uncertain terms. This is genre-transcending music…scratch that-it’s genre-shredding music, the product of gifted, attuned and adventurous artists pushing each other past the normal limits to a place that is rarely visited. Given the group’s back-story, it wouldn’t be inaccurate to state that the five band members were as stunned by what they had collectively summoned up as listeners will be when they hear it. © amazon.com

A great album from Stockholm Syndrome. (Not to be confused with the Australian band). It's edgy, dark, provocative rock which makes you think and groove. There are some vague political overtones to the music, but don't let that put you off. The music never gets boring. Fundamentally, the band's music is a mixture of blues and hard rock. There is even a jazz rock touch on "Purple Hearts" which sounds very Steely Dan influenced - nothing wrong with that! There's also a great cover of The Climax Blues Band's "Couldn’t Get It Right." The track, "Sack Full of Hearts" has a strong reggae flavour. This is eclectic rock at it's best. This band will get better. Thet have some great experienced musicians, and a sound all their own. Watch out for future releases from this talented and original band.

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 Counter-Clock World - Joseph, Schools
2 Empire One - Joseph
3 One in My Hand - Joseph, Schools
4 Tight - Joseph
5 White Dirt - Joseph, Schools
6 Purple Hearts - Joseph
7 American Fork - Joseph, Schools
8 Bouncing Very Well - Joseph
9 Couldn't Get It Right - Cooper, Cuffley, Haycock, Holt, Jones
10 Princess Cruise - Dziuk, Ingram, Joseph, McFadden, Schools
11 Sack Full of Hearts - Joseph, Schools
12 The Shining Path - Dziuk, Ingram, Joseph, McFadden, Schools

Recorded at Compass Point Studios, Nassau, Bahamas

BAND

Dave Schools - vocals, keyboards, bass guitar
Wally Ingram - drums, percussion
Eric McFadden - vocals, guitar, mandolin
Jerry Joseph - vocals, guitar
Danny Dziuk - (keyboards), (vocals), (melodica)

REVIEWS

Stockholm Syndrome's debut album flashed a brand of rootsy heartland rock that managed to sound wide-ranging and ordinary at the same time. Certainly you can hear a bunch of different styles morphing together in varying shapes -- blues, funk, hard rock, echoes of singer/songwriters like Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, Graham Parker, and Bob Seger, even some touches of reggae and Caribbean steel band music. It somehow sounds more like a very tight bar band than anything else, though, albeit a bar band reaching for something more meaningful than usual bar band fare. There's a rather grim and determined mindset to the songs and vocals, like an earnest mid-'70s second-tier Midwest rock band suddenly transplanted to the horror of the early 21st century that doesn't like what it sees. It's heartfelt, but far more journeyman than outstanding. "American Fork," in fact, gets a little ham-fisted in its survey of the confused outlook of the United States as it headed into the 2004 elections. But a band deserves some praise for the courage to almost certainly forsake airplay for that track, given lines like "hard to get a handle on your evolution with your Bible up your ass and your face in the stove." © Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

Jerry Joseph sure is heavy, no doubt about it. It’s also a good thing big boy David Schools’ thunderous bass lines were the rhythmic foundation in Holy Happy Hour, the debut from The Stockholm Syndrome. What started off as a creative recording session spearheaded by Joseph and the Widespread Panic bassist Schools, quickly warped into a full-fledged band. Set out on fulfilling their mission of songs that sounded like songs, instead of placing jam noodlings over words, these two have indeed broken forth with a record that aches of pain and soul, yet has its moments of sunshine. Engineered by Terry Manning (ZZ Top, Big Star, Led Zeppelin), Stockholm Syndrome brings a rough and tumble approach to their compositions, where Joseph’s voice booms of Springsteen toughness - bitter, haunting and convincing. The rest of the band: San Francisco based guitarist Eric McFadden, German keyboardist Danny Dziuk and L.A. based drummer Wally Ingram, well they just help add meaty pounds to these 12 songs. Collectively, they gel with garage band ferocity and jazz sensibilities, while tangling the emotions and convictions Joseph anguishes, through true ego hiding. The opener, “Counter Clock World,” rocks with only the fury expected from Joseph, featuring stormy metal overtones. On the revealing, “Empire One,” Joseph reveals his inner warrior with such stinging lines as - “Ask me if I’m lying, hell yeah, I’m lying/I’m a liar baby, that’s what liars do.” “Tight” rocks in traditional red, white, and blue fan-fare, with its catchy sing along chorus, and “Purple Hearts” relaxes in Steely Dan fashion jazz rock. Surely the band can cross different sound spectrums, including a few castaways – most noticeably the calypso “Bouncing Very Well” and the reggae flavored “Sacks Full of Hearts,” that almost makes Joseph appear, dare I say “soft.” However, the band is at its finest by keeping it loud, as in the triumphant “Couldn’t Get It Right.” With its nasty blend of funky hard rock, and nitty gritty 70’s chorus, this just might just be Stockholm Syndrome’s calling card to keep this heavy thing going. Shane Handler, July 01, 2004, © 2002-2008 Glide Publishing LLC All Rights Reserved

The debut of Stockholm Syndrome marks the arrival of an important new band that combines captivating songs, deep grooves and virtuosic playing from five immensely gifted and adventurous artists. The group's already hotly anticipated first CD is Holy Happy Hour, scheduled for arrival on June 29 on Atlanta-based independent label Terminus Records [www.terminusrecords.com]. The brainchild of Widespread Panic bass player Dave Schools and acclaimed writer-artist Jerry Joseph of the Jackmormons, Stockholm Syndrome includes Eric McFadden (a versatile San Francisco-based guitarist whose extensive resume includes work with Keb Mo', Primus' Les Claypool and George Clinton's P-Funk All Stars), Danny Dziuk (a classically trained keyboard player from Berlin who collaborated with Joseph on a German release) and drummer Wally Ingram (an L.A.-based drummer who has worked with Jackson Browne, Sheryl Crow and Tracy Chapman, among others, spending the last few years with the brilliant multi-instrumentalist David Lindley). Holy Happy Hour, is genre-transcending music with insightful, intelligent lyrics, unusual sonic elements, strong hooks and first-rate musicianship. Though the band came together quickly, Holy Happy Hour has the vibe, feel and strength of a group that has played together for years. JamBase Inc. All Rights Reserved. © Copyright 1998 - 2008

Apple's iTunes tracks the top 10 songs downloaded from a given album, keeping tabs on what others find cool. The top three downloads for Stockholm Syndrome's debut, Holy Happy Hour (Terminus), are the only indication that Syndrome has jam band tendencies. The downloading reflects the fan base of Dave Schools, the bassist in Widespread Panic, who in an interview said, 'We will most likely jam live, but we wanted to make a smart album that got the personalities of the guys on record.' This intention is apparent on the alternative rock-styled 'White Dirt,' the title a reference to the mineral kaolin, used to get rid of intestinal worms. Singer-songwriter Jerry Joseph (of Jackmormon fame) uses this reference to earnestly convey the pain of loss and the need for healing. Drummer Wally Ingram, keyboardist Danny Dziuk, and mandolin player Eric McFadden create a mellow mood, dense with earthy tones, to bolster the song's theme. © Reuben Brody, © 2004, Gambit Communications, Inc.

ABOUT STOCKHOLM SYNDROME

Initially intended as a change of pace, the project began when Joseph and Schools performed together acoustically throughout Europe, then came back to the States to record the group's debut album, Holy Happy Hour. They recruited a full band in the process, including Wally Ingram on drums and Eric McFadden, who has played with the likes of Keb' Mo' and Les Claypool, on guitar. "The whole thing kind of gelled as a bigger band right then, and everybody signed on for a tour," says Joseph, who plays with the band tonight at the Fox Theatre. They've been at it, off and on, ever since. All of the band members have other, high-profile commitments, but tour and play together as often as their schedules permit. Despite the long breaks between stints as Stockholm Syndrome, Joseph says the group, rounded out by newest member Danny Louis on keyboards, has no trouble coming together both personally and sonically. "Ever since its inception it's been pretty easy in terms of getting something cohesive out of this group of people," he says. The band has yet to release a follow-up to Holy Happy Hour, though the Joseph/Schools tandem has produced a wealth of new material in the interim. Many of the tunes became Widespread Panic songs, and Stockholm Syndrome has a back catalog of material still to be recorded. Joseph says he's not sure if there will be a forthcoming Stockholm Syndrome album in the near future, though he has kept busy himself by recording and touring with his backup band, the Jackmormons, and as a solo artist. His new project, the Denmark Veseys, a duo with percussionist Steve Drizos, released its self-titled debut on Tuesday. Prior to the Stockholm Syndrome tour, Joseph was touring in support of the Denmark Veseys release, and he anticipates revisiting that project after the short run of Stockholm Syndrome dates that concludes Saturday night in Denver at the Gothic Theatre. "I make a record and run around until I drop," Joseph says of his busy schedule. "A lot of it is keeping me from being bored out of my skull. ... It's fun for me to play with different groups of people and share my time with different people." But for now, his focus is on Stockholm Syndrome and the upcoming run of Colorado shows that is intended to break in the new keyboard player. "This is kind of a trial run for this lineup," Joseph says, then adds with a laugh, "Fortunately, Boulder will get the well-rehearsed version of this band." © Vince Darcangelo, Thursday, February 21, 2008. © www.dailycamera.com/news/2008/feb/21/hostage-situation/

BIO (Wikipedia)

Stockholm Syndrome is an American Rock music band formed in Athens, Georgia as a collaboration between Dave Schools of Widespread Panic and Jerry Joseph of Jerry Joseph and the Jackmormons. The two enlisted Los Angeles drummer Wally Ingram, San Francisco guitarist Eric McFadden (who had previously worked with Keb' Mo', Primus and the P Funk All Stars), and German keyboardist Danny Dziuk. Dziuk however, has since been replaced on tour by Gov't Mule keyboardist Danny Louis. Originally intended as a one-time studio side-project for the musicians, the band released a single album, Holy Happy Hour in 2004, and then went on a nationwide tour in support of the album. As the band allowed audience members to tape their shows, many of their concert recordings can be found at the Internet Archive.

BIO [ Copyright © 2008 All Rights Reserved Stockholm Syndrome / Double Down Productions ]

Holy Happy Hour, the debut album from Stockholm Syndrome (coming June 29 on Terminus Records), is a bracing and revelatory intersection of captivating songs, deep grooves and virtuosic playing that marks the arrival of an important new band in no uncertain terms. This is genre-transcending music…scratch that-it's genre-shredding music, the product of gifted, attuned and adventurous artists pushing each other past the normal limits to a place that is rarely visited. Given the group's back-story, it wouldn't be inaccurate to state that the five band members were as stunned by what they had collectively summoned up as listeners will be when they hear it. When Widespread Panic bass player Dave Schools and acclaimed writer-artist Jerry Joseph of the Jackmormons decided to do something together, each initially figured a joint project would be a cool change of pace. Schools was currently touring with Panic, and although he had done numerous guest appearances and played in several informal side bands, he was eager to sink his teeth into something a bit meatier. Joseph, meanwhile, decided it couldn't hurt to air out his career-long predilection for what he wryly describes as "religious-sex-junkie-heartbreak songs" in a collaborative scenario with an upbeat guy. The pair began their collaboration casually, as Joseph left his home in Portland, Oregon, to hang out at Schools' home studio in Athens, Georgia. The two friends had formally worked together just once-when Schools produced the Jackmormons' 2002 LP Conscious Contact-and found that their disparate sensibilities cohered quite naturally, as Schools' left-brain approach combined with the right-brain aesthetic of Joseph to create something quite, well, brainy. The next step, they decided, should involve playing together live while simultaneously indulging their mutual love of travel, so they embarked on a shakedown acoustic tour of Europe. The band's unusual choice for a name, Stockholm Syndrome, refers to the psychological phenomenon in which a hostage bonds with his kidnappers. It seemed an apt moniker for the pair's somewhat twisted view of their new endeavor. Now all Schools and Joseph needed was a band. They came up with a wish list of players one or both of them had worked with in the past. At the top were three names: Eric McFadden (a versatile San Francisco-based guitarist whose extensive resume includes work with Keb Mo', Primus' Les Claypool and George Clinton's P-Funk All Stars), Danny Dziuk (a keyboard player from Berlin who collaborated with Joseph on a German release) and drummer Wally Ingram (an L.A.-based drummer who has worked with Jackson Browne, Sheryl Crow and Tracy Chapman, among others, spending the last few years with the brilliant multi-instrumentalist David Lindley). All three musicians eagerly threw down for the project. "Not only are these guys great players, but we both think they're really cool," says Schools. "We pretty much feel like we'd be able to survive on a bus for six weeks together without killing each other. That comes first-and then the fact that they are incredibly unique stylists. Eric can play anything from flamenco guitar to Hendrix-and he can do it on a mandolin as well. Danny has got so many talents that you usually don't find in a rock band. His keyboard playing approach is very European; he's classically trained; he does a lot of soundtrack work and he captures moods very well. And his vocals are beautiful and breathy-which offsets Jerry, who sounds like a chainsaw. Wally drapes his drum kit with pirate coins, Egyptian bells, a Swiss Army helmet and hubcaps, which sort of make white noise while he's playing. It's a pretty interesting approach, especially today. I want warmth, distortion and room sounds. I want the things that make music comfortable-sounding." The pair booked time at the legendary Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas, then returned to Athens for some intensive songwriting sessions in Schools' basement studio, which he refers to as "Featherwood Hospital." Among the room's appointments are a Tascam D88 digital recorder and, for inspiration, a Lava Lamp. Joseph recalls the experience: "I've got a piano and an acoustic guitar, he's got a bass and a keyboard and we go, 'Okay, where shall we start?' Dave said he'd like to address stuff and be more political. The first song we wrote was 'One in My Hand,' which was based on Dave's keyboard line. He's got a great sense of structure and music in general, where I tend to write from the hip. Plus, Dave's a really intelligent guy. He's pretty good at saying, 'That's fucking corny.' It's definitely a co-author thing." With Joseph pulling the lyrics out of the zeitgeist and Schools coaxing the grooves, the partners cranked out a series of fully realized songs in just three days. These included the corrosively contemporary "American Fork," an impressionistic slice of dual autobiography titled "Counter Clock World," the Caribbean-flavored "Sack Full of Hearts" the lilting "One in My Hand" and the vivid narrative "White Dirt." "White Dirt' is my favorite song on the record," Jerry says, "because I got to put in the line, 'Rosemary's Baby running endlessly on late-night.' It was important that every song sounded like a song and not like a jam with some words over the top of it." "We wound up with a batch of songs captured at about 3 in the morning over various nights on the 88," Schools summarizes. "I made it presentable-sounding and sent it to the other guys, and they did their homework." McFadden, Ingram and Dziuk then came to Athens for rehearsals. "This plan looked great on paper," Schools says. "Jerry and I just crossed our fingers, and within five minutes of all of us playing together, Jerry and I made eye contact from across the room and we're like, 'Great! It's really cool.'" Additional tunes rounded out the project including the rip-roaring rocker "Princess Cruise" (definitely not a commercial endorsement), the post-modern anthem "The Shining Path," and a cover of the Climax Blues Band's "Couldn't Get It Right," which power-shifts into a heated rave-up. "If you're going to do a remake," says Schools of the song, "you've gotta add a little bit of your own jizz to it." For Schools, the new band was a radical change of pace: "Ultimately, it boils down to me and Jerry being in charge but we wanted to provide a really strong framework so that all these great individual talents would have a direction while also allowing their own personalities to come out." The players quickly picked up the fast-paced rhythm of the co-leaders' creative process. When they arrived at Compass Point, the five band-mates had logged a mere two days of rehearsals and had never shared a stage. But the nascent band had one big advantage going in: Engineering the sessions would be the legendary Terry Manning, who had relocated from Memphis' famed Ardent studios (where he made his name working with Led Zeppelin, Big Star, ZZ Top, George Thorogood and Jason & the Scorchers) to Compass Point a few years earlier to run the storied facility where such legendary artists as AC/DC, the B-52s and Bob Marley recorded. "Working with Terry was a dream," Schools confirms. "I told him I wanted to cut the whole band live in the big room. I said, 'I need to rely on your experience and talent because this is the biggest project of this kind that I've ever undertaken. And when I'm in the room playing with the band, I'm not necessarily going to be able to tell what is a great take.' We worked phenomenally well together and it was great to have an engineer with ears and ideas." There aren't many bands with the ability to hit the ground running the way Stockholm Syndrome did. "All the people were brought on board for their specific talent, but they also have an underlying talent of being able to feel the part," Schools enthuses. Schools produced and arranged much of the material and took the completed tracks to Athens, where John Keane (R.E.M., 10,000 Maniacs, Cowboy Junkies Widespread Panic) mixed the record, after which Dave returned to Compass Point to have Manning do the mastering in order to ensure that the original warmth of the performances was retained. "We knew we had the players and the tools to approach it from a more modern standpoint," Schools says of the experience. Joseph seems equally delighted with the results. "What Dave and I were hoping to do," he says, "was to have a band where we could play with our favorite players and make records that we were proud of. Now it's turning into something that looks like it may have more legs than that." While Stockholm Syndrome readies to serve its potent brew of provocative songs and thrilling, genre-transcending musicianship to American audiences with Holy Happy Hour, Schools is already contemplating the future. "We'll take it as far as it wants to go. I think that everyone is really enjoying playing together. Some of the guys may have been looking at it as a recording session until we got together and realized that this was really special. Then it ceased to be a recording project and became a band."