Today we’re talking about a band who has released albums I adore. A band that, like many others, was hindered by their label association, who tried to break out too late, and I think is respected and under appreciated at the same time. We’re talking about Stavesacre and looking at their discography, what it means to me, and more.
As always I want to start with my personal experience with the band and I first heard Stavesacre on the Song From the Penalty Box compilation. Shiv is the first song on that comp and it blew me away. I had not heard anything that sounded like them at the time. In interviews the members have stated they were inspired by band like Orange 9MM and Quicksand and having discovered those bands, that makes sense when you listen back to Friction. Hearing Shiv led me to go buy both Absolutes and Friction on cassette, both of which I still own and it was upon listening to them that this was inspired!
I’ve had a love hate relationship with Friction. The album to me has always felt uneven. The moments that shine, shine bright. At the Moment and Stars & Clouds have always been favorites of mine. The bass tone of this record is unrivaled. Threshold and Anna Thema are great driving rock songs. But songs like Tranewreck and Suffocate Me never really resonated with me. It’s probably because I listened to Absolutes first and connected with that record that left Friction feeling second rate. I appreciate it more now that I’m older and I come back to it more than I ever thought I would.
Absolutes is a tighter and more cohesive record. But it’s not a perfect record. Wither/Ascend and Two Heavens have never been my favorite songs. And where I love the mix on Friction, Absolutes is missing the low end. The drums are crisper and tighter sounding but overall the record sounds thin.
And then the band released their magnum opus in my opinion. Speakeasy is one of the top five greatest albums to ever be released by Tooth and Nail Records. The band’s continued growth is evident on this record, just as the growth from Friction to Absolutes was evident. I don’t know at what point in the writing process that Ryan Dennee entered the band but given the way the band’s sound goes after this record, you can tell that Jeff was still involved in the writing process and I think that duality really helped this record find balance. The record is warmer than Absolutes and the track order keeps a really nice flow as the band goes from uptempo rock to ballad to blistering post hardcore track into more ballads and then back up again. It’s a journey that no matter how many times I take it, I find joy and comfort every single listen. Keep Waiting has carried me through tough times. The band’s cover of The Cure’s Fascination Street is perfect. It’s a record that feels like it had the potential to be bigger had it had a different label and if the band hadn’t gotten stuck in the Christian music market but also, I’m not sure the market for this genre really existed in 1999. The rock scene was about to be all nu metal all the time and we were about 5 years away from an emo boom.
And it’s almost like the band gets stuck. Neil Samoy from Stairwell joins the band on guitar and they release three killer songs on a split with Denison Marrs via Velvet Blue Music. But it seemed like fans didn’t love the direction of those songs. I loved them but the word emo was getting thrown around a lot with these songs. Later that year Tooth and Nail release Collective, a “best of” with some new and acoustic versions of songs a few b-sides. The gem of this record is the new version of Rivers Underneath. The drums sound so good and I wish we got more tracks in this session style. It was clearly a release to finish their contract with Tooth and Nail and allow the band to find a new home.
And they did with Nitro Records and released Stavzakr. The band also worked with a different producer on this record and that was a mistake. The mix really hinders this record. It’s thin and sort of muffled all at the same time. The drums lack punch and power and instead of anything hitting hard, if just sounds lackluster. You can just do an A/B comparison of the songs from the split. The split versions sound a lot better. And I think there are some really solid tracks on the album. The first three to four songs are good songs and I hope one day this album gets a new mix and master and that helps showcase the songs better. But after this record the band goes on hiatus. I actually think they broke up but nothing lasts forever.
The band returned with the Bull Takes Fighter ep in 2004, which I love. This is more in line with what I think everyone hoped the self-titled album would sound like. There was a renewed energy and the time away seemed to do the band good. They followed that up with How To Live With a Curse which came out on Abacus Records in 2006. This record is more subdued than the songs in the ep and has an adult rock vibe. There was a bite and anger on Bull Takes Fighter that’s it on How To Live With a Curse. There are still songs I adore on this record. It’s Beautiful Once You’re Out Here and Grace are phenomenal tracks and I think on its own merits, it’s a really solid record. But it definitely falls flat in the Stavesacre discography to me. The band drops another ep in 2010, Against The Silence and again, it feels like a return to form. More aggressive and biting. It’s funny that since Speakeasy all my favorite Stavesacre releases are ep’s.
And then in 2017 the band return with MCMXCV (1995), their long awaited crowdfunded 6th LP. And I think it’s easily Stavesacre’s best full length since Speakeasy, with a better mix than the self-titled record but aligns closer to that album in song structure and vibe. While I enjoy the record and it got a lot of hype amount fans, I never connected with it emotionally or in any level that I felt it was a great record. There’s no songs that stick out in my mind like there are on every other record.
Stavesacre released one of my favorite albums of all time but they aren’t a band that I would ever say is one of my favorites. A band that started strong and released three real noteworthy albums to kick off their career and a band I’m always checking out when they decide to release new material. But a band who’s later career I haven’t always connected with. There’s the personal side of fandom where I love the early work and go back to it often and respect that these dudes can still get together and create art even if it’s not for me. I often think about the idea of “is it better to burnout or fade away?” And I think it’s a pretty fucked up way of viewing people’s creative output. It is better to creative for no one because it brings joy to your heart and soul then release meaningless art to appease fans demanding it and a capitalist society demanding you make money. For nearly two decades Stavesacre has matched to the beat of their own drum, creating what they want, when they want. And there have been people anxiously waiting each time. And if the band decides to have us another ep or lp, fans will be there to embrace what’s next. I know I will.