SONG OF THE DAY Kelley Stoltz – Put That In Your Pipe

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I love how music alone can evoke many so many thoughts, feelings and imagery!  Whenever I hear this song I feel the tarmac racing beneath me as I travelled down a dusty road in a fast car heading one way.  Everything about it screams escapism and if only for a few minutes I welcomed the change of scene, trading the confines of a tired mind for the freedom of an endless and desolate highway.

Singer/songwriter Kelley Stoltz (a.k.a Willie Weird) grew up in the Detroit area, but eventually found his way to San Francisco after taking a detour to New York City, where he worked in the mailroom at Jeff Buckley’s management company.  Armed with a four-track recorder and a wealth of lo-fi pop songs, Stoltz began recording his own material, performing all the parts himself and drawing comparisons to artists like Brian Wilson and Captain Beefheart. Those songs caught the ear of Monte Vallier, who helped Stoltz clean up and sweeten the recordings for what would become his first album release in 1999.

Since then Stoltz has released an array of albums and EP’s; has performed with the likes of The Raconteurs and Echo & The Bunnymen and recorded for labels, Sub Pop Records and, later on, John Dwyer’s (Thee Oh Sees) label, Castle Face Records.  Being a huge fan of Echo & The Bunnymen, Stoltz recorded a song-by-song recreation of Echo & the Bunnymen’s Crocodiles album in 2001 and once even fronted an Echo cover band with Spiral Stairs called Crockodials!!  In 2016, he joined the Bunnymen as a touring guitarist, playing the songs he grew up loving.  This  80’s influence becoming even more evident on his 2017 Que Aura album which he recorded with Castle Face!

Put That In Your Pipe was one of four songs that appeared on Stoltz’s 2015 EP, 4 New Cuts.  It’s the song that introduced me to him and one I like to play when I dream of open roads that lead anywhere and everywhere. Check it out above and watch some Stoltz/Bunnymen action below!