Music
What would you get if you took some Byrds, slopped in far too much of Replacements, and then spilled some Wilco on top? Perhaps an added garnish of Bruce Springsteen and Elliott Smith? Aside from the truly odd plating, you would get the savory goodness of J.Stiles. This singer/songwriter from San Antonio, Texas fuses melodic 70s folk rock with edgy 90s indie rock for a taste that is as beguiling as it is familiar. And if the resulting musical blend needed to be reduced to one word, that word might be simply, American.
His second full length, entitled Out of The City a Skeleton, is a panoply of fuzzy guitars, vocal harmonies, and tales of hope from a town that willingly stands in the shadows of Austins hype and the Lone Star States most dubious export, George Walker Bush.
Currently, J is in the studio finishing up his third full length LP, entitledThief In Your Lungs. Primarily acoustic, the album channels the dark, but hopeful soul of Springsteen’s Nebraska or Uncle Tupelo’s March 16-20 1992.
J.Stiles tunes are ride in the passenger seat on a dusty, Sunday afternoon: sometimes the freeway sounds like the ocean. Relax, lay back, dont keep your eyes open.
