Stann

Infobox musical artist
Name = Stann


Img_capt =
Img_size = 300
Background = solo_singer
Alias =
Born = birth date|1981|11|10|mf=y - Toronto, Ontario
Genre = Rock
Alternative rock
Pop
metal
Origin =
Instrument = Guitar, Bass guitar, Piano, drums, vocals,
Occupation = Songwriter, singer, musician
URL = [http://www.evothereal.com Stann Official Site]

Stann is an alternative rock artist from Toronto, Canada.

Basic information

----Starting from the premise¹ that diversity is a strength for musical expression and that each song bears a unique style, the feel and the ambiance of his compositions are primary and supersede any constraints of a genre in his music. This has led to elements of metal and softer ballads being present in many compositions, as well as a wide range of instrumentation from acoustic, to heavy use of digital synthesizers and effects in his music.

Early history

²Stann grew up studying classical piano and progressed to a high level, even though he states in one interview that his heart wasn't always in it, feeling that sometimes the confines of the classical style left little room for his own expression. Although he admits that it provided a solid musical foundation to build from. Later in life he would quit his classical training in pursuit of finding his own sound and direction.

In 1997 He started looking for ways to pursue music in a professional manner. This brought him to music directing. ²His knowledge of music and talent for overseeing musical projects made him a good fit for this position. This led him to a wide range of experiences from choir direction to musical direction of various functions. ³Still unsatisfied at not being able to truly pursue his own style, he started writing. Over the next year he played various shows locally and smaller venues. This is when digital music took a major part in his performance. In order to recreate the songs he started using digital backups in sync with live guitar and live synthesizers and piano.

Early work

²^,³While performing with his live band, several newspaper interviews and a local television special were booked to promote his work. A venue was also rented for a special presentation concert. His first album saw moderate success being available on the internet and in the Toronto area record stores, it sold a total of 1000 copies in the first month. After a year of promoting the album, Stann decided he wasn't happy with the sound and finished up his performance schedule to go back to the drawing board.

During this time he took some time to focus on his writing and style, and do some studying at college. Not wanting to detach himself from the music scene completely, he started DJ-ing and this is what brought certain elements of the Trance and Industrial music genres to his sound. Over the next four years, he would write three complete albums and over one hundred songs. In one interview³ he said, "I just couldn't seem to find that place that felt right in my music, and it kept getting close, but it just wasn't something I could believe in one hundred percent." Later he stated that, "If you want your audience to believe you music, and to get into the show, you've got to make sure your heart is behind what you write." Taking this philosophy to his recording, he decided that the next songs he released would be exactly what he wanted to say and how he wanted them to sound. This led to him studying guitar, bass, drums, and a wide range of musical styles over those four years.

New work

¹In 2005, he wrote a song entitled, "Die 2 Dance" which was about a person who couldn't bring themselves to tell another that they loved them. It was after this song that album started taking shape.

Deciding he wanted complete control over the music and all the time needed to perfect it, ³ he built a recording studio and started recording his second album for release, in between DJ-ing venues. The new compilation is said to include thirteen tracks of which some have already been released early on his website. ¹"Varius" falling well into the metal genre, was one of the latest songs to be released from this collection. The most recent release was "Energy" which was an earlier recording that was remixed into a Hard Trance/Industrial style and entitled "Energy Trance V1". It was released as an internet single.

Currently, Stann is preparing to tour some time next year, although no dates have been set as of yet, and getting the remaining songs recorded and ready for release. A lot of the songs are already available free on the internet. ¹According to the official website, the album doesn't have a definite release date as of yet. His original album was pulled from the shelves a year ago and is no longer available for sale.

Discography

References

¹evothereal.com
²Lance Anderson Interview with Stann - November 28, 2001
³Hard Volume magazine "Back under the light" - August 4, 2006

External links

* [http://www.evothereal.com Stann] - Official Site
* [http://www.myspace.com/stannmusicsite Stann music profile] - Stann at Myspace