Alec Stephen: Guitar, Vocals, Harp, Bass, Organ.Live action by:Tom Greenwood:Drums.JZ Barrell:Bass
Frank Marino:Drums on Walk Away,Rubberman,Crawfish Shag And State of Grace
Influences
Vu, Stripes, Beach Boys,Zombies,Coltrane,Monk,Miles Davis,Sun Ra, Yardbirds, Stones, Nick Drake,Love,The Who,The Kinks,Black Sabbath,Hendrix,Led Zeppelin,,Beatles,Fairport Convention,Can,Os Mutantes,Gilberto,Who,Elvis Presley,Billy Nichols,Gong,John Lee Hooker,Dylan,Televison,Stooges,Brian Eno,T Rex,Elliot Smith,Captian Beefheart,Soft Boys,Clash,Miss john Hurt,Bukka White,X,Desmond Decker,NY Dolls,MC5,all my friends bands(you know who u are) and all the ghosts in CBGB's and other things the cat left on the step...
-----Originally from Cleveland, Alec's first apperance as a electric guitarist was with the band "GASHOUNDS" in 1988.They put out a single and where on a few compilations.
After a long residency at Continental Divide,doing show's with the Sender's and Walter Lure and watching Johnny Thunders nodding out in the crowd, the band shifted planes. Alec occassionally sat in with Billy Fica's(TELEVISION) Mercury Mile band in the early 90's, and also took up bass with Linda Hagood's "SMACKDAB"(Homestead Records)
Not too long after he joined Smackdab he was recommended as a fill in guitar player for "RAILROAD JERK"(Check Out N.Y. NIGHT TRAIN For a Dip and Listen) by Sari Rubenstein, founder of "Rubulad".
Gears really starting shifting after recording a few singles with "Matador Records" and RRjerk hit the tour road by 1993. For the next six years RRjerk would conquer the globe and produce two outstanding albums with Matador Records and few MTV video hits.
But the road and the label took it's toll on the band, so by 1999 alas (not unlike 1969) Railroad jerk was put on the shelf.
Alec still held his day job at Archive Photos and decided to turn the volume down a bit a go back to his acoustic roots.
In 2000 he formed the PANTOGRAPHS(see myspace page). This was mostly a woodwind and string emsemble that played country with a bit of folk, blues and tinpan alley thrown in.
The Pantographs played a variety of shows and made two Cd's.
By 2002 however the lineup changed again to just guitar and skins.
Alec's wife Gwynne even took up drums for awhile and shot the video" Gridlock".
Alec's power trio now consists of Tom Greenwood (Kings County Moonshiners and the Hot Big Bang )on Drums and JZ Barrell(Loose Leaves,Lysod,Alter Boys,Gashounds) on Beatle Bass.
You want the 80's ? Check out http://www.myspace.com/suckubuss for some hard thrills.
Alec has also written scores for films,performed at weddings (especially Carpenters, Black Sabbath covers)he has made and played music with Romeyn Nesbitt,Trixie Reiss,Genji Siraisi,Phoebe Legere among others and occasionally plays with his fathers band ,Billy & The Badboys.
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A blast from the past! My last two PANTOGRAPHS Cd's are now back in stock,available through CD Baby,see below. Order one if you don't have a copy,a must have if you like acoustic,psychedelic folk with some ragged country/blues thrown in.
http://www.myspace.com/pantographs
CRASHING IN Review:Pantographs:State Land:
This is the sophomore album from the Pantographs. Alec Stephen heads this band with Gwynne Duncan and Liz Pierson. Alec sings in the vain of a happy go lucky Irish folk gypsy sucking on some good ole Irish whiskey and singing his lullabies. His songs take the subject matters about life's day-to-day duties ("Three Doors Down"), happy times ("Perfect Picture"), troubled souls ("Lee"), and love ("Wish I Knew"). It sounds like Alec has had a good life and will continue to do so take a listen and discover how music is better than any book that you'll ever read.
"Alec's material harks back to lo fi blues rock days with a twitch of country and jazz thrown in."Alec's bottle neck guitar emulates the old electric delta sound but it transforms into a soothing genre that feels more punky and psychedlic rather than bluesy." "He is also known for a soft side too with his acoustic material that evokes similarities to Elliot Smith,Nick Drake,Robyn Hitchcock"(he once told Alec he was off coffee)......... Stop!
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I edited my profile with Thomas' Myspace Editor V4.4
I love all the songs you put up.
Rubber man is one of the greatest Rock and Roll dance songs I ever heard.
Why you are'nt a Millionair is beyond me.
You are too good a song writer to not be able to make a real career out of it.
You out stand most of the outstanding in the world of songwriters, that includes the people I know and those I don't know personally.
Rubberman could be a HUGE classic modern ROCK HIT! Just Find the right producer! One that dos'nt have their head up their arsh!
Do it for the little girl! You can make $$$ a lot of $ !
Send a copie of that record to a hip producer, like Rick Ruben .
~TJK
lol good one......
I recorded alecs dad in the 90's we rented a U47......I'd like to hear these Billy Stephens lost nuggets including the burnt car session on Myspace
I recorded Alec's DAD in my studio in the 80's and his car was set on fire outside and burnt down completely during the session. Such was warzone Brooklyn at the time
