We’ve been lucky enough to talk with SHB Tour Manager Bill Hanson a couple of times here at the Blue and the Black. His roots go way back to the earliest days with a young Christopher House. My sources tell me that Bill Hanson first met Christopher House at Nevin Platt Middle School in Boulder, […]
Today we will attempt to explain the history of the lost SHB track “November Girl”. A song that every true fan knows about, but has never heard. The song was written during the same flurry of activity that resulted in many Christopher House penned classics about Janine (and the mythical Kitchen Sessions). All signs point to the […]
Here’s my Part 2 look back on all things Christopher House and Pip Gethers. While Chris was now with Janine, his ugly chapter with Pip was from from over…- Finger We move ahead two plus years to 2007. Pip, in a rush to make it to a Boulder Toys ‘R Us before closing time, […]
Unusually hot day up here in the Pacific NW. Hope you are doing well. To put it bluntly, Christopher House has led a very colorful (and drama-filled) life. Many of you know about his rocky relationship with Janine (which we will explore later) but there’s more to his love life. Let’s not forget Pip Gethers who […]
Everyone wonders about the much maligned Mumble and Shine. What happened? Was its reception unfair? Why no tour? Here’s my thoughts… – Finger It certainly came as a surprise to everyone when Mumble and Shine was announced and released shortly thereafter in the Spring of 2011. After a few spins, it was obvious to longtime […]
As a huge fan (of the slightly under appreciated) Sleepwalker, I thought it would be cool to explore the closing song on the album, “I Almost Saw This Girl Get Killed.” It’s a little known fact that the 14 minute-opus, was a response to an incident that had occurred the previous Christmas (2012). Chris House […]
Let’s take an in-depth look at the highly sought after (and unreleased) She Sells Seashores by the Seashell documentary. We all thought the doc was going swimmingly until Tom spoke at the premiere held at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival: “If you took all the reviews and all the critics in the world and […]
We all LOVE the (now legendary) Joy Motel album cover, right? Here’s the skinny on how it came to be… – Finger While the songs on Motel had a sometimes ethereal bent, with hidden meanings, like “Disciple of Osiris,” the overall mood was captured by the title and evocative cover photo of the album. The Joy […]
I previously mentioned the unpublished book DISCIPLES OF OSIRIS. The band invited writer Charles R. Peer into the earliest songwriting sessions for Joy Motel and even lived with the band during that time. But things went sour….fast. I asked Chris about this awhile ago (through email exchanges). CH: “We just didn’t anticipate that Charles, because […]
Let’s dig deep into the classic In the World song/video as we all know that Timothy DOES Matter… – Finger With the success of In the World came more of a global audience, and ironically, having declared themselves ready to conquer it… the rigors of touring the world almost broke up the Staton-House Band. But first […]
Thought I would share the story of Tom’s sister V in the band’s own words from a variety of sources: – Finger Explains Rick Bayless: “We were all in love with Tommy’s sister – who went by the name of ‘V’. Not even Tom would tell us her real first name, or even if it […]
The Staton-House Band wasn’t always called the Staton-House Band. Here’s a recap: After that fateful night, the world had a new band – the only problem was finding a name. Some of the ideas rejected that first night were Blown, Woodside Faith, Staggerpuppy. Their choice, and it was unanimous – Charles Axlerod. “I always liked […]
Here’s a peek I put together about the early days of recording the Joy Motel. Enjoy! – Finger The unpublished book DISCIPLES OF OSIRIS (more on that later…) is valuable for this early information. Charles R. Peer had been invited into the earliest songwriting sessions for Joy Motel. He was even invited into what would […]
From all known accounts, it began with a snowstorm. Highway 119 outside of Nederland, Colorado, to be exact. Tom Staton was a solo artist, another songwriter lugging his own equipment, on his way into Boulder for a show at the Nugget Saloon. Staton, feeling drowsy from the long and tortuous ride, pulled into the graveled […]
Here’s a piece I’ve created about SHB’s early days touring the bars in Colorado. – Finger In late 2003, the Staton-House Band tested their mettle by renting out a garage in the outskirts of Boulder, behind an Outback Steakhouse. They began to write songs, day and night. “I became a vegetarian that first week,” says Tom. […]