The American Music Awards recently selected Drunk Stuntmen as one of the 50 best unsigned bands in the nation today. This could not come at a better time with a nation wide fall tour and a brand new album Iron Hip on the immediate horizon.

TAUNTON GAZZETTE

JEFFREY D. WAGNER, Gazette Staff Writer

July 27, 2001

     TAUNTON -- It was a boring day in 1988 and Taunton High School student Steve Sanderson was itching to get out of class. So, he crafted a fake note, deceiving substitute teacher Terry Flood into letting him out early.

       Sanderson then played hookie with his buddy, Scott "Bow Bow" Brandon.But when the duped Flood discovered the ploy, he did not give these delinquents detentions -- he instead started a rock band with them.

Sanderson, a 1988 THS alumnus, Brandon, a 1990 THS alumnus, and Flood, a 1982 THS alumnus, are all members of Drunk Stuntmen -- a Northampton rock band signed under the independent Natural Disaster label. Described on its Web site as a group of "whiskey soaked crooners," Drunk Stuntmen rattles off wholesome, good ol' American-roots rock, blending the twang of Willie Nelson with the working man angst of Neil Young.

"A lot of our music is geared toward the life of working class America, and Taunton, being the mill town and it's history, plays into the way we approach rock," explained Flood, the group's veteran crooner. "(Our music) is made for the common man. It's all about working against your problems."

The band formed nine years ago in Northampton, priding itself in the three guitar attack of Sanderson, Flood, and Alex Johnson, accompanied by bassist Brandon, drummer Dave Durst and pianist Scott Hall. Sanderson and Flood serve as the dueling vocalists, singing in tones that range from baritone drones to aching whines. The veteran Flood arranges most of the songs.

The band is now taking the songs and the pickup truck image on the road on the heels of Drunk Stuntmen's third, full-length album "More Bad News" -- a 15-song collection creating a buzz among college music circuits. According to Sanderson, Flood, and Brandon, the album showcases the group's ability to expand the one instrument singer-songwriter tradition to incorporate a full-band sound.

The band's song writing prowess resonates in the hook infested "2nd Gear," a song that ironically changes tempo like a sudden change in gear, but it follows every change with a harmonious, in-your-face chorus. The sardonic "Clown to Be" underscores the band's dark humor, as they poke fun at death and the aging process, calling a doctor's visit as frightening as report card day.

The portrayal of a death-bound "clown to be" leaves listeners in a quandary, wondering whether to laugh or be offended. The song still has a chilling effect, backed by creepy piano lines that chase the monotone vocals like the aging process chases away youthful charm.

Other tunes on the album are acoustic numbers. A few highlight Drunk Stuntmen's hillbilly side. Yet, a few others are distortion heavy and noxious,reminiscent of the Nirvana-esque early 1990s.

Despite the variety, Drunk Stuntmen initially treat all songs the same.

"I think a lot of the tunes, if not all of them, are written on acoustic guitars, and they work well in that format," Flood said. "We are proud that we can take that format and not take away from the song's power and can enhance it by adding other instruments to it."

As all three members rambled on about their rock and country music influences, their reflections led them down memory lane to the Silver City. All grew up around music-loving parents who opened their ears to such pop music greats as J. Geils, Willie Nelson and Tom Petty. They also referenced Taunton High School's Ken Almeida as a major influence.

Perhaps Flood has a Silver City influence that stands out the most.

His grandfather, Joseph Flood, served as Taunton's mayor from 1970-71. Despite Joseph Flood's political successes, Terry Flood was most influenced by his grandfather's philosophy.

Flood said a priest at St. Mary's Elementary School swatted him in the back of the head after he looked back during a track run. His grandfather never let him forget that corrective slap, learning from that day that you should never look back in life.

"That's a philosophy you need to adopt in order to grow and advance. He's been an influence in my life," Flood said in a hushed tone. "I am living to make him proud of me. I think this band is a band he'd love to see succeed."

Drunk Stuntmen has booked a number of outdoor and small club shows around New England between now and early October. You can learn more about the group at www.drunkstuntmen.com

The group will also pay its annual Thanksgiving visit to the Silver City at Robinson's Tavern on School Street.

©The Taunton Gazette 2001

Valley Advocate

Excerpts By Don Fluckinger

published 10/12/00

MORE BAD NEWS - CD

     "There are a couple flashes of brilliance here, especially on "2nd Gear" and "Mud," straight-ahead pop tunes with killer hooks that certainly will become club-gig favorites if they haven't already. Later in the album comes "Clown Suit," a hilarious number that spoofs 1970s monster rock à la Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd."

Berkshire Eagle

published 09/20/00

Excerpts by Seth Rogovoy

     It comes as little surprise to learn that the Montague-based band has performed tributes to performers as various as Hank Williams, David Bowie, the Clash and Pink Floyd, as the group's music is stylistically all over the map. At one point they're playing a soft, country-rock ballad a la Neil Young, followed by a complex, arty five-minute rock suite with tempo and key changes worthy of Frank Zappa.

Songs like "First Class Clown," in which they sing of a town where everyone plays guitar good enough to play at the town's single bar -- a song directed toward "the first-class clown in this high-school town" -- suggest that Drunk Stuntmen are a roots-rock answer to alt-rock wiseguys They Might Be Giants.

One song traced a day in the life of a gravedigger, starting in Burt Bacharach-pop mode and ending as a harsh hard-rocker; another grafted a Led Zeppelin riff to a jazzy melody; a third, also about the idiocy of rural life, suggested a rural version of the more urbane, intellectual Crash Test Dummies.

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

TAKING MY PEE PANTS OFF
Drunk Stuntmen
Chunk Records

Published 1998

      The Drunk Stuntmen's first release on Chunk Records entitled Taking My Pee Pants Off proves that this is one local band to keep your eyes on. Overall, the album provides an eclectic group of songs that are well deserving of attention.

The first cut off the album, "Jesse James Dean," demonstrates the vast musical abilities that the band can perform. The well–defined beat of the song is masterfully changed throughout, while the vocals remain impressive.

The addition of a female voice on "Retainer" and the relaxing band play that accompanies it makes it one of the most enjoyable tracks to listen to. Each instrument is well defined on the track and not one is overbearing, leaving the focus to be on the soothing vocals.

"But Pain" starts off as a very well–composed song. The tempo is quite consistent and the band sounds unified. However, the second half of the song seems as though it is missing a verse as the song drags into an acoustic set.

Parts of "All She Wrote" are revolutionary and destined for airplay, however, the beginning of the song fails to captivate an audience, and another section loses the audience as the beat becomes too slow. Fortunately, the remarkable refrain makes up for these deficiencies.

Valley Advocate

Drunk Stuntman - Taking My Pee Pants Off

Excerpts by Don Fluckinger

published 02/26/98

      Venturing into Golden Smog territory with their country-punk licks, Drunk Stuntmen show plenty of promise. Trying to build a national following on a shoestring budget is not for the meek and mild, and these players have the resolve and experience: They've been kicking around Western Mass. for seven years, first as Soup and now with this lineup. The Stuntmen's latest CD shows flashes of brilliance in the crashy rocker "But Pain" with its Zeppelin-esque riffs, and in "Jesse James Dean," the opener outlaw salute.

Valley Advocate

Excerpts By Gary Carra

Taking My Pee Pants Off - CD

In any event, the instructions -- 1) Drink, 2) Smoke, 3) Play -- are easy enough to follow, and the songs seldom disappoint, making Pee Pants as comfortable as your favorite, ripped Levi's.