Photo: Rich Hirneisen
The Bay Brewed, San Francisco’s only indie rock beer festival, returns on December 7 at Public Works for a third year of great music and beer. Over the next month, we’ll catch up with all six of the festival’s superb local bands to discuss how beer, music, and the Bay Area all fit together. In this edition, we catch up with Kelley Stoltz whose stellar new record ‘Double Exposure’ dropped back in September on Third Man Records.
The Bay Bridged: Your new album Double Exposure marries a number of different genres, from pop to garage and psychedelic rock. What is your approach to songwriting and how would you define your own sound?
Kelley Stoltz: It’s all music to me, and I just start strumming something on guitar or playing a drum beat and build songs from there.
You recorded Double Exposure in your converted garage, which you have dubbed Electric Duck Studio. What drives your dedication to home recording, and what was the studio experience like when recording this album?
Home recording allows me the freedom to wander in any time of day or night, when inspiration strikes and try and make up a tune. The experience making this LP was long and tiresome. It took two years to make because I was building the recording space and engineering several other bands at the same time.
The album was released on Jack White’s imprint Third Man Records. How did you get hooked up with that label?
I’m friends with his nephew. He works at the label and as such know I Jack a bit – we went on tour with The Raconteurs in 2006. After being dropped by Sub Pop, I called and spoke to my friend there at Third Man – they gave a listen and said they would like to put it out.
What’s the best Bay Area music venue to play as an artist?
What’s the best Bay Area music venue for catching a show as a fan?
What’s your favorite album from a Bay Area artist this year?
The Mantles‘ Long Enough To Leave has a special place in my soul as I worked hard on it with them. Life Stinks‘ new LP is great as well.
What other artist or band are you most looking forward to seeing at The Bay Brewed?
Mikal Cronin. He’s the new me, only better.
What’s your favorite San Francisco-brewed beer?
I don’t drink beer anymore, but back in the day it was Anchor Steam, I suppose.
Head over to our Eventbrite page now to get your tickets to see Kelley Stoltz at The Bay Brewed, along with Mikal Cronin, Shannon and the Clams, Golden Void, French Cassettes, and Magic Fight. The event will also feature unlimited tastings from over a dozen local breweries all day long thanks to the SF Brewers Guild.
