Modernism

Chris Stamey began writing and playing music in Winston-Salem, NC, in the mid 1960s, in the so-called Combo Corner scene, alongside Mitch Easter and Peter Holsapple. In 1976, he self-released Sneakers, one of the very first American "indie" records, then relocated to Manhattan in 1977 to play and record with Alex Chilton. He formed The dB's in 1978, with Holsapple, then recorded well-received solo records for A&M and Warners, and toured with Anton Fier's Golden Palominos (with Michael Stipe [R.E.M.], Jack Bruce [Cream], and Bernie Worrell). As a producer, arranger, and mixer, he has worked with over a hundred artists, including Alejandro Escovedo, Kronos Quartet, Flat Duo Jets, Skylar Gudasz, Branford Marsalis, Ryan Adams, Tift Merritt, Le Tigre, Those Pretty Wrongs, The Salt Collective, and Yo La Tengo. From 2010-2018, Stamey was orchestrator and musical director for an international series of concert performances of Big Star's classic album Third, and continues to tour as part of the Big Star Quintet. A "songwriting memoir," A Spy in the House of Loud (Univ. Of Texas Press), was published in 2018. His recent releases include Anything Is Possible (Label 51), with contributions from the Lemon Twigs and members of Brian Wilson's band, as well as The Great Escape, Lovesick Blues, Euphoria, and New Songs for the 20th Century. His newest release, Modernism is out May 2026, on Flatiron Recordings.