Stephen Andrew and Nils Cusack singing the Wilco song Poor Places. Photo courtesy of Write Around the Murray Festival, Albury, 2018.

Stephen Andrew keeps many of his musical instruments in his attic. During Stereo Stories rehearsals in his sunny kitchen/dining room he’s likely to climb up the steep white wooden ladder a few times.

We might need his glockenspiel skills for a Madonna medley.

“Back in a minute,” says Stephen.

Or his mandolin playing for a Marlon Williams song.

“Won’t be long.”

Or harmonica for a Beatles tune.

“Down in two shakes.”

Or his drumming. For a whole show.

“Might need a hand…”

But before he played or sang a single note as a founding member of The Stereo Stories Band, he wrote many stories. He was one of the first writers I approached when starting the website in 2013. I asked if he might have two or three yarns up his sleeve. Over a few months he sent about a dozen. And they keep coming: pop, punk, disco, hard rock, glam rock, big hair rock, indie rock, ozrock, folk, jazz, classical, experimental, acoustic, electropop, soul…

Stephen has recorded several of his stories for Soundcloud. He parks himself up in the attic and records not just himself narrating the stories, but playing parts of the accompanying song.  He has also recorded stories with Smokie Dawson, Zoe Krupka and Jock Serong. Call them podcasts if you wish.

Stephen made our 2014 stage backdrop: a king-size white sheet, a black permanent marker texta, a clear space on the polished boards of his kitchen/dining room and attention to the details of our font: Franklin Gothic Bold Condensed. No doubt there was music playing as he bent over the sheet and started writing ‘Stereo Stories, a song, a place, a time’.

Thank you, Stephen.

Read Stephen’s stories

Listen to Stephen’s Soundcloud recordings

Williamstown Library, 2015. Photo by Eric Algra.

 

 

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Stephen Andrew is a psychotherapist, writer and musician. A former contributor to Rolling Stone Australia, Rhythms and Juke, he is also a multi-instrumentalist of The Stereo Stories Band. Guitar, bass, vocals, drums...