half stack
“We would never lie to you with our music”, explains Marley Lix-Jones in a profile for the East Bay Express, distilling the essence of her band Half Stack and explaining the quality that’s made them one of Oakland’s most beloved bands. Over the last two years, the group have carved out a distinct niche for themselves, winning over the hearts of listeners with their brand of sun dappled earnestness and scrappy twang.
Formed by university friends Pete Kegler and Digger Barret, the band is an extension of long standing friendships dating back to their days as undergrads in the beach town of Santa Cruz. Filled out by Oliver Pinnel, Callum Beal, and Jones, the band sports three guitar players, and lately they’ve been prone to adding a sixth on lap steel. Contrary to the East Bay’s penchant for loud post-punk and dark, serious music, the band’s only real peers include beer-soaked country balladeer Dick Stusso.
Operating in their own lane has been to their benefit, earning them opening slots for The Courtneys, Chastity Belt, and art rock outfit The Garden, not to mention praise from FADER, NPR, and SF Weekly. It’s helped that they’ve been blessed to work with immense talents behind the mixing board, teaming up with long time friend Melina Duterte of Jay Som for their 2018 debut, Quitting Time, and working with Joe Santarpia on their 2019 EP Aw Hell, whose credits include engineering and mixing Mac DeMarco’s Here Comes the Cowboy.
On their sophomore album, Wings of Love, the band return to their roots, teaming up Greg Hartunian (Young Jesus, Behavior), who produced an early EP for the band, and grew up with the group's bassist. It’s their most country leaning effort yet, and it’s no wonder - much of the record took shape while band leader Pete Kegler was living on a 200 acre ranch in Montara, a sleepy beach town just north of Half Moon Bay.
The area was so remote, service providers wouldn’t even bother coming out to install internet. “I got really into baths”, Kegler says of that time. The record was finished after he’d moved back to Oakland and filled the songs out with his band, but listening to it you can hear a yearning for those days out in Montara, living outside the city.
Recorded over several trips to LA, you can hear how the city's dusty cowboy nostalgia seeped into the record. More so than any of their previous efforts, Wings of Love doubles down on the outback voyeurism, grinning out at you from beneath a 10-gallon hat.
On the title track, Kegler confronts late 20’s ennui - friends are going back to school and getting serious about work, but however it shakes out, he’s hoping he’ll be with the people he loves. “Morning Rain” is a song for the open road, grounded by a shuffling snare roll, a walking bassline and classic slide guitar. On it, the band fantasize about a life with no worries or responsibilities, a life where the next faded saloon is as good a place as any to hole up for the night. “Laguna Seca” is a lush ode to motorcycle racing and 70’s southern rock, with guitar leads plucked straight out of Steve Miller Band, and Byrds-esque vocal harmonies.
No matter how far the band drift into murky backcountry daydreaming, Jones sentiment still rings true - these are heart-on-your-sleeve songs about everyday life spent with the people you care about, and Half Stack are here to sing them with you.