If one were to consider just his consistently strong solo albums, San Francisco musician Kelley Stoltz would rightly be labeled an impressive talent. Over the past decade and a half, he’s released seven LPs of finely-tuned rock-pop for labels that include Castle Face, Third Man, and Sub Pop. Influenced by classic artists like the Kinks and the Beach Boys, Stoltz conveys a unique and ever-evolving interest in pop, mixed with elements of psychedelia and garage rock. Even more impressively, his solo albums have been truly solo affairs, self-recorded at his own Electric Duck Studio, with Stoltz playing most of the instruments throughout.
In addition to working as a talented solo artist, though, Kelley Stoltz has also contributed to the music of many other local bands. As a producer, he’s worked with acts across a variety of genres, from intense local punk band Life Stinks to the pure pop of The Moore Brothers and Bart Davenport. As a multi-instrumentalist, he was a long-time member of Sonny & the Sunsets, and part of Stephanie Finch’s band. A full consideration of Stoltz’s contributions to local music would surely land somewhere between daunting and overwhelming.
Given his experience, we asked Kelley to select and comment on some notable highlights among the many local projects that he’s contributed to over the years. True to the breadth in his resume, he picked albums offering a wide variety of sounds, from the first record he produced for another band — 2007’s God’s Boat, by The Passionistas — to a new EP from Useless Eaters that arrived earlier this year.
The tracks here are bookended by a couple of Stoltz’s own songs, from different points in his career. All told, the mixtape bears testament to one musician’s many significant contributions to the Bay Area music scene.
Track Listing and Comments from Kelley Stoltz