Ever have a crazy dream and wake up trying to remember it all, but it slips away like the morning mist?
Singer-songwriter Alex Stanilla had one of those, but he managed to recall enough of his weird dream to create a song about it โ his latest release, โSavior,โ which comes out today.
Suitably, considering its genesis, itโs a trippy, retro-pop flavored track; it was recorded at the Kaleidoscope studio in Lancaster.
โItโs definitely something very โ90s-ish,โ Stanilla said in a phone interview. โI really like (the late singer-songwriter Elliott Smith), so I was kind of trying to be like (him), but just with more stadium-esque vocals.โ
He described the dream that inspired the lyrics.
โThese two characters (a man and a woman) who didnโt know each other are on a family vacation,โ he explained. โThey run into each other at a hotel โ a Quality 8 or something โ and somehow they both ate something that had some sort of psychedelic effect.
โSo theyโre both tripping on something (and) they wander away from their family. They find themselves in this church having all these psychedelic, religious (experiences),โ he added.
Stanilla just releases singles โ the most recent one was โOvertimeโ back in June โ and has no plans for a full-fledged album as yet. He started a brief tour earlier this month.
โThe next (song) will be out in January โ Iโm going to try and do some shows around that,โ he said. โAnd Iโm looking to do another song in April with a little bit longer tour around it.โ
Stanilla, 31, was born in Lebanon, graduated from Cedar Crest, went to the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, then moved to Seattle, where he lived for two years.
โI had a friend who was moving out there and asked if I wanted to go,โ he said. โAt first I was just planning to drive with him, and then we got into town and ended up signing a three-month lease. And then I got a job and ended up staying longer than I initially thought. It just kept turning into more than I thought it was going to.โ
Then of course he came back to Lebanon โ โIt’s hard getting away from here,โ as he said. He especially enjoys โthe peacefulnessโ of the area. He works at Revive Cafe and Craft in Quentin and at Funck’s in Palmyra and also helps with a friendโs power-washing business.
โI always pictured myself being somewhere else, but I always come back to Lebanon,โ he said. โItโs a nice place; itโs hard to stay away for very long. At one point, I did enjoy living in cities, but now I prefer being out in the country.โ
Stanilla started his musical journey at age 5.
โI started taking violin lessons with Connie Stambaugh (of Suzuki Strings of Lebanon),โ he said. โAnd then it just turned into more and more, playing different instruments. By 15, I started writing and recording my own songs and Iโve been doing that ever since.โ
He now sings and plays guitar and piano. He also runs his own label, Some Bite Records, which releases compilation albums by local artists.
โWe put out four compilations a year, usually inspired by a theme,โ he explained. โThe one that came out in August was โSummer Songs,โ and then we’ll do a Halloween one (due out around the week of the holiday) and a Yule one. All proceeds from the albums go to local animal shelters and veterinarian clinics.โ
โI like to try and put a song thatโs unreleased or an alternative version of a song thatโs been released, like B-sides or demos (on the compilations),โ he said of the content.
โI really encourage people to send songs that might not get released otherwise โ maybe itโs an older song they had lying around. (Iโm encouraging) local artists (to do) covers of each other for the Halloween one,โ he added.
The remainder of Stanillaโs upcoming tour dates are in the South.
โI had a friend in South Carolina (and) weโve just been talking over the years about you gotta play a show here sometime,โ he said. โThen I just tried to fill in the rest of the way. My aunt lives in Williamsburg, Virginia, so Iโm going to try and see her. Iโve never been to the Carolinas before, but Iโve always wanted to go.
โIโm always looking to branch out and lay down roots in places,โ he added.
To hear the Some Bite compilation albums, visit somebiterecords.bandcamp.com.
Here are the upcoming dates of Alex Stanillaโs tour:
- Oct. 18: Burger Bar in Asheville, North Carolina
- Oct. 19: Gather GVL in Greenville, South Carolina
- Oct. 20: The Shop in Dunbar, West Virginia
- Oct. 21: The Moonlight House in Woodbridge, Virginia
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