The Drunk Stuntmen

Are My Roots Showing?

originally published October 3, 2001

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"We do like to look pretty," jokes lead singer and guitarist Steve Sanderson, speaking via telephone. "No make-up, but we like to dress up. My favorite piece of wardrobe is my American flag cape."

Sanderson, 31, formed the band as the "Stuntmen" back 1991 with guitarist Terry Flood and bassist Scott Brandon after the three played together in various bands in nearby Taunton, MA. Guitarist/pedal-steel player Alex Johnson, pianist Scott Hall, and drummer Dave Durst completed the lineup. The band quickly earned acclaim in the Northeast for its searing live shows and whiskey-soaked tunes and eventually expanded its moniker to "Drunk Stuntmen" after a particularly boozy evening in New York City.

"We were in Times Square for New Year's Eve in '96," explains Sanderson. "I had a really, really bad breakup that sent me reeling. I was a little blurry at the time, but I swear that we all saw Alex stumble off the curb and do some sort of hard-spring with drink in hand. He goes down on his back and rolls to his feet and all the damn beer is still in his cup. Not a drop was spilled. The thing is that Alex is not a nimble figure; he's no gymnast. He was just shit-faced drunk, and he did the weirdest acrobatic move. Some guy walking down the street saw Alex's tumble routine, too, and says, 'Whoa, look at that! Damn drunk stuntmen!'"

Back at home, the band was unhappy with the state of roots-rock in the Northeast scene and took upon itself to forge ahead and do something about it. Sanders now considers Northampton - a rural western Massachusetts town surrounded by five major universities - a burgeoning hotbed of roots-rock.

"Western Massachusetts has the most fantastic roots climate," he says. "As far as the North goes, it's all right here. This is where it's coming from. In Northampton, we have a very loyal fanbase. Western Massachusetts is very rural. We've got the small towns. We've got the rivers. It's not like Boston. We're pretty much hicks out here, but we have this cross-section of influences from all over the world."

Although the Drunk Stuntmen fit in with much of the heavier "alt-country" and roots movement, the band cites influences as diverse as John Denver, Thin Lizzy and AC/DC. This diversity is featured on the band's latest release, More Bad News, its third full-length.

"I grew up in a family that listened to Willie Nelson and Gram Parsons," remembers Sanderson. "Whenever Willie would come through town, I was there, my first show being when I was eight. Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash were who was played at the house. A good mix of other things as well, but they were what my family focused on. I did go through a little punk rock phase, in which I thought roots wasn't cool. But shortly thereafter, I was right back to listening to my Willie albums.

"You can tell a band that's just copying someone else's style as opposed to someone who is influenced by someone else's style and putting his own spin on it. The Drunk Stuntmen have their own music, but draw influences from everyone."