Some Reviews
("Russ Stedman is full of lots of guitars !")
RUSS STEDMAN - "FEAR OF A PODUNK PLANET" (The Arcata Eye) Russ Stedman is a very unusual South Dakotan – one of those compulsively creative multi-instrumental tinkerers who puts stuff out for the amusement of sympathizers but doesn’t aspire to rock-godhood. His homebrew albums will immediately win over anyone who has converted their garage or basement into a studio. On Fear of a Podunk Planet, Stedman just loves Republicans, lavishing attention on the Grand Old Party’s most prominent practitioners and fellow travelers, from Larry Craig to Ted Haggard. The lampoonery of their buffoonery makes for a modern-day Broadway the Hard Way, but maybe somewhat less indulgent to the powers that be. Stedman’s happy to deploy the cornball arrangements – some of them wonderfully elaborate – but also plays requisitely ripping guitar. “Jerry Falwell’s Dead,” for example, mixes what might be described as John Philip Sousa-metal with, literally, irreverence. There are lots of keyboard layerings, abundant percussion, caustic lyrics, samples, pastiches, catchy riffs and laughs, Bushco skewered... yep, works for me. Other highly Zappaesque bits include the Uncle Meat-y “Maynard’n’ Stan” and the “You Are What You Is”-like “Keep Your Religion Out Of My Government.” Here’s what else is cool– Stedman is an anti-gearhead. He doesn’t care about having a fancy guitar – his Flying V is from a pawn shop. He’s one of those guys everyone knows – big, loud, literal and immediately likeable, like, say, a Lewis Black or Joel Mielke. So, my recommendation is that you go to russtedman.com, download, listen and laugh your ass off. (Kevin L. Hoover)
TOM FURGAS/RUSS STEDMAN - "FURGASTEDMAN": (Improvijazzation Nation, #73 Summer 2005) - I am always pleased to get truly creative music in for review, & both these gents (whether you know it or not) are true indie masters.... they're part of the group of folks I traded tapes with way back in the '80's, & Tom & Russ are among the best players I've ever heard. That's not meant in the "gushing" sense of "star-dumb", either... the music they play on this CD is totally unique (tho' I did hear shades of FZ & Beefheart on a coupla' trax - but especially on "Kindergarten Frankenstein", my favorite track on the album), featuring Furgas on "Roland Groovebox" & Stedman on "The Other Stuff". They maintain a healthy sense of humor about their music (as any true artist should), & the titles will kinda' give you a hint... my favorite titles were "Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Drug Addict", "Dominus Dom Deluise", & "Kindergarten Frankenstein".... what I remember most about my (one) collaboration with Russ is that scorching guitar lickery he does, & there's no disappointment on that score here. Tom's genius shows through just as clearly on the Roland, & the duo will get you excited about what really creative musicians can do. I give this a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, without a moment's hesitation! GREAT music! (Dick Metcalf)
RUSS STEDMAN "DUCT TAPE SHALL MAKE YOU FREE" : (www.semperlofi.com, Winter 2004) - Fans of Frank Zappa, and fellow underground artist Dino Dimuro, will love Russ Stedman. Here the Russmeister unleashes ten tracks of fury and sarcastic humor on the sorry state of the union that currently passes itself off as the United States. Stedman is another underground mainstay, whose music has grown and changed considerably over the years. "Mark Russell" is the most Zappaesque track here, right down to Stedman's vocals. Sporting a really peppy MIDI polka arrangement and some really outstanding guitar work, it concludes with a "re-working" of the Doxology. But what would really make ol' Frank proud is Stedman's killer cover of the Zappa classic "Black Napkins". "Some New Amendments" makes good use of samples, as does "There's A Tit On Television", where Russ builds a backing track over a Janet Jackson sample, and then tops it off with some truly funny lyrics. I busted out laughing at this--at work no less (where I have to keep the music down. Especially a track like this which has cuss words all over it). But the best track here is "Smoke Some Weed", which is a hilarious dead-on description of what happens to potheads. (Ray Carmen)
RUSS STEDMAN "DUCT TAPE SHALL MAKE YOU FREE" : (Jim Santo's Demo Universe) - Where did you go, Russ Stedman? After self-releasing 37 recordings in 14 years, culminating in 1996's The Substandard Experience, the guy vanished for eight years. Then this platter shows up with nary a Post-It note of explanation. Not a word in the two years since, either. Home-tapers sure are weird. Well, let's be grateful for what we have: a wickedly funny, musically adroit skewering of these United States in all its faded glory. Sure, he takes on easy targets like ol' Dubya ("Dummy Up"), but who else would have the balls to declare that perennial PBS denizen Mark Russell "needs to fucking die"? And Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction will never be forgotten, thanks to the side-splitting "There's A Tit On Television" (Brother Michael gets his fair shakedown in "Where'd His Other Glove Go?," a track cleverly built on The Police's "Walking On The Moon" — an inspired sample!). "Smoke Some Weed" is another howler, tracing the arc of a bored teenager who ends up as "the oldest person at the stupid Phish concert." Rusted Man wraps it all up with an abbreviated cover of Zappa's "Black Napkins," a tip of the hat to the maestro of satirical virtuosity. Who knows where Stedman is now? At home in Sioux Falls, no doubt. Wish he'd come out to play again. (Jim Santo)
RUSS STEDMAN - "THE SUBSTANDARD EXPERIENCE" : (Jim Santo's Demo Universe) - This is credited to "The Artist Formerly Known As Russ Steadman," but that's a dumb joke so I pay it no further heed. Not so with this, the 37th release in a home-taped catalog stretching back to 1982. Stedman bills it as "a useless collection of leftovers, covers and musical (?) fodder." Useless? Maybe, if you have no use for toe-tapping, head-bopping, grin-inducing rock n' roll. In which case, fuck yez. "Really Good Show," "Nosering Serenade" and the psycho-munchkin cover of "Spinning Wheel" are hysterical. "Peach" is a T. Rex rip-off, but hey, Bolan's not doing anything new these days, something you can't say about TAFKARS. (Jim Santo)
RUSS STEDMAN - "OSCILLATE WILDLY" : (BABY SUE MUSIC REVIEW, Spring 1996) -Russ Stedman has become a legend in the underground, possibly because the man continues to put out creative self-released cassettes at lightning speed. Intent on out-creating and out-recording almost everyone, Russ is interesting in that his projects almost always turn out great. And the guy doesn't really sound like anyone other than himself. Always entertaining and original (and at times ridiculous and funny), Russ Stedman is a true original. (Stephen M. Fievet)
RUSS STEDMAN - "BLOATED &
PRETENTIOUS" : (BABY SUE MUSIC
REVIEW, #18 FALL 1994) - One of the country's most prolific and crazy
underground plasters, Russ Stedman goes all over the place on his latest tape.
This one features 90 minutes (!!!) of some of the wildest home-taping madness
around. Russ is not only wild and crazy...he's sincere and really talented as
well. Plus...he keeps getting better and BETTER. I strongly suggest you contact
him. (Stephen M. Fievet)
RUSS STEDMAN - "BLOATED &
PRETENTIOUS" : (FACTSHEET FIVE,
#52 ) - I guess I was a bit disappointed with Russ Stedman's last tape but this
new one more than makes up for it. 25 songs on this tape. Every one of them is
uniquely funny and tunefully executed. We get a great selection of incredibly
twisted covers of songs written by Frank Zappa, Ozzy Osbourne, and Wang Chung. I
can't decide if I like the covers or the semiautobiographical songs the best. I
just love the song written about his biggest fan Earl Peel or the one about his
only review in Sound Choice (What, Factsheet Five's not good enough !) Believe
me, we're just scratching the surface. 25 songs for five bucks, you just can't
go wrong. Russ Stedman is proof that enjoyable, Iistenable music can come out of
one-man basement tapes. (R. Seth Friedman)
RUSS STEDMAN - "HERE'S YOUR
CHANGE" : (FACTSHEET FIVE, #50)
- Russ is really pumping for a review. The cover of his latest tape has a photo
of him sporting an original FACTSHEET FIVE T-shirt. Hell! Those things are so
rare, even I don't own one! This tape has eight strangely hilarious songs with a
really full production. I actually liked "3" a bit better, but with 20 different
home produced tapes available, this guy really blows me away. He definitely
rocks on this one. Jammin' guitars and clever lyrics. What a great combination.
Get this one, get his tape "3", or get "THE WORST SONGS OF ALL TIME". At least
send for his two-page catalog. I'm sure you'll find something. He trades tapes
too. (R. Seth Friedman)
RUSS STEDMAN - "HERE'S YOUR
CHANGE" : (ALTERNATIVE PRESS,
#68 MARCH 1994) - RUSS STEDMAN "Here's Your Change" and EVAN PETA "Glad to be
Back" : Stedman, who's self-released about two million LP's on his cassette
label, here offers spirited garage-rock with a bent humerus. Long-time associate
Peta serves a similar meal with less fi and more bluesy flash. As MOTHER
INFERIOR, the pair recorded an LP that TVT's Tom Sarig "didn't love". Good for
them. (Jim Santo)
RUSS STEDMAN - "HERE'S YOUR
CHANGE" : (CAKE, VOL. II, #21,
EARLY 1994) - Well, I knew l was in for it the second I opened the sleeve and
started reading the song lyrics and credits/thank-yous. The end credits thank
Kiss for teaching him about rock and roll - EEK ! Now, I know that most of us in
the late 7o's-early 80's grew up listening to Kiss, buying the dolls, joining
the Kiss army ; but Kiss had something that Russ somehow missed the boat on -
songs that are unique that stand out, and some sod of "gimmick". Many of the
lyrics are written on a very adolescent level ; for example, here's some lyrics
: ''Sitting In My Room With a Bunch of Candles Burning Listening to Bob Marley
and the Red Hot Chili Peppers'' Or, ''I Eat A Lot of Rolaids When I drive" And
''I Don't Drink Beer Anymore Since I Got religion" I'll let the lyrics speak for
themselves. (Tim Schloe)
RUSS STEDMAN - "HERE'S YOUR
CHANGE" : (BABY SUE MUSIC
REVIEW, #16 SPRING 1994) - Russ Stedman is quickly becoming one of my favorite
underground cassette artists. "Here's Your Change" is BRILLIANT. The songs,
arrangements, and production are all top-notch for home recordings. If you want
truly underground garage rock, this man is producing some of the best. Russ is
gearing up now to unleash his new live band called MOTHER INFERIOR, which ought
to be great. The band also features Evan Peta on guitar and Michael Reeves on
drums. In the meantime, do yourself a favor and order this tape. You can get
into that Jovial Milkman kinda feeling. (Stephen M. Fievet)
RUSS STEDMAN - "3" : (FACTSHEET FIVE, #47) - ...and the pick hit is Russ Stedman "3", (with a tuba version of "Yellow submarine", it's the most enjoyable basement tape I've heard in a long time). (R. Seth Friedman)
RUSS STEDMAN - "STOP PLAYING MUSIC" : (BABY SUE MUSIC REVIEW, #14 FALL 1993) - Hmmm...cross Ween with The Residents and you might get an idea what Russ Stedman sounds like. This is, literally, home-taped madness by a really quirky and inventive individual. Mr. Stedman's music is both goofy and intelligent, a rare blend indeed. The title of the tape is great...I wish a lot of people WOULD stop playing music, but NOT Russ Stedman. This is wildly inventive and fun. And yet ANOTHER example of the value of 'home-tapers'. A sonic dream you WON'T FIND at your local music shop ! Best Tracks : "Action Potato", "Stop Playing Music", "My Baby's World". (Don W. Seven)
MOTHER INFERIOR - "WE'RE FROM SEATTLE" : (GAJOOB, #9 WINTER 1993) - MOTHER INFERIOR is the musical union of Russ Stedman and Evan Peta. "We're From Seattle" was recorded from May to September of 1992. Some of the songs on the tape are what they call "Fake Songs"...recorded on one night in one long sporadic session, while others are more composed. It's not real apparent which songs are recorded in which way, other than the fact that a few of the songs, such as "Susan Day Worship Song" have thick overdriven guitar lines and riffs that must have took time to develop, while "Sweet Home Alabama" is simply basement jamming with a pal, all in the name of fun. "Music Critic Comments" (heard throughout the tape) were done the same night as the "fake recording session". Various annoying people from the Mitchell area were pestered throughout the evening to comment (into a hand-held recorder) on a band they had never heard of "...and probably never will !" This is a fun tape whose unevenness is also an asset. Neither Stedman or Peta has ever been to Seattle. (Bryan Baker)
RUSS STEDMAN - "GOOD FOOD. FINE
DRINKS" : (ND, #17 SPRING 1993)
- Truly over-the-top silliness runs through this tape of comedy rock. In parts
the music is pretty ballsy and the lyrics quite funny (songs about "Different
Strokes" and K-Mart) but 90 minutes of this wears thin. Conversational
interludes b/w tracks are the standout. (Rob Forman)
RUSS STEDMAN - "ONIONZ" : (FACTSHEET FIVE, #39) - Opening with the line "You can do what you wanna do",
S. Dakota Stedman proceeds to heed his own advice. Based on fuzzy guitar /
rhythm box pop, Stedman writes songs with forced rhymes and lines on the edge of
stupidity that consistently bring a chuckle from their absurdity, silliness, and
strange accuracy. Early C. Van Beethoven is the most consistent reference, as in
"The Pirate Song" desiring a radio station in his car, or "Underneath My Skin"
where Alph-alpha and Buckwheat buy Kiss records to have them injected underneath
their skin. But the blues also come in to show Stedman's able guitar roots,
along side other pop forms. Though not polished, these songs are capable of
drawing a smile. (Phil Zampino)
RUSS STEDMAN - "TRANSLATION SNAKES" : (FACTSHEET FIVE, #33) - This one-man-band seems to have a split personality. Russ starts out with some gentle, slow-moving,sonic explorations. But by the end of the second side he's producing rock blow-outs (with a detour by way of a swamp full of ten-thousand frogs) that take your breath away. Living in South Dakota must give him plenty of time to think of new things to record. (Mike Gunderloy)
RUSS STEDMAN - "HI HONEY..DROP DEAD" : (GAJOOB, #6 WINTER 1990) - Loaded with humor that is rather misogynist at times. Mostly rock with a hard edge, interspersed with things like phone messages that help break up the pace. Stedman's obviously having a lot of fun, and his enthusiasm is infectious. "Burn Victims Suck" is my favorite, with it's cool chorus vocals. SOUND : very good. (Bryan Baker)
RUSS STEDMAN - "HI HONEY..-DROP
DEAD" : (FACTSHEET FIVE, #34) -
Good natured rough & tumbled around the edges grange rock coming at you via
electronic instruments that aren't afraid to play and be heard. Though it's
upbeat and kind of catchy, it's definitely aggressive, and it's got bite. Around
that swirl warped noises and bent sounds that lend an experimental air to it.
(Carol Schutzbank)
RUSS STEDMAN - "OUT-OF BODY
EXPERIENCE" : (FACTSHEET FIVE,
#32) - A wild, multigenre rock collection with songs that are sometimes crude
but mostly funny. Try the alternative love-affair of "My Baby Grew a Dick", the
safe sex warning of "Full Body Condom", or the socially conscious "This Little
Piggie (Jammin' Version)" or "You Don't Need a School" and you'll see what I
mean. A warped sense of humor and some musical talent make for a fun if slightly
shocking release. (Mike Gunderloy)
RUSS STEDMAN -
"OUT-OF-BODY EXPERIENCE" : (EAR
OF CORN, #26) - The music is more or less rock, twisted a bit perhaps. But, the
gem of the tape are the lyrics and frank delivery. We have here such classics as
"Cunt cemetery", "Last Donut" (for our friends in blue), and a ton more. Pretty
funny shit on this tape with snippets between songs that amuse/confuse me.
Pretty cool shit, and Russ takes trades for all the tapes he offers.(Dave Schall)
RUSS STEDMAN - "OUT-OF BODY
EXPERIENCE" : (SOUND CHOICE, #13
WINTER 1990) - "Sex just ain't no fun anymore, since my baby grew a Dick" (And
she's "proud of it.") Oh, here's a sensitive little number...got acoustic
finger-pickin', some off key whistling...'different' topic ("Cunt Cemetery")
Y'know, l wasn't sure whether I'd hate this a little while ago, now I am. It's
too precious, not to mention totally fucking stupid. The inside pee-pee jokes
and unfunny scatology just aren't making me Iaugh...and as a whole this amounts
to little more that juvenile poop. Guess it's only fair to point out that the
music is well-recorded, and if the offensively idiotic words would scat, you'd
have a pretty well structured collection of quirky pop here...it's just that the
nudge-nudge lyrics drag everything down to the absolute bottom...and I do not
like the snotty racist remark that precedes "Last Donut" (over a black blues
tune, "McRibs" indeed !). YAWN-O, and fuck you. (Bret Hart)
RUSS STEDMAN - "OUT-OF-BODY EXPERIENCE" : (MISSING LINK CASSETTE CATALOG) - Have you ever wondered what Hustler magazine would sound like if it were put to music ? This tape, mainly consisting of songs inspired by Stedman's masturbatory fantasies, and the words we were all giggling at in the sixth grade, sounds like the music Larry Flynt would make if he had any inclination. There is something here to offend everyone. Well-produced and recorded, his music shows that Stedman is strongly influenced by 70's hard rock bands as well as contemporaries Metallica, Bon Jovi, and Midwest rocker Henry Lee Summer. Raunchy, eclectic, sexually and politically offensive to even the most jaded, this tape is not for the squeamish. But the music is excellent, and if approached with just the right frame of mind, you will enjoy his "sensitive" songs such as "I Miss the Shit Out of You", ''Full Body condom", or the politically poignant "Bush". If you have a sense of humor, appreciate good, hard driving rock, or are looking for the perfect gift for Tipper Gore, then you will enjoy this tape, although you may want to take a shower afterwards.
RUSS STEDMAN - "INNOVATOR OF NOTHING" : (SOUND CHOICE, #9 WINTER 1987) - This is apparently a totally home produced tape, something worthy of the label "independent". He plays mutant disjointed blues, slashing punk, really weird heavy-metalish, and just plain strange guitar. And he does it with skill - this guy has been practicing. He also sings, and his singing is as eclectic as his guitar (assuming it's the same person). Sometimes it's bluesy folkish, occasionally punk bellowing, always interesting. His lyrics, what there are of them, are great. They are very simple, almost sophomoric, but done with real style. With titles like "Nazi, Fascist, Bitch" and "My Leg Hurts" they have got to be funny, and they are. (Shell Runar)