Stan Chew - MUSIC
A Lifetime of Music
There was never a time when I was without an instrument. Music has been an anchor throughout my life, just always there. I was fortunate to grow up in a Navy family that meant lots of travel and exposure to cultures and people. The Armed Forces Radio played a massive mix of music and when overseas, we enjoyed concerts and USO shows featuring some of the best musicians. Louie Armstrong, Sarah Vaughn, Glen Campbell and many more played in intimate settings. This laid a foundation of creativity that I am always aware of and thankful for.
Current Work
The Bad Backs is all about writing, playing and recording music in the genres we identify with. From Alt-Folk/Country to R&B and Power Pop, The Bad Back's is the essence of the Indie music movement. This 3 piece combo features Chris Pimentel (composer, vocalist, bass) Tim Sweeney (vocalist, percussion) and Stan Chew (composer, vocalist, guitar)
Lunch At The Dump 1976 - Today
Both Chris and I are active members of Lunch At The Dump, an iconic musical force in the bluegrass/string band genre in New Hampshire and northern New England. Founded by Peter and Matt Leavenworth, LATD continues to perform in acoustic concert venues.
The Maldens 1989 - Today
I formed The Maldens to focus purely on writing, performing and recording music that I felt would stretch our collective boundaries and nourish our musical needs much more than covering others songs. The band includes Ray Himmer (composer, vocals, bass), Tim Sweeney (drums), Scip Gallant (Keyboard/B3), Stan Chew (composer, vocals, guitar), and Terence Kirby (composer, lyricist, vocals)
The Boys 1984 - 1989
Exhausted from the Boston Music scene and struggling to land a major record deal, Chris Pimentel, Steve Toland (drums) and I formed The Boys with a singular purpose...to make folks dance and have a GREAT time. We oriented our music towards women's preference for party rock. After all, where women go, men follow. The Boys was a huge success for us even if we suspended songwriting. It was nothing but fun!
The Drones 1980 - 1984
Managed by Cuzin Richard Entertainment Agency, The Drones was a Power Pop band dedicated to touring and performing rock and pop venues primarily in northern NE and Boston. We also wrote and recorded a region hit that garnered ample radio airplay. We played on average 250 gigs annually. The Drones included Matt Leavenworth (composer, vocals, guitar) Steve Toland (drums), Chris Pimentel (vocals, bass) and Stan Chew (composer, vocals and guitar)
Colorado and New Mexico 1974 - 1976
My music career started somewhat out of desperation. Having moved to Colorado for a summer job I arrived with two of my friends, Tom Watlington (banjo) and Steve Rush (mandolin, vocals) only to find the economy had collapsed and we were out of work, money and no place to live. We went to the Vail Village Plaza and busked as well as auditioned at the clubs that were open - BANG, we were making money and lots of it. We were asked to perform a daily matinee at a Dude Ranch that allowed us to build and live in a shelter at the base of Eagle Nest mountain at Piney Lake. I learned that one could make a living if you were willing to focus on music all people love - BLUEGRASS!
The next year after Colorado, I transferred to UNM to study guitar only to leave school at the beginning of my senior year. Patricia Eaves became my flatpicking mentor and band mate in Foxfire, playing throughout NM. I was off and running!
Learning, Playing and Performing 1965 - 1975
I really never wanted to do anything other than be a musician. My earliest days started with my brother John who immersed me into the world of Folk/Country/Bluegrass around the age of nine. He taught me my first guitar lick, the Lester Flatt G-run, used in almost every bluegrass song. I moved on to learning ukulele and performing for a Hula Troop when living in Hawaii. Upon moving to Taiwan, my Rock & Roll days started and I quickly found myself in bands playing at various teen clubs, officer clubs, NCO clubs and USO shows. It was amazing! I was surrounded by good players who were patient with me, learned quickly and developed the skills in order to put on a solid show.