Kelley Stoltz talks new album ‘The Stylist’ in BV Q&A – listen to “Your Name Escapes Me”

You are a pretty prolific musician with your own studio. How was your pandemic? Were you more creative or less so?

I was thriving at the beginning, as it felt like all the burdens of social life were lifted and I was free to live my regular hermetic, music making self-obsessed life without feeling any guilt over not taking part in a lot of activities. After awhile though, my tank was empty - and I found without any social life, seeing a gig, having dinner with friends etc I didn't have any creative spirit or new inspiration to write about. I've been in a pretty non-creative space this last year.

The Stylist is new sonic territory for you. Did anything inspire the palette of sounds on this one? How would you describe it?

Is it different? That's good if so. I consciously wanted to steer away from making another 60's / 80's album and depend less on my Bowie to Bunnymen DNA. I think there's a return to some of my earlier records in the piano based, Beatle-y sounds. Some of my albums have felt fully formed -- Double Exposure, Que Aura, Ah!-(etc) -- they were the result of a clear intention. With The Stylist, I feel it's an "inbetweener," a bridge out of one thing towards something I haven't fully grasped yet.

Tell us about the album cover and the Hair & Heavy Metal Mobile Salon where the photo was shot.

With the advent and popularity of the food truck culture, there started to be more retail type trucks in those outdoor food malls. My old friend, and my haircutter, Donnelle Malnik, kinda anticipated all that and several years ago bought a huge delivery truck that she retrofitted into a mobile hair salon. Her love of Hair Metal of course, was a good fit and there's posters of all the LA Coconut Teaszer era dudes all over the walls. I was stuck for a title and theme for the artwork, and one day walking by another salon near my house I saw "se solicita Estilista" -- "help wanted, Stylist." I thought the word estilista was beautiful and, anyway, that's what led to the cover idea. I'm sort of a stylist musically, I dabble in different styles. Especially on this new album.

San Francisco has changed a lot since you released The Past Was Faster in 1999. Lots of musicians have left for L.A. or other cities. What keeps you there?

I was fortunate enough to buy a house here right before it became impossible to do so. I had earned some money from TV commercials that all kind of hit at the same time. I have a studio in my garage, and work at a record store and a guitar shop a few days here and there. I kind of have THE dream musician life -- or at least the life I wanted for awhile. I get restless though. I need more space, new streets to explore and my gal and I talk about moving now and again, but where?!

You're touring the UK this summer -- when might we get you back on the East Coast?

It's tough. I didn't put in the time on the road early in my career, and so a lot of USA shows now aren't well attended. I'm just not that known, so I end up demoralized and losing money if I go out on tour here. I kind of have no plans to do it. I don't even have an agent here. At least heading to Europe there's a feeling of seeing something new, getting away. Better to be demoralized in Paris than Cleveland.

What else is in the hopper?

For the first time in awhile I'm releasing an album, and have nothing of my own already done for the next one… like nothing! I'm helping one of my heroes, "Big Boy" Pete Miller, who's 1965 song "Baby, I Got News For You" I covered, make a new album. He kinda took me on as a producer. Also, early on in the pandemic, I recorded a few songs transatlantically with Will Sergeant from the Bunnymen, but I don't know if they'll ever see the light of day!