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I caught up with Chicago singer/songwriter Stolie
last week just as she was downloading material onto Sonicbids (an online
promotional site for musicians). Before that she was updating her MySpace
page, and next she was to work on memorizing words and music for a Bon Jovi
medley that she was set to debut soon in her cover-duo act.
Asked whether she’s staying busy, she replies: “I’m working five or six nights a week
between original solo shows, the cover duo, and hosting open mics. Then I
have my Super Stolie kid shows on the weekend and I’ve got several
birthday parties coming up. And there’s no end to the work that can
be done checking Web sites, recording, and learning songs.”
I’m taking that as a yes. Springfield music fans may remember Stolie as a
member of Tres Femmes, a trio of female singer/songwriters who played here
regularly four or five years ago. Victoria Vox and Kellie Lin Knott, the
two other members, are still making their livings playing music, too. “We see each other when we can, but everyone is
so busy,” reports Stolie. “Kellie is settled into playing the
Boston area, I’m in Chicago, and Victoria is still on the
move.”
There was a time when Stolie lived on the road,
trying to make ends meet while traveling from gig to gig. She soon
discoverd that it was not the life for her. Rather than give up playing,
though, she adjusted to making a living with music in ways that
didn’t involve travel. “There are opportunities across the board here
in different tiers of playing and levels of making money,” she says.
“If you take care of business, you have time for art.”
Stolie has found a good balance not only between her
business and her art but also in her recorded output. Her latest CD, Between the Fake and Real (2008),
is a powerful statement both artistically and sonically. The songs are
engaging and diverse, lyrically appealing and musically challenging, riding
the line between familiarity and pushing limits. In addition to writing and
arranging the material, Stolie recorded everything herself, using the stock
Garageband program on a MacBook. “I wanted to use a full band but I didn’t
have one, so I did it all myself,” she says. “I know what I
wanted to hear, but I had to figure it out.”
She began the project in 2006, took her time, and
finished last fall. She plans on some road work to push the disc, but
intends to concentrate promoting the CD online. For future plans in the
music business, Stolie definitely has a clear idea of where she’s
going. “I don’t want to play in bars five or six
nights a week forever and I’m not looking to get signed and make it
big,” she says. “I want to sleep in my own bed at night, be
around my friends, and play music, too.”
Stolie plays 7-9 p.m. Friday, May 9, at It’s
All About Wine (1305 Wabash, Suite M, 217-546-9463) and somewhere in and
around the Micah Walk Band and the Damwell Betters, between 9 p.m. and 2
a.m. Saturday, May 10, at Marly’s Pub (9 W. Old State Capitol Plaza,
217-522-2280).
Contact Tom Irwin at tirwin@illinoistimes.com.
This article appears in May 1-7, 2008.
