Steve Stanley

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The Now Sounds

with Steve Stanley

Steve Stanley is a Los Angeles-based graphic designer, reissue producer, musician, author, and host of LuxuriaMusic’s The Now Sounds Of Steve Stanley. His band, The Now People, released The Last Great 20th Century Love Affair on Parasol Records/Birdsong in 2006.

In 2007, Steve established his own reissue imprint—appropriately dubbed Now Sounds Much like his radio show, Steve’s label “explores the untrodden sonic avenues of the creatively fertile late ’60s West Coast music scene and beyond.” The Now Sounds catalog includes releases by The Parade, Tina Mason, Colours, Five Man Electrical Band (The Staccatos), The Tuneful Trolley, as well as the new Roger Nichols And The Small Circle Of Friends Full Circle album.

2009 has been a busy year for Now Sounds, with deluxe reissues of albums by Mark Eric, The Sixpentz, The Cowsills, The Golden Gate, Wondermints, The Peppermint Trolley Company, and Janis Ian.

Steve has also designed, produced, and/or annotated more than 70 CD reissues for such labels as Rev-Ola, Del-Fi, Rhino (including the new Where The Action Is! Los Angeles Nuggets box set), Sympathy For The Record Industry, and Collectors’ Choice; and for artists such as Bee Gees, The Cowsills, The Monkees, The Merry-Go-Round, Paul Williams, Eternity’s Children, Curt Boettcher, Wondermints, Peter Himmelman, Brian Wilson, and the Snow Queen herself, Claudine Longet. Stanley’s magazine articles–which are often focused on ’60s cult musicians and bands—have been published in Mojo and Record Collector.

In the ’90s, Stanley was sales manager/A&R for legendary indie label Del-Fi Records, co-producing such releases as Gee Baby Gee: The Del-Fi Girl Groups and Delphonic Sounds Today! Stanley had a small role in the 2000 made-for-TV movie, The Beach Boys: An American Family.

Philosophy of my radio show: To celebrate the best—and sometimes worst—that my Now-fixated record collection has to offer, without the listener having to endure hanging out in my apartment.
Five artists LuxuriaMusic listeners will hear on my show: Roger Nichols, Brute Force, Randy Newman, Curt Boettcher, The Cookies, Mark Eric
To derive maximum pleasure from my radio show: Wear headphones and sip an El Coyote margarita.
When I’m not DJing I can be found: Producing reissues for Now Sounds releases; playing guitar; designing album covers for indie artists and Rhino reissues; writing liner notes; watching latter day Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert episodes.
Secret superpowers I possess: The ability to locate and interview a forgotten drummer from a forgotten ’60s band (living in a forgotten trailer park in a forgotten town) in a single bound.