Updated: 12/27/03

I got to see Stairwell at Furnacefest in 2002. Since then they were signed to Hopeless Records. Saw them again at 2003 Van's Warped Tour. The Orange County band is moving right along even though some members have changed. Here's a chat to find out more about them.

Tell is your name and how did you get involved with Stairwell? What instrument do you play in the band?
Well…my name is Sean Stopnik, and I play guitar. I joined Stairwell about 4 years ago when they were still a 3 piece. They had been together for about 6 months, and were writing songs and just starting to play shows. I joined as kind of a fill-in guitar player, and kind of just never left the band.

How did Furnacefest in 2002 rub off on you? What was your experience like? How did you get involved with that event?
Furnace Fest was fun…we have always had a good time playing it. I don’t remember all the details from last year, but what I do remember is that it was hot as hell! Takehold Records, the people who put on Furnace Fest every year, was our original record label. Since we were on Takehold, we get to play FF.

Are you currently finding it easier changing to Hopeless Records?
Hopeless Records has been unbelievable to us. We couldn’t ask for anything more…they are like our second family. They do so much for us, we are so very lucky to be with them.

Can your band perform acoustic? And if so when was that done and where?
Yeah…we have done it a few times. We performed on USC’s radio station acoustic once…it was a lot of fun. We actually would like to do more of it.

What’s your relationship now with Takehold records and your first release and with The Sounds Of Change?
Takehold Records is no longer a record label…since about 1 year ago they sold the label to Tooth and Nail Records. Chad, the former owner of Takehold is an awesome guy. We loved being on Takehold, we totally believed in what Chad was doing…just in the end…he didn’t have the finances to do it anymore.

Where did your title come from for Sounds Of Change? What is the meaning behind the CD Sounds Of Change?
We wrote that album over 2 years ago now…and at the time, we were coming off of the last album, Pacific Standard Time. PST was a real garage sounding pop rock album…and when we wrote The Sounds of Change, we wanted it to sound totally different then the last record. So when it came time to name it, we thought it fit….it is the sounds of our changes…and our direction. A lot of people think we are trying to say that we sound so different then other bands…or we are better then them, and that our album title is a cocky way of saying that….like…”listen kid, heres the sounds of change”. And its not even like that at all….it was just went as our own personal change from our last sound…that’s it.

What cover songs do Stairwell ever perform if asked to play some?
We really never do…we always say we are going to…but just never seem to get around learning them. We will for sure one day!

What is the story behind your song Favorite Streets? And what is it like living in Orange County as yet another band there? ( like the bands Lit…….ect…)
Actually the song is called Familiar Streets…. I'm not exactly sure it's meaning…I don’t write the lyrics. Orange County is great…I mean…ya…there is a huge amount of bands from here…but the scene is so scattered, you don’t always really see it. There is so many shows, and so many kids…it makes it easier to play a lot…without kids getting tired of you.

If you could make a video for one of your songs which one would it be for and why?
Well….we made a video for the song Breathless…but it was a really low budget kind of thing. I would love to do a video for Disaster….since that is probably all of our favorite song off the record.

What is the story behind your song “What Happened To all The Romance?”
Well…Jon wrote that song after watching a lot of old Audrey Hepburn movies… he realized how cool romance was back then, as opposed to today’s lack of romance. So he wrote a song about it.

You are playing a few dates on The Vans Warped Tour 2003. Are you excited to be playing and participating in such a huge event? What do you want to get out of this experience of playing such an event as this?
Ya…we are really excited to play Warped Tour this year. We really don’t expect too much out of it, except to just have a good time, and hopefully meet a lot of new people. We are really excited about going to Canada…I have never been.

If you could talk to a band in the past about a particular song, what band would that be and what song and why?
I don’t know what particular song, but I would love to just talk to the Beatles. Every song they wrote was complete genius! Just to talk to them about they way they record and write would be so great!

Is there a current new album in the making and will it be released by Hopeless Records?
We have started writing songs for the next record…but not sure when we will record it. It will be out on Hopeless for sure…probably sometime summer of 2004.

Why is it so important to be a 5 member band? Cant you pull off your sound by being a typical 4 part group?
Actually, as of a few months ago, we changed some things…so now we are a 4 piece band…and ya…we pull our sound, and the sound of our next record, much better now.

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