Excited to announce that I’m the featured guest on the Discussions in Percussion podcast episode 174! It was a pleasure to meet Damon Grant and Marcos Torres; and so much fun to speak with them about drumming, songwriting, gig life, touring, studying with Billy Martin, mentoring with Leon Parker, growing up in New Jersey, moving to Memphis, and more!! Check it out…
discussionsinpercussion.com/home/2020/4/29/174-stephen-chopek-drummer-for-charlie-hunter-john-mayer-jesse-malin-mike-doughty-amp-more
Fireworks Collage Project
20+ years ago a bunch of likeminded friends and I started a musical ruckus called The Fireworks Collage Project. Birthed from a conversation under the fireworks on a hot 4th of July evening in 1999 at a rooftop party in New York City’s lower east side, FCP got together for the first time the next day with hopes to rage noise and explore the subtleties of untamed musical ideas and expression. The ensemble lasted for a little over a year before we all moved on, but we recorded (almost) everything. Stephen Connolly recently uploaded everything to Bandcamp for free streaming!
Fireworks Collage Project is Mustafa Bhagat (guitar), Stephen Chopek (drums / percussion), Stephen Connolly (electronics / engineer), and Brian Wilson (keyboards / percussion). Featuring special guests Daniel Carter (saxophone), Marcos Garcia (guitar), Karel Ruzicka (saxophone), Jamie Zillitto (bass), and Scott Zillitto (saxophone). Listen here…
fireworkscollageproject.bandcamp.com
Every Day
Drum talk
Last week I had the pleasure of speaking with Marcos Torres and Damon Grant for the Discussions in Percussion podcast. Interview coming soon!
Back in The Perch
Busy these days at the home studio with writing and recording new songs, mixing old songs, practicing, learning software, collaborating remotely, etc.
How to spell...
PREVENTION
ICYMI - new SONG and VIDEO
My latest single Cherokee Arms was released one week ago today on March 27th, and the new video premiered on March 30th! Listen on the MUSIC page or stream everywhere, and watch on the VIDEOS page or YouTube. Enjoy!!
No Foolin'
I recently had the honor of appearing in Southern Bride Magazine! The photos were from a wedding gig I played with Mighty Souls Brass Band at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, TN. Pics below and more about the event HERE.
Music Video Monday
Big thanks to The Memphis Flyer for featuring my new single “Cherokee Arms” in today’s Music Video Monday! Check it out HERE.
Having lived in Memphis for six years, I was finally ready to write a song about living in Midtown. Cherokee Arms is an apartment building on Madison Avenue that looks how Midtown Memphis feels to me: rough around the edges with strong character, understated with a solid presence, attitude with class. This video is all about getting there. The footage was collected from some of the places that I've passed through while on tour: Richmond, El Paso, Oklahoma City, Madison, Los Angeles, Baltimore, Queens. Dallas / Fort Worth, and of course Memphis.
New song - CHEROKEE ARMS
My latest single Cherokee Arms is now available everywhere!
Links below or click HERE to listen or head over to the MUSIC page.
I grew up in New Jersey and moved to Memphis in 2014. After being here for six years, I was ready to write a song about living in Midtown. Cherokee Arms is an apartment building on Madison Avenue that looks how Midtown Memphis feels to me: rough around the edges with strong character, understated with a solid presence, attitude with class.
Written, performed, recorded, mixed by me at The Perch.
Mastered by Matt Qualls at Young Avenue Sound.
Spotify
Apple
YouTube
Bandcamp
SoundCloud
Amazon
Memphis Music Friday 3/27/20
My new song is coming tomorrow from Memphis! Tune in here for links to all your favorite listening platforms.
Survey for Pace U
For my fellow working musicians. Since we all seem to have some extra time on our hands, I was wondering if you could help out my friend Paul Ziek. He's working on an academic paper with a colleague at Pace University, and is looking for musicians to complete an online survey. It's anonymous and only take s a few minutes to complete. He'd greatly appreciate your input. Please feel free to forward the link along to other musicians as well. Click HERE for survey. Many thanks in advance for your time!
New Music Friday
My new song is named after a building in Midtown Memphis and you can hear it this Friday, March 27th! Please sign the mailing list below for all the latest updates.
PLEASE!!!!!
New song 3/27/20
My new single comes out one week from today on Friday, March 27th! The song is about a building in Memphis, TN. Any guesses? Hint: Midtown.
Erin go Shane
From radio to video
If you missed my Thacker Mountain Radio performance on February 27th (and the rebroadcast on March 7th), you can see it on the VIDEOS page or on YouTube. Thanks for watching!
Memphis Magnetic Recording
A few days after our February tour wrapped up, we went into the studio to capture what we’d been developing on the road. Stay tuned for a release date. Here are some photos of Mike Doughty, Andrew “Scrap” Livingston, and myself taken by Kelly “Scully” Rybarczyk at Memphis Magnetic Recording Recording (02/26/20).
On the radio (again)
In case you missed it, I performed at Off Square Books last week in Oxford, MS for Thacker Mountain Radio Hour - Thursday, February 27th. You can listen to the entire show (featuring author Alexander Weinstein and violinist Jiwon Lee) on tomorrow's rebroadcasts - Saturday, March 7th on Mississippi Public Broadcasting at 7:00 PM CST and on Alabama Public Radio at 9:00 PM CST. Photos by Jennifer Lauriello.
Mike & Me
Last week I returned home from tour, playing drums with Mike Doughty. It was a fantastic 21 days of 16 shows in 13 states. I've been a fan of Mike's ever since he was M. Doughty - singer, guitarist, and songwriter of the band Soul Coughing. I listened to all of their albums obsessively. I watched them perform "Circles" on David Letterman, and saw them live on the 1998 El Oso tour in New York City at Irving Plaza. Four years later I was drumming with John Mayer, in support of his album Room for Squares, and Mike joined us for a string of dates as the opening act. I caught his set every night. We hung out a few times and realized we had some mutual friends. Two years after that, Mike asked me to audition for his new band. He was getting ready to release Haughty Melodic, and needed a touring drummer. I received a CD in the mail (pictured here, dated February 2004) with songs to learn for the session. The audition went smoothly, but I didn't get the gig. Fast forward to 2014 when I relocated from Jersey City, NJ to Memphis, TN to be with my then girlfriend / now wife Abby. Shortly after the move, my friend Mark Stepro told me that Mike Doughty also recently left the east coast for Memphis. I sent an email to Mike and we met for lunch in Midtown, where we caught up on the previous decade. He and I started playing improv gigs around town, which turned into the band MOTICOS and then BABY MEN. The latter of which was the support act for Mike's recent tour. Yes, we opened up for ourselves in disguise (and I got to keep the mask). Anyway, that’s it for now; but stay tuned for more tales from the road. Thank you for indulging me while I wax nostalgic. I just wanted to share what’s been on my mind, which boils down to this... Life is an adventure, and the music business can be unpredictable. Work hard. Work smart. Be nice. Practice gratitude. Keep going.
