Jonathan Stoye, guitarist for Framing Hanley, and bassist for The Infamous HER, finally feels like he isgetting closer to answering the question: Who am I as a solo act?
“My whole adult life I’ve played some sort of supporting role for different bands or artists,
which I love doing. But I’ve felt drawn towards writing my own material as a solo artist for
years.” With the release of his debut solo album, Our Wooden Bed, Stoye has officially started
chasing that feeling.
The eight-song album showcases his ability as a vocalist, guitarist, bassist and drummer.
Written at the end of 2019 by Stoye, the 2020 pandemic opened up his schedule and presented
itself as the perfect opportunity to record the album.
Stoye turned to his HER bandmate Caleb “KBC” Sherman to produce and record the debut.
What started as one song turned into two. Two songs turned into a three song EP. That EP
quickly grew into a full album.
“I didn’t intentionally sit down to write an album,” says Stoye. “2019 was a brutal year for me
personally, and I escaped what I was going through with songwriting.
“At times it felt like I wasn’t the one writing these songs. I have been writing songs for a few
years now, but this was the first time material had poured out of me.”
In 2013 Stoye began writing music on his own when the band he was a part of broke up.
“I wasn’t about to give up on music at that point,” says Stoye. “I didn’t have a band anymore, so
I started to explore writing my own stuff.”
Shortly after the split, he joined Framing Hanley and hit the road full time.
For the next 5 years Stoye continued to write and record demos of his own material in between
tours. In 2018 he released Demo Collection, giving him his first taste of being on his own.
“After that I knew I wanted to release more music as a solo artist. It was just a matter of finding
the right time to do so.”
The time, it seems, is now.