Kelley Stoltz (Noah)

Kelley Stoltz is one of those San Francisco musicians who over a relatively long period time has become more than just a member of the scene, but a foundational stone. A chunk of hard-wrung granite that exists as so much more than another guitar-strumming psych-rocker in the murky waters of The Bay.

I moved to San Francisco almost five years ago and dove head first in to the quickly percolating garage scene, and there, already ensconced, was Kelley Stoltz, a little less raw, a little less fast, but there all the same, headlining shows at The Eagle with his particular brand of 60s-influenced pop-and-roll. Years later, with the city’s garage scene on decline, Kelly Stoltz is still here, still knocking out layered bits of melodic psych-rock.

Kim Chee Taco Man, Stoltz’s first single off his new double LP out on Third Man in September, feels as fresh and vibrant as it does familiar and well-worn. Tendrils of guitar noodle out in to the space between Stoltz’s refreshingly unpolished vocals, the haze of psych-rock psychedelia pressing on the warm, nostalgic centers of the brain. It’s a lovely song, and one that reminds just why Kelley Stoltz has been around so long.

:Kelley Stoltz – Kim Chee Taco Man: