Stereo Library started off as the one-man-band project of Minneapolis native Sam Ibes. Now a full band, this crew of talented musicians hold true to the DIY ethic while creating their distinctive blend of lo-fi Americana garage rock.

In this interview spotlight, we chat about the new EP Happiest Days Of My Life as well as motivations, challenges, listening preferences and more.

Full Q&A along with links and music below.

Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)

My hometown is Minneapolis, MN though I didn’t create the moniker Stereo Library till I moved to Washington in summer 2015. Prior to my road trip out there I purchased anthology boxsets of both The Carter Family and Hank Williams and listened to them the whole way there. It changed the way I saw music. Up to that point I had been in a few bands but hadn’t really done a lot of songwriting, at least not much I was particularly proud of. Taking in all those songs revealed something of a formula, for lack of a better word. Mostly it showed you just need to tell a story worth listening to and let everything else serve and support that story and nothing else. From that point on I knew I wanted to make music like that. I use the term Americana most frequently to describe the sound cause I don’t believe we are strictly folk, country, rock n roll but rather grasping for the common thread that runs through all of them. A uniquely American feeling. 

What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?

The feeling of writing something I can feel proud of is certainly something that keeps me writing and recording. Now with a band of friends its also just the love of playing with old pals and preforming.

How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?

Happiest Days Of My Life is my first attempt at recording my music with a full band and with musicians other than myself. It is another pursuit of our own unique expression of Americana. 

(An excerpt from the album notes): “Happiest Days of My Life came about as the way of opening a new chapter in the musical development of principle song writer Sam Ibes. Stereo Library, originally Sam’s ‘one man band’ songwriting project needed new life. After arriving back to his home town of Minneapolis, Minnesota after a few years of travel, Stereo Library was remade as a full band with some of Sam’s best childhood friends Joe Ramm, Max Zdon and Aaron Pederson. This EP is simply a sample of whats to come. It’s the follow up to Stereo Library’s debut album, Mountain Morning, which was recorded solely by Sam in Washington State and released in April 2016.”

Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this oversaturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?

There’s just SO many bands and now even more websites looking to profit from musicians. So many performers like me I think get caught up in a feedback loop where the keep hearing the same things from the same people. So we may turn to this online resources as a way of getting our music outside of that loop. Exposure and feedback to and from unique audiences is seemingly easier than ever to achieve because of that. But I can’t help but think, even with all the new platforms big and small, that it really isn’t any easier or harder than it was in any other point in recent popular music to break out. In other words it’s all relative to the amount of work you put in. Theres a lot of wasteland you need to travel through online and with technology before you can find resources worth your time. Like always, the people you know seem to be the best way to break through. It’s taken me now several years to really feel comfortable and confident with how I present myself and the music online. A lot of it still seems to go over my head.

What was the last song you listened to?

“Jungle Land” by Bruce Springsteen

Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?

For me what matters most is that I can listen to music in the car. Wether it’s CD, MP3 or tapes.

How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?

I’ve always liked bandcamp. Compared to other free resources (ie soundcloud) it feels like they invest a lot more in making music matter. I’m warming up to Spotify now that I’ve learned to use it as a musician. Having your music available to people all over the world can’t hurt!

Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?

Facebook is the best place to be up to date on whats happening with us. Our music will always be downloadable for free on bandcamp with physical copies for sale as well.

Anything else before we sign off?

Stay tuned for a full length album coming out sometime in 2019! And thank you Joshua for everything.