photo by thrdcoast

Fresh starts can be overrated– just ask Steve Hartlett. Heading up a new solo-spirited project, Stove, that picks up right where his last band, Ovlov, left off, Hartlett’s less concerned with drawing distinctions between the two endeavors and more interested in throwing all his energy into the work itself. Is Stupider, Stove’s debut album, came out on Exploding in Sound Records this past Friday, and the new project’s name (a combination of “Steve” and “Ovlov”) concisely captures its sound: a reincarnation of Ovlov’s strongest elements framed through Hartlett’s liberated creative lens. Both the album and Stove itself are, at heart, about starting over, but rather than searching for a blank slate they find strength in acknowledging past errors before moving on. The record ruminates on stupidity, but everything about its approach is smart.

It’s no exaggeration to say that Stove had a proper fan base well before releasing its first single, courtesy of Ovlov’s success and Hartlett’s riotous live performances. His records’ steadily grungy riffage turns explosive onstage, producing the kind of shows where guitars tend to leave in much rougher shape than they’d arrived in and fans get converted on the spot. While on the road to support Is Stupider, Hartlett caught up with AP via email to discuss the album’s creation and the role of artistic identity in his work.

Allston Pudding: Many of the tracks on Is Stupider were originally written for Ovlov. What was your inspiration for this album at the outset?

Steve Hartlett: I was just very anxious to get everything recorded and released without any specific intentions. Wasn’t sure if it would be a solo project or eventually a full band, which it quickly became. It was just important to me that it existed in one way or another and [I] figured things would just work themselves out.

AP: How did they evolve when they became Stove songs?

SH: We only ever played “Jock Dreams”, “Dusty Weather”, “Wet Food” and “Stupider” in Ovlov. They were definitely dumbed down a bit for Stove, given that I couldn’t play a lot of what Theo played on drums. Morgan and Theo are both much better musicians than I am, so they sounded a lot tighter when Ovlov played them.

AP: How did your creative process change between the two projects?

SH: I just started settling with any song I write, rather than thinking maybe something sounded too different or didn’t fit the band’s sound or something and then not using them.

AP: The theme of the album is pretty clear, from “Stupid” to “Stupider” to “Stupidest”, and if it’s not too much of a stretch, “Dumboy”. Is the general theme as strong as the connection gets, or is there a narrative progression between those songs?

SH: Yeah, that theme just kinda sums up Stove in general. It’s all about starting over and learning from the stupid mistakes we all make throughout our lives and doing the best we can to not repeat them.

AP: You recorded the guitar, vocals, bass, and drums entirely on your own on this record. What was your time in the studio like?

SH: Pretty relaxing. Working with Nick Dooley and Dan Francia didn’t really feel like work at all. It felt like they were just listening to me play and before we knew it we were done. It was all done at Nick’s mother’s house in a barn and it was one of the most beautiful properties I’ve ever gotten to spend some time on. I usually never wake up before 10 A.M but that week I would wake up super early (for me) and have a cigarette and coffee and watch the end of the sunrise above the Catskills. It felt like a vacation.

AP: Which aspect was the biggest challenge?

SH: Everything went pretty smoothly besides tracking drums. I rarely ever play them so I suppose I had to warm up a bit. Also, trying to make Nick laugh. He is stone cold.

AP: Is Stove a solo project, a band, or something in between?

SH: When we get back from this trip, we will evolve into a real live band with Boner [aka Mike Hammond], Alex [Molini], Jordyn Blakely and I as the official line-up.

AP: The term “nineties rock revival” gets thrown around a lot regarding both Ovlov and Stove. What are your feelings on the “revival” label?

SH: Sometimes it’s kind of frustrating to hear. I like to think I’m inspired by things as far as 100 years ago to now, but I understand where the 90s thing comes from. It’s just similar to when they said the nineties were a sixties revival.  I honestly think it just all comes down to RAT [a staple grunge distortion pedal] or big muff pedals. Alex and I often play the songs on piano and acoustic together just for fun, cause it’s kind of reassuring to know I still like the songs stripped down and they’re not just ‘grunge rock’ songs. The root of a song is like a vague black and white drawing of a flower. Whatever you color it as will determine its name or something.

AP: You mentioned in a recent interview that in Ovlov you aimed to emulate bands like Dinosaur Jr. and the Pixies, but with Stove you feel freer to drift from those influences. What kinds of things do you feel more open to trying now that you might not have before?

SH: I’m just trying to write without any particular band or artist in mind so that I don’t end up just comparing it to whoever myself. It’s cool to hear what things people come up with doing it that way.

AP: When you’ve been tracing those influences for so long, to what extent do they seep into your own creative instincts? How do you separate the two when you’re writing?

SH: It’s best for me to just maybe go back and forth between writing on an acoustic or electric guitar, sometimes try not to use distortion or something. Just to try my best to have a different intention for each song, though only being able to write on a guitar can be very limiting. I’ve been recently working on songs with Alex on piano because it amazes me how much it can change the vibe of a song. Keys provide almost endless options.

AP: What are you up to these days when you’re not working on Stove?

SH: I recently started playing guitar in Baked, which has been so much fun. Such great people and easy to get along with. It’s especially nice not being the front guy for a band and just getting to shred over awesome songs I wish I wrote. RJ Gordon and I are essentially the exact same person. I try to go to as many shows as I can because I miss being able to see all my friends play a few times a month, and now everyone is going all over the world. Other than that, just watching TV at Dan Goldin and Alex’s house, which doubles as the Exploding In Sound HQ.

AP: What are your plans for the future of the project?

SH: To go to Japan. Also to one day be made fun of on South Park.

Catch Stove at The Middle East Upstairs tonight (11/24), along with Dirty Dishes, Horse Jumper of Love, and Leaner. Tickets are still available here.