Gerry Stanek makes records rooted in his own raw vision of what rock and roll is supposed to be, where things are fast and gritty. “I write and record quickly,” he says, “because you can’t overthink something that already has a certain type of spirit when it shows up.”
Stanek earned his musical stripes on the corner stages of VFW’s and American Legion halls in Western Pennsylvania’s coal towns. He played bass and toured extensively with major label acts in the 90s: The Lost on Epic Records, Outcry on Eureka/Polygram, and eighteen months with Pittsburgh rocker Norman Nardini. The Lost managed to get into heavy rotation on MTV with the 1991 single “Mindblower,” and lots of press followed: Rolling Stone, Spin, and Vanity Fair were among the national publications to write about the band. The Lost opened for the likes of King's X, The Black Crowes, and The Ramones. At the same time, Stanek breathlessly sprinted to hundreds of solo gigs in New York City and on the Jersey Shore. The 1990s can only be described as busy for the sideman and songwriter.
Gerry Stanek left music behind around the turn of the millennium and drove a tractor trailer for eight years. He also earned a Master of Fine Arts in Fiction after his final day in the truck. Three daughters showed up along the way, and he lives with them in Greensboro, North Carolina. The idea of writing songs again was like a gathering storm, then, and it turned into a cloudburst in early 2021. Stanek's full-length LP, Heart in Peril, was released in July of 2022, a collection marked by kinetic energy and a lot of snarl. A more intimate EP was next: Grease and Dust and Blood was released in September of 2022. There's been some airplay at college radio and in Europe, and "Heart in Peril" got spins on SiriusXM's Little Steven's Underground Garage.
Gerry Stanek released several singles in 2023,including a cover of Van Halen's “So This Is Love” done up as a roots rock number. Lots of new music is on the way in 2024, so stay tuned.