text: With the strike of a crunchy, low E chord, the ride began. For twelve minutes I explored the diverse blues music of John Sears and found myself captivated by his new EP. Needless to say, I’m glad I clicked on that link. In commemoration of his still fairly new band, the four songs on “John Sears and the Stock Music Company” make up a sort of interview—an interview with a well-rounded young man indeed.
  On this record, we see a broad spectrum from the endearing lyrics of the country-ish love number “In Your Arms,” to the attitude and grit behind “Chiqui’s New Man,” where he sounds like a barefoot boy from the hills who was raised by Italian wolves. The first two tracks—the instrumentals “Road to the Oasis,” and “The Waltz in E Minor”—although ominous and heavy in their overall tone, seem to have been pieced together with the utmost love and care.
  John Sears recorded the EP himself and the production is pretty good. It has less of a DIY feel and more of a vintage sound, on par, if not better than some others I have heard who do not possess the budget of a major label. Josh Maskornick and Nicholas Baranowski make appearances on the record as well, both of whom are musicians who have played or continue to play with the Stock Music Company.
  It’s worth the twelve minutes if you can spare it. Check it out above, on YouTube, or at johnsears.bandcamp.com. Downloads are available (I got mine!). John Sears and the Stock Music Company performs at The Funhouse in Bethlehem, PA on Thursday, October 26th at 10:00 pm.