Stalker (56)

'Peyote Picnic ' was released in 1993. A collection of monstrously digable tunes, heavy on the edges deep in the middle. The band was booked at every major venue in NYC and New Jersey. Their press kit included this cover sheet: “Sitting down in the rehearsal room, we all looked at each other, smiling. A phat bowl was being passed around, its smoke filling up the room with a dense fog. The ritual was beginning. All five of us knew why we were there. We were going to unleash the week's anger, frustration, dreams, and experiences onto our defenseless instruments. It was all going to come out in the open, unobstructed by the inhibitions that restrain us during the day. The music was bigger than any of us. It was honest. It had many layers of meaning. It was obviously beautiful. Closing our eyes, letting it flow, it was the purpose of our lives. The most exhilarating feeling was to exist and create on the same level. We were all part of a unit, understanding each other, working towards the same goal, belonging heart, and soul to the truth. The energy was like a bright light, sweet ether, enveloping us, and any incidental observer in the room. As the music revealed itself, it was more obvious to all that we had to make these feelings public, record them on an album” Stalker, hailing from Northern New Jersey, is an iconic American rock band that came to fruition in 1987. With an impressive lineup featuring the talented Ruy Oliveira on bass, Martin Bak and Andy Averbuch on guitars, Angelo Cario on drums, and the dynamic Mark Byrnes on vocals, the band quickly gained a reputation for their unique sound and captivating performances. Their music quickly gained traction and led to local and minor national success in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with the release of their first two albums, Volume 1 in 1989 and Peyote Picnic in 1993, both under the prestigious TRG Records label. Despite their undeniable talent, the band ultimately disbanded in 1996 as metal lost its mainstream popularity. However, their legacy and impact on the tri-state area rock music scene are still felt and celebrated to this day. Members Mark Byrnes: Vocals Andy Averbuch: Guitars Martin Bak: Guitars Angelo Cario: Drums Ruy Oliveira: Bass Discography Volume 1 (1989) Unreleased Tracks (1991) Peyote Picnic (1993) Unreleased Tracks (1994) Career Stalker had a career that was marked by regular appearances in renowned national magazines such as Rip Magazine, Powerline, Metal Edge Magazine, Live Wire Magazine, Japans Burrn, and Italy's Fireball Magazine. However, despite this exposure, the band never achieved significant success. In 1987, Stalker, whose members were only 17 years old at the time, received their first record contract from Azra Records, an American independent label established in 1978 by David Thomas Richards. This was an exceptional feat, given that there were no other 17-year-olds dominating the metal world at the time, and the boy band craze was yet to take off. However, Stalker could not capitalize on the opportunity as they did not have the resources to produce a full-length album, and they were also unfamiliar with Azra Records, which had launched bands such as Overkill. Consequently, they declined the offer. Stalker was presented with a recording contract, albeit with a producer affiliated with The House of Music Recording Studio in West Orange, New Jersey. This studio was frequented by several notable artists such as Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker, and Patti Smith. Meat Loaf recorded his renowned album "Bat Out of Hell" there, while Kool and the Gang created most of their biggest hits, including "Celebration," at the studio. Despite this prestigious association, Stalker declined the offer for reasons unknown. In 1988-89, Stalker's luck seemed to be turning as they worked with Dave Derr, the renowned designer of the analog Distressor - Empirical Labs, who recorded and produced their "Volume 1" EP. Dave's belief in the band led him to recommend his associate at Eventide, Gil Griffith, to make connections for them in the industry. Gil came through by introducing Stalker to Vinnie Vincent in Los Angeles. Vincent, who was in the final stages of completing the new Vinnie Vincent Invasion record, agreed to produce some tracks for Stalker to present to A&R representatives at Chrysalis Records. However, in a twist of fate, Vinnie and the band were released from their contract with Chrysalis Records later that year. This was due to Vincent's perceived domination of the project by the label, which resulted in the shelving of Pyro Messiah (also known as Guitars From Hell). Stalker's session was also canceled, and the deal that they had accepted was no longer viable. According to rumors, Vinnie produced the album, which the label considered too guitar-heavy. As a result, the label remixed the album, omitting half of his guitar tracks, which infuriated Vincent. He broke into the studio and stole the masters, leaving the project in ruins. Despite this setback, Stalker received another offer from Kerry Livgren, from the band Kansas, to sign with his own Christian label, Kerygma Records, which was distributed by Sparrow Records. However, Livgren's proposal came with a catch - he wanted to transform Stalker into a Christian rock band by their second or third album. Stalker declined the offer, and their journey to success continued to elude them. In 1990, while on one of their many U.S tours, Stalker received a letter from Tom Whalley, the leader of Interscope Records, expressing his interest in meeting with the band during his upcoming visit to New York City. At the time, Interscope Records was being established as a division of Ted Field's film company, Interscope Communications. Tom Whalley, along with John McClain, who had helped Janet Jackson succeed at A&M Records, was hired to run the label. Meanwhile, legendary producer Jimmy Iovine was trying to raise money to start his own label. Despite the interest from such a prominent figure in the music industry, Stalker dismissed the meeting request, as they had no idea who Tom Whalley was and thought it was just another independent label wanting them to travel all the way to NYC. This was a time before the internet made information about music industry insiders readily available to everyone. Ultimately, Stalker missed out on the opportunity to potentially sign with Interscope Records. In 1991, Stalker had some missed opportunities with record labels. MCA Records expressed interest in the band after Trixter, another NJ alumni, was signed, but both their NYC and LA offices passed after hearing the demo. The NYC office reportedly found the singer too abrasive, while the LA office thought the band was too green. Stalker also missed a potential opportunity with Megaforce Records, where a friend of the band worked. Although the label's hardcore music roster didn't quite match Stalker's style, using some charm on Jon and Marsha Zazula might have worked. However, with Metallica's residuals, they probably didn't need Stalker anyway. Another missed opportunity was with Z100's Battle of the Bands contest. Stalker won a spot to audition for a live TV performance on the soap opera "Another World," but they didn't get the gig. Instead, the show used their song "Goodtime Gypsy" in an episode. When Stalker watched the episode, they realized that the band they picked was more suited for the "picture-perfect" cocktail scene of the '80s, while Stalker's performance of Jimi Hendrix "Fire" was too intense for the show's executives. In 1992, Stalker was approached by two lawyers who were representing the popular R&B group All-4-One at the time. However, the deal they offered was not to Stalker's advantage, and they ultimately decided to pass on it. In 1998, Andy Averbuch, Martin Bak, Angelo Cario and Ruy Oliveira opened TRG Recording Studios in West Paterson NJ. They had the opportunity to network with big names in the music industry, including producer Warren Riker, Christina Aguilera, and Robert Hoffman at TRG Studios. Despite being surrounded by countless other local NJ and NYC bands that went on to achieve semi-national fame, this experience ultimately didn't lead to any significant breakthroughs. In 2021, Stalker was contacted by an A&R representative from FNA Records with an initial proposal to re-release a compilation LP of their discography. As discussions progressed, FNA expressed interest in changing the band name to better align with their Glam Rock genre of music. However, talks quickly took a turn for the worse when the band ultimately rejected the offer. Note: re-use is permitted "under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License (CC-BY-SA), version 3.0"