Album Notes

Jay Stanek's debut solo album, "1140," features 13 songs penned and inspired while Stanek lived at 1140 N. Wolcott in the heart of one of Chicago’s changing neighborhoods. During his stay there, Stanek watched cultures, socio-economic conditions, and ideas all meet in a collision that was pure poetry to a songwriter of Stanek’s prowess. With his upstairs neighbor, producer/engineer Stephen Shirk, Stanek began recoding his experiences and observations. But Stanek is not just a casual observer in these songs. Using his training and experience as a world-traveler and historian, he crafts songs that feel out the essence of human nature and the urban life-cycle. Beyond “1140’s” songwriting, Jay Stanek plays nearly every instrument (acoustic & electric guitars, banjo, piano, bass) appearing on the album. He is joined on nearly every song by Adrian Garza (drums, percussion) and on five of the songs by Big Sky Stringband band-mate Chris Meier (mandolin). Other Big Sky members (Dick Mallor