by David Maeda
�We told stories. It was like we had a connection,� Stockert says. It is the type of connection Stockert hopes fans will feel when listening to Taconite Haven�s new self-titled CD. The band (which got its name from a bar in the town of Hoyt Lakes on the Iron Range) has been around in various forms for about four years. The current lineup consists of Stockert on vocals and guitar, Jim Hauf on bass and vocals, Adam Wortman on electric guitar, Dave Downey on drums, and Bill Sampson on guitar, banjo, drums, percussion and vocals. The group�s many musician friends also contributed to the making of the CD in an effort, Stockert says, to help establish a sense of community in the Minneapolis music scene.
�Taconite Haven was the bar where everyone would go and get drunk,� Stockert says. �It seemed like an appropriate name since most rock songs are about three things: escape, relationships, and drinking,�
Stockert says that the 12 songs on the record were written during a �dark time� in his life and that the band was skillful in effectively capturing the brooding mood of the songs.
�We�re not about athletics, but tapping into what we feel,� he says. The music is introspective and sad, reminiscent of lying awake late at night or early in the morning (depending on your perspective), with or without someone by your side contemplating life�s demons. This mood is best captured on the album�s strongest track, �Crash �n� Burn� (�There�s a black and white picture/On my color TV/On the wall hangs a photo/They say it used to be me�).
Stockert is one of the rare singers that has learned the most powerful emotions are not expressed best by a scream, but by a whisper. His understated vocals get to the heart of his lyrics. This is music that you�ll never quite get out of your mind.
Taconite Haven will have a CD release party on Saturday, August 28 at the Turf Club. Call 651-647-0486 for more info.