Steve Shelley

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Steve Shelley

| background = non_vocal_instrumentalist

| image = Bowery loz DSC02348 01 (cropped).jpg

| image_size =

| caption = Shelley in 2024

| birth_name = Steven Jay Shelley

| alias =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1962|06|23}}

| birth_place = Midland, Michigan, U.S.

| origin =

| death_date = {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}}

| genre = {{hlist|Alternative rock|noise rock|hardcore punk|punk rock|experimental rock}}

| occupation = Musician, producer

| instrument = Drums

| years_active = 1983−present

| label = Alternative Tentacles, Geffen, Smells Like, SST, Matador

| associated_acts = Sonic Youth, Cat Power, The Crucifucks, Dim Stars, Disappears, Christina Rosenvinge, Hallogallo 2010, The High Confessions, Thurston Moore, Spectre Folk, Two Dollar Guitar, Israel Nash, Lee Ranaldo and the Dust, Sun Kil Moon, Gata Pyramide, Kino Kimino, Cinnamon Tapes

}}

Steven Jay Shelley (born June 23, 1962) is an American drummer. He is best known as the longtime drummer of the alternative rock band Sonic Youth, for whom he played from 1985 until their 2011 disbandment.

Biography

Shelley was born in Midland, Michigan, and played in several mid-Michigan bands, including Faith and Morals and Strange Fruit, and was among the original lineup of the punk band the Crucifucks. From 1985 to 2011, he performed with the noise rock band Sonic Youth, after replacing Bob Bert.

After leaving the Crucifucks, he moved to Manhattan with a friend, living in the apartment of Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon for dog sitting purposes while the band was in Europe. When the band returned, former drummer Bob Bert had left the band, and they hired Shelley as their drummer without an audition.Azerrad, Michael. (2001) Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes From the American Indie Underground 1981–1991. Little, Brown. {{ISBN|0-316-78753-1}}.

In 1992 he founded the independent record label Smells Like Records, based in Hoboken, New Jersey.

Along with friend and Two Dollar Guitar musician Tim Foljahn, he helped advance Cat Power's musical career, serving as drummer on her first three albums. He also produced Blonde Redhead's debut self-titled album in 1995.

Steve was able to track down Lee Hazlewood in 1997 and secure permission to reissue five of the finest titles of the Hazlewood back catalog.

Smells Like Records also released a collection of standards recorded in 1997, which was the first new recording from Hazlewood released domestically in nearly two decades.

In 1998 Shelley played on the soundtrack of the film Velvet Goldmine as a member of Wylde Ratttz, along with the Stooges' Ron Asheton, Thurston Moore, Mike Watt, Don Fleming, Mark Arm of Mudhoney and Jim Dunbar.

Other significant work away from Sonic Youth include recording and performing with an array of artists such as Christina Rosenvinge, [https://web.archive.org/web/20090410060410/http://www.smellslikerecords.com/chrislee/ Chris Lee], John Wolfington, Michael Powers, Michael Rother, Howe Gelb, and Enrique Morente. In 2007, Shelley recorded a number of tracks for the I'm Not There soundtrack with a supergroup called The Million Dollar Bashers, featuring Lee Ranaldo, Wilco guitarist Nels Cline, Television guitarist Tom Verlaine, Dylan bassist Tony Garnier, guitarist Smokey Hormel and keyboardist John Medeski.{{cite news | title=Musicians Flock to Record Dylan Covers for Soundtrack | url=http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/musicians%20flock%20to%20record%20dylan%20covers%20for%20soundtrack_1040508 | publisher=Contact Music }}

In February 2009, Shelley spent a weekend in Chicago recording with Chris Connelly, Sanford Parker, and Jeremy Lemos.{{cite web|url=http://www.chrisconnelly.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=1429 |title=Converse with Chris: Topic: – NEW PROJECT |publisher=Chris Connelly |access-date=2011-10-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927131135/http://www.chrisconnelly.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=1429 |archive-date=September 27, 2011 |df=mdy }} The results of this collaboration were released under the moniker the High Confessions by Relapse Records on July 20, 2010.{{cite web|author=US |url=http://www.myspace.com/TheHighConfessions |title=The High Confessions | Gratis muziek, tourneedata, foto's, video's |website=Myspace.com |access-date=2011-10-26}}

In 2010, Michael Rother played shows in Europe with Shelley and Tall Firs guitarist Aaron Mullan as Halogallo 2010.{{cite web

| url = http://www.michaelrother.de/en/news_single.php?nid=85

| title = Michael Rother's official site, news: 'Michael Rother/Steve Shelley/Aaron Mullan trio debut in Europe'

| access-date = 2010-05-31

| archive-date = April 2, 2012

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120402094253/http://www.michaelrother.de/en/news_single.php?nid=85

| url-status = dead

}} This group performs music "in the spirit of" Neu! including some tracks by Harmonia and from Michael Rother's solo albums. Other 2010 concert dates included the ATP New York 2010 music festival in Monticello, New York, and Incubate 2010 in Tilburg, Netherlands.{{Cite web|url=https://vampireblues.wordpress.com/2010/09/24/hallogallo-2010-hermeto-pascoal-free-show-in-nyc/|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20120715163136/http://vampireblues.wordpress.com/2010/09/24/hallogallo-2010-hermeto-pascoal-free-show-in-nyc/|url-status=dead|title=Protected Blog › Log in|website=Vampireblues.wordpress.com|archivedate=July 15, 2012|access-date=January 28, 2021}}

His enthusiasm for the music of Daniel Johnston and Townes Van Zandt led to his appearances in the documentaries The Devil and Daniel Johnston and Be Here to Love Me.

Shelley is also in charge of operating Sonic Youth's own record labels, SYR and Goofin'. In 2010, he started a new label called Vampire Blues whose inaugural release was a 7" by Hallogallo 2010.

In 2011 he joined Disappears. In 2012, he left the band due to scheduling conflicts.

From 2014 to 2017, Shelley played the drums for Sun Kil Moon on the albums Benji, Universal Themes and Common as Light and Love Are Red Valleys of Blood. He also toured with Sun Kil Moon on select 2015 dates.{{Cite web |last=Berman |first=Stuart |date=2022-03-15 |title=Sonic Youth and the Business of Keeping a Dead Band Alive |url=https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/sonic-youth-and-the-business-of-keeping-a-dead-band-alive/ |access-date=2022-11-08 |website=Pitchfork}}

Non-Sonic Youth discography

class="wikitable"
Date ! Artist ! Release ! Comments
{{nowrap\|1983}} \| {{nowrap\|Strange Fruit}} \| {{nowrap\|On Top of the Hill}} \| 7" Babel 01
1984 \| Strange Fruit \| Strange Fruit/Abiku \| split 12" Babel 02
1985 \| Crucifucks \| The Crucifucks \| Alternative Tentacles 38
1989 \| Maureen Tucker \| Life in Exile After Abdication \| 50 Skidillion Watts 007
1990 \| Daniel Johnston \| 1990 \| Shimmy Disc 028 (w/ Lee Ranaldo on "Spirit World Rising")
1991 \| Lucky Sperms \| Lucky Sperms \| 7" Ecstatic Peace! 15 (recorded in 1987)
1991 \| Dim Stars \| Dim Stars \| 3x7" Ecstatic Peace! 11
1991 \| Nikki Sudden \| Whiskey Priest \| 7" Singles Only Label 228
1992 \| Jad Fair \| I Like It When You Smile \| Paperhouse 009
1992 \| Richard Hell \| 3 New Songs \| 7" Overground 24
1992 \| Mosquito \| Down \| 7" ERL 9
1992 \| [http://www.makigami.com/index-e.html Makigami Koichi] \| Koroshi No Blues \| Toshiba EMI 6496
1992 \| Dim Stars \| Dim Stars \| Caroline 1724
1992 \| Free Kitten/Mosquito \| Split \| 7" Time Bomb 09
1992 \| Mosquito \| U.F.O. Catcher \| Time Bomb 13
1993 \| Mosquito \| Oh No... \| Psychoacoustic 6
1993 \| Mosquito \| Time Was \| SLR 05
1993 \| Two Dollar Guitar \| Lost Bird \| 7" SLR 06
1994 \| The Raincoats \| Extended Play \| SLR 012
1995 \| Male Slut \| Male Slut \| 7" Stomach Ache 57
1995 \| Cat Power \| Dear Sir \| Runt 6
1995 \| Thurston Moore \| Psychic Hearts \| DGC 24810
1995 \| Mike Watt \| "Tuff Gnarl" Ball-Hog or Tugboat? \| Columbia Records C2-66464
1996 \| Cat Power \| Myra Lee \| SLR 019
1996 \| Cat Power \| What Would the Community Think \| Matador OLE-202
1998 \| Mark Eitzel \| Caught in a Trap... \| Matador OLE-179
2000 \| Hungry Ghosts \| Alone, Alone \| SLR 039
2001 \| Christina Rosenvinge \| Frozen Pool \| SLR 042
2001 \| John Wolfington \| John Wolfington \| SLR 043
2001 \| Chris Lee \| Plays & Sings Torch'd Songs... \| SLR 045
2004 \| Christina Rosenvinge \| Foreign Land \| SLR 050
2006 \| Michael Powers \| Prodigal Son \| Baryon 006
2006 \| Christina Rosenvinge \| Continental 62 \| SLR 053
2007 \| The Million Dollar Bashers \| I'm Not There \| Columbia COLB 12038
2007 \| John Wolfington \| American Dreamsicle \| SLR 054
2007 \| Thurston Moore \| Trees Outside the Academy \| Ecstatic Peace! E#91C
2008 \| Matt Madly \| Checkered \| P.O.S. 062808
2008 \| Christina Rosenvinge \| Tu labio superior \| Warner Spain 25646 93707
2009 \| Anna Ternheim \| Leaving on a Mayday \| Emarcy 06025178719-15
2009 \| Samara Lubelski \| Future Slip \| Ecstatic Peace! E#110
2010 \| D-W/L-SS \| D-W/L-SS / JBe \| 7" Sixgunlover SGL018
2010 \| The High Confessions \| Turning Lead into Gold With the High Confessions \| Relapse 7084
2010 \| Hallogallo 2010 \| Blinkgurtel / Drone Schlager \| 7" Vampire Blues VB 01
2010 \| Circle of Animals \| Destroy the Light \| Relapse 7104
2011 \| Israel Nash Gripka \| Barn Doors and Concrete Floors \| CRS CSCCD1073
2011 \| Disappears \| Live at Echo Canyon \| Plus Tapes
2011 \| Spectre Folk \| The Blackest Medicine, Vol. II \| Woodsist
2012 \| Disappears \| Pre Language \| Kranky
2012 \| Lee Ranaldo \| Between the Times and the Tides \| Matador OLE-980
2012 \| M. Ward \| A Wasteland Companion \| Merge
2012 \| Spectre Folk \| Ancient Storm \| Vampire Blues VB 02
2012 \| Chris Lee \| Bury the Kings \| Vampire Blues VB 03
2012 \| Lee Ranaldo \| Between the Times and the Tides: Demos \| Lazy8 01
2012 \| Lee Ranaldo \| Between the Times and the Tides: Alternate Mixes \| 7" Lazy8 02
2012 \| Lee Ranaldo/J Mascis \| "Albatross" Just Tell Me That You Want Me: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac \| Hear Music HRM-33327
2012 \| Carice van Houten \| See You on the Ice \| EMI 9782242
2012 \| Samara Lubelski \| Wavelength \| De Stijl IND115
2013 \| Dyveke Kuloy \| Gabriel \| 7"
2013 \| Howe Gelb \| The Coincidentalist \| New West Records
2013 \| Lee Ranaldo and The Dust \| Last Night on Earth \| Matador OLE-1041
2013 \| Lee Ranaldo and The Dust \| The Rising Tide \| Lazy8 03
2013 \| Lee Ranaldo and The Dust \| El Blues De La Revolución \| 7" El Segell Del Primavera PS006
2014 \| Sun Kil Moon \| Benji \| Caldo Verde
2014 \| Admiral Freebee \| The Great Scam \| Sony Music 0888430378728
2014 \| Thurston Moore \| The Best Day \| Matador OLE-1062
2015 \| Sun Kil Moon \| Universal Themes \| Caldo Verde
2016 \| Kino Kimino \| "Bait Is For Sissies" \| Ghost Ramp
2017 \| Sun Kil Moon \| Common as Light and Love Are Red Valleys of Blood \| Caldo Verde
2017 \|Cinnamon Tapes \|Nabia \|Balaclava Records
2017 \|Thurston Moore \|Rock n Roll Consciousness \|Caroline
2017 \|Jessica Lea Mayfield \|Sorry is Gone \|ATO Records
2018 \|Riviera Gaz \|Connection \|Hearts Bleed Blue
2019 \|Sick Gazelle \|Odum \|War Crimes Records
2020 \|Thurston Moore \|By the Fire \|Daydream Library
2024 \|Winged Wheel \|Big Hotel \|12XU

class="wikitable"

Date

! Artist

! Release

! Comments

| {{nowrap|Strange Fruit}}

| {{nowrap|On Top of the Hill}}

| 7" Babel 01

1984

| Strange Fruit

| Strange Fruit/Abiku

| split 12" Babel 02