Stateside

This southern rock band is led by vocalist/guitarist John Paul Keith, a native of Knoxville, Tennessee, USA and self-confessed fan of traditional US rock artists such as Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers and the Replacements. Keith made his way through several regional rock outfits, including the V-Roys and the Nevers (Keith left the former outfit before they signed with Steve Earle’s E Squared label, and although the latter signed a contract with Sire Records, they never got to issue any recordings). With several other musicians lending a hand, Stateside was officially born shortly after the dawn of the twenty-first century. Instead of spending a considerable amount of time honing their sound by playing out live, the band went directly to the studio, where they began recording material for their 2002 debut. During this time, Keith and a few other original Stateside members joined up with Ryan Adams in a New York-based side project, the Pink Hearts. After Keith realized that his extra-curricular recording activities were impinging upon Stateside, he exited the Adams project (a few tracks later surfaced on the 2002 Adams collection, Demolition). With the other members opting to remain with Adams, Keith formed a new line-up of Stateside comprising Nikolaus Mimikakis (guitar/vocals), Philip Shouse (guitar/vocals), Thomas Mimikakis (drums), and Greg Slamen (bass), and relocated to Birmingham, Alabama. In 2002 Twice As Gone was released, an album that featured guest spots by Adams and Bob Dylan sideman Bucky Baxter. The album received rave reviews, especially throughout Europe.