Introducing The Stanzas

Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, groups of talented individuals would form some of the world’s greatest rock bands, such as Nirvana, Green Day, and Smashing Pumpkins.  These bands would go on to influence the next generation of rock music. In the summer of 2021, Aidan Jenney and Graham Edmonson would form The Stanzas, later inviting Charlie Lillis. These three would spend hours practicing and perfecting some of the greatest rock songs ever made, and even writing some of their own. With Aidan Jenney on lead vocals and bass, Graham Edmonson on guitar and vocals, and Charlie Lillis on the drums, The Stanzas would soon become unstoppable.

The Stanzas have had around seven concerts since they formed, with venues ranging from Chaminade to Graham’s front yard. They also recently released a six-song, five-track EP that Graham shared for free. If you see him in the hallway and are interested, feel free to ask him for a copy. Likewise, they have a nine-song demo recorded and they are also making an album that will hopefully be released by the end of the year. They also plan to eventually put their music on Spotify before they graduate, once they have written enough original songs.

Back in September on a Friday night, I didn’t have too much homework nor anything else to do, so I decided to pop out to a Stanzas concert with a few friends. Not expecting anything all that spectacular, I wondered how good can a group of three teenagers truly be? Within the first few songs, however, they absolutely shattered all expectations. From the crazy guitar solos, to the extremely well-written lyrics, to the unique style of singing, it was genuinely an amazing time. Mind you, I have been to a little over a dozen different concerts, and the September Stanzas concert is up there among the best, even better than some concerts in venues like Busch Stadium and Lollapalooza. And this was in a front yard. Their next concert is coming right around the corner on Friday, Nov. 25 at 4139 Federer St. Needless to say, I highly recommend that you pop out. 

The Stanzas have probably around a 50/50 split between covers, such as “Smells Like a Teen Spirit” by Nirvana or “Basket Case” by Green Day, and original songs, written by Aidan Jenney and Graham Edmonson. Their process for writing a song can take anywhere from a few minutes to a couple months. These original songs, with an almost Bob Dylan-esque style of writing, have formed the backbone of their concerts and EPs, and provide something new and unique to the table that is not just simply replaying other bands’ songs. However, with that being said, their covers are also very good, as live music is generally a different experience from listening to it on the radio or online. Likewise, The Stanzas put their own unique spin on each song, making it distinct from the original.  

It is also important to note that the music of The Stanzas is not like most pop music that you would hear on the radio, nor does it really fit the mold of a punk rock band. For one, The Stanzas stray away from most of rock n’ roll’s testosterone-filled stereotypes. Secondly, songs made by most modern pop singers on the radio are made to appeal to a mainstream audience. The greater number of people the song appeals to, the more money that song will make, often sacrificing the quality of the song in the process. This is how you get cookie cutter singers like BTS, Dua Lipa, Megan Thee Stallion, Charlie Puth, and Harry Styles, who make songs that are tolerable at best. The Stanzas, on the other hand, don’t make music to make money (which is why they released their EP for free). While that is neither inherently good nor bad, it allows them to get much more experimental with their music. Although they might not sound like most other artists, and may even sound a bit strange at times, so do other greats like Pink Floyd or Bob Dylan.  

Like I mentioned previously, The Stanzas have an EP released that you can ask Graham about and a concert coming up on Friday, November 25 at 4139 Federer St. You can also follow them on Instagram at stanzasofficial and can search for their music at The Stanzas on soundcloud.com.

Am I saying that The Stanzas are going to be the next Beatles?  No, but they don’t claim to. Am I saying that I guarantee everyone will love their music? No, but I am saying that some of you might. What I will say is that these three talented people could have very easily sat in their basements and played GTA 5 all day. Instead they dedicated hours upon hours to making music and have gotten really good at it and will only get better.