Meet Matthew Cooper, Rebekah Durham, Adam Hill and Sheena Patterson of The Still Stompers

Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Cooper, Rebekah Durham, Adam Hill and Sheena Patterson.

So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
We believe our story is just beginning. Although the concept and foundation of The Still Stompers have been in the works for several years, we just solidified the core of the band this past year with the addition of our two newest members. We are now steadily building what we see as a powerfully-unique combination of musical style, sensitivity, and sound aimed to captivate the Colorado music scene.

The journey started when Colorado native Matthew Cooper (vocals, banjo, guitar) and Tennessee transplant Adam (“AP”) Hill (vocals, guitar, mandolin) constructed the band to take on smaller local gigs, primarily as a side project from their long-time-local band Oakhurst (which Adam started with his close friend Johnny Qualley nearly 20 years ago). From there, it quickly became apparent that our vision goes far beyond the smaller gigs we originally imagined, to actually creating a fresh, captivating, and transformative musical experience through heartfelt songwriting and pristine vocal arrangements. This brought us to our current state.

Adam and Cooper had been searching for some time to find the right pieces to round out the group. Coincidentally enough, the two furtively bounced around hope that someday local Colorado musician Sheena Patterson (vocals, bass) would become available to play with the band. (With her sultry, angelic voice and style, who wouldn’t want to add Sheena into the mix of any band?) As fate would have it, at a key moment in the development of the Still Stompers, Ms. Sheena P’s current band at the time, the Ginny Mules, decided to put things on hold. Synchronicity struck.

Sheena was quickly invited to play a gig with the Stompers at local favorite Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox, and the three hit it off immediately – musically that is. In actuality, Adam and Sheena have known each other for over 15 years; and Cooper and Sheena played their first gig together about 8 years ago when Cooper was just starting in the Colorado bluegrass scene. So it was no surprise that the three of us would get along and have fun playing together. But in true alchemic fashion, the combination of the parts was much bigger than its pieces – and we quickly started forming a voice together as a band. That’s what we’ve been working to develop since.

The Still Stomper voice solidified with the addition of New York transplant Rebekah Durham (vocals, fiddle, guitar), who was also a prior member of the Ginny Mules and is a current professional freelance musician and teacher. Although often too humble to admit it, Rebekah is a Julliard-trained artist who has been playing music since her parents put her to sleep as a baby with Suzuki method violin recordings. With a powerful classical background and footing in nearly all musical styles, Rebekah brings a refinement and grace to the Stompers’ style that gives the band yet another layer of depth and intrigue. Don’t be fooled though, the Texas native can bring the grit too.

With the core now in place, The Still Stompers have been hitting the ground running, putting in work in both the woodshed and the studio. With an ever-expanding collection of original songs, not only is our collective voice continuing to mold, but our overall sound is taking on a life of its own. We can’t wait to share our creation with more of the Denver and wider Colorado communities.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Music is never a smooth road. Always interesting. Almost always fun. And always incomplete. But definitely not smooth. Each of the Stompers has played in many different bands, with its members sharing the bill in the past with the likes of The Avett Brothers, The Infamous Stringdusters, Greensky Bluegrass, Lyle Lovett, Zac Brown, Emmylou Harris, and more; but it is not without a continual balancing act.

We all spend countless hours of picking in the basement alone, or locking ourselves away in the studio for hours on end—sometimes to the chagrin of partners and family members. Keeping the art moving – and keeping it entertaining and enjoyable – is always a challenge. Forming a new band, creating a new sound, and building a new following also takes time and patience.

That said, the Stompers’ journey has been relatively smooth so far. The band’s chemistry is strong, the music is exciting, and our vision is in sync. The biggest challenge (all members agree) is simply making consistent time in everyone’s busy schedules to rehearse as much as we all want. All of us have other full-time jobs, families, partners, and puppies competing for our time. But we are making it work, and we continue to find ways to get together to keep building our craft. Our collective passion for music (generally) and this band (more specifically) makes it worthwhile.

Can you give our readers some background on your music?
We are a band, plain and simple. But what we bring to the table is unique, and we are very proud of the originality that only continues to grow and evolve with our nascent collaboration.

The Still Stompers began with a sound we termed “Post-Modern Bluegrass.” This initially consisted primarily of an up-tempo, bluegrassesque style, with traditional blazing banjo and bluegrass rhythm guitar, but also with tinges of boogie, blues, folk, rock, and Americana. As time has progressed, however, the dance-first, cover-heavy style has morphed into a more sophisticated musical sensitivity that is more intently focused on original poignant storytelling and captivating vocals. And not just highlighting the band’s individual vocals, but even more so our collective voice.

The change was inevitable with the incredible vocal additions of Sheena and Rebekah, as well as the unavoidable evolution that comes with continual song-writing and performative collaboration. But we have put a lot of thought and effort into our creative evolution as well, and we look forward to sharing what we are building with our musical community. We believe we are now positioned to bring a new level of excitement to the stage, and we truly hope will we reach and inspire our audiences in new and profound ways. (We still aim to get them dancing, too, of course!)

This evolution is one of the things we are most proud of as a band. We have come together organically, through the informal combination of multiple musicians simply sharing a similar passion despite very different backgrounds. This has allowed us to bring diverse perspectives to our music in a way that always makes the finished product better than the first cuts. We work well together, we push each other to grow, and we like to work together. We want this to shine through in our music, and we hope to create the same sense of connection with our audience that we are shaping with ourselves.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
The biggest credit goes to our family members and partners, who continue to support our passion and dreams on a daily basis. We are all incredibly grateful to each and every one of them for supporting us on this journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.stillstompers.com
• Phone: 303.807.3141
• Email: stillstompers@gmail.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stillstompers/

Image Credit:
Alina Hokanson

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