STNNNG

STNNNG is a Minneapolis noise rock band active from 2003 to 2017. The group’s name is pronounced “Stunning”. Its core members are Adam Burt and Jesse Kwakenat.

Origins and early lineup

The band forms in late 2002 with an initial lineup of Chris Besinger, Nate Nelson, Jeremy, and Adam Burt. It begins performing on 5 April 2003 at Big V’s in St. Paul, opening for Sicbay, Cheer-Accident and Oh,Beast!. That first set consists of five songs and lasts under 12 minutes.

Early recordings and first releases

In November 2003, STNNNG records its first material with David Storberg at IPR in Minneapolis. Four tracks are cut: “An Idiot for Tits”, “How to Avoid an Assassination”, “I felt it; for an instant, I knew what it was...and then it was vanished”, and “We Keep it Dark”. The last two appear on the reverse side of a split 7-inch with Ohio band The Means, issued by Nodak Records in April 2004. The other two receive brief airplay on the local Radio K after the band submits the full demo package.

That demo is nominated for Best Punk Recording by the Minnesota Music Academy in 2004.

Albums and line-up changes

In July 2004, the band records its first full-length album, Dignified Sissy, at Mike Lust’s Phantom Manor in Chicago. The three-day session produces the album, with Modern Radio releasing the CD and the band self-releasing the LP. Jesse Kwakenat joins on bass in January 2005, and Dignified Sissy appears in April 2005.

The follow-up, Fake Fake, is recorded with Mike Lust in two sessions in September 2005 and May 2006, then released by Modern Radio on CD and LP in November 2006. STNNNG tours the East Coast in autumn 2006 and continues playing across the Midwest.

The third full-length, The Smoke of My Will, is recorded across several locations between 2008 and 2010, including the band’s practice space, Old Blackberry Way, Flatblack Studios and Mike Lust’s Chicago studio. It is released on vinyl by Modern Radio in 2010.

Personnel

At different points the band includes Chris Besinger on vocals, Nathan Nelson on guitar, Adam Burt on guitar, Jesse Kwakenat on bass, Ben Ivascu on drums, and J. Michael Ward on drums from winter 2002 to fall 2009. Ben Ivascu joins in autumn 2009.

Recordings and releases

The band’s discography includes a split 7-inch with The Means on Nodak Records, Dignified Sissy, Fake Fake, a split 7-inch with Signal To Trust on Modern Radio in November 2007, and The Smoke of My Will.