Ken Stringfellow

by Laurel GreenidgeKen Stringfellow is co-founder of one of the most critically acclaimed power pop bands of the '90s, the Posies. Formed in Bellingham, WA, in 1989 with Jon Auer, the two created a demo tape in Auer's parents' basement and sent it to PopLlama Records in Seattle. The tape was well received and they released as their first album, Failure. They signed with Geffen's DGC label and released three albums that were revered by music critics but went unnoticed by the general public. Upset that the Posies weren't selling as well as DGC's other Seattle-based bands, their label dropped them after the release of their third album. The Posies went on to release a final LP, Success, on PopLlama Records, before they broke up in 1998. Both Auer and Stringfellow joined Alex Chilton's Big Star in the early '90s and have toured off and on with them as well. Stringfellow moved on to several different projects after the dissolution of the Posies. He formed the now-defunct band Saltine, a promising power pop band that broke up after releasing only one EP. Stringfellow began touring as an additional musician with R.E.M. in 1998 and has appeared on their most recent album, Reveal. Stringfellow has been involved with many other bands as well as the Posies, including Twin Princess with Seattle artist Bootsy Holler, the Orange Humble Band, Lagwagon, and Chariot. He released a solo album in 1997, This Sounds Like Goodbye. Stringfellow has also been involved with Scott McCaughey's ongoing project, the Minus Five, since its inception. Stringfellow and his partner in crime from the Posies, Jon Auer, released a post-Posies EP in March 2001, and joined up for a sometimes acoustic, sometimes full-band Posies tour the same year. Stringfellow released Touched in 2001, his second solo album, which included many songs intended for Saltine. In 2004 he released Soft Commands, a new collection that featured songs recorded in various studios around the world.