S.T.U.N.

In 2000 the art-punk outfit S.T.U.N. assembled in Los Angeles around guitarist and lyricist Neil Spies, vocalist Christiane J., bassist Nick S., and drummer Bobby Alt. The group’s expanded title, “Scream Toward the Uprising of Noncomformity,” directly reflects the defiant posture and activist drive running through Spies’ biting rhetoric. After performing across Los Angeles bars, clubs, parties, and art galleries, the band moved into label showcases that attracted Geffen, which signed them during spring 2002. Recording sessions with producer Sean Slade ensued, yielding the debut album Evolution of Energy in July 2003. Invoking their core influences Rage Against the Machine and the Pixies, S.T.U.N. then set out on a lengthy North American tour scheduled to continue through year’s end and well afterward.