The Cold Stares

Hailing from Indiana, the Cold Stares deliver blues-rock rooted in a gritty, earthy character that respects the genre’s lineage while injecting a forceful, aggressive delivery steeped in bravado and fervor. Initially operating as a guitar-and-drums pair, the group demonstrated how substantial volume could emerge from limited personnel across the 2017 release Head Bent and the follow-up Mountain in 2018. Larger crowds began to take notice once the expanded production of Heavy Shoes appeared in 2021; after recruiting a bassist to become a trio, the band issued Voices in 2023, proving they could maintain intensity without sacrificing reflective moments.

Guitarist, singer, and main songwriter Chris Tapp was raised in Madisonville, KY, where his father dealt in auto parts and his devout mother brought him to regular services while removing his Black Sabbath and Kiss albums. Tapp later learned of his adoption and, as an adult, connected with his birth mother. Though he retained a lasting spiritual commitment, he grew disillusioned by perceived inconsistencies within the church and gravitated toward the narrative approach of blues figures such as Son House and Robert Johnson, whose work addressed the tension between belief and desire. After mastering guitar techniques spanning blues and hard rock, Tapp joined a band needing a drummer shortly after finishing high school; Brian Mullins, likewise from the Madisonville vicinity, filled the role, and the pair remained in contact once the group disbanded. Tapp earned a history degree in college yet continued performing, and in 2008 he sought to assemble a project aligned with his artistic and personal convictions. When a brief collaboration with Mullins arose, Tapp recognized his former bandmate as the ideal drummer for his new material. Rather than adding a bassist, they adjusted the arrangements for greater low-end weight, and by 2010 the Cold Stares had cut their first demo and begun performing publicly.

The duo was gaining recognition when Tapp received a cancer diagnosis in 2012 and was initially given six months to live. The prognosis proved inaccurate; newly appreciative of life and unburdened by fear of the unknown, Tapp and Mullins renewed their focus on the band. Establishing Evansville, IN as their operational center, they self-released their debut album, A Cold Wet Night And A Howling Wind, in 2013. Positive coverage, organic promotion, and relentless touring helped the record reach 25,000 copies sold, leading to a partnership with Small Stone Records for the 2017 album Head Bent. Known for dynamic performances, the Cold Stares shared stages with Joe Bonamassa, Rival Sons, Reignwolf, Spoon, and Grand Funk Railroad. Mountain followed in 2018, after which they traveled to Memphis, TN to track Ways at Sam Phillips Recording Studio in 2019. Having issued most of their catalog independently, the Cold Stares signed with Mascot Records, a Dutch label whose roster emphasized guitar-driven rock, blues, and roots acts. Tapp and Mullins returned to Memphis to cut their first Mascot release, the self-produced Heavy Shoes. Unable to tour because of the COVID-19 pandemic, they delayed the album’s launch until live dates could resume, during which Tapp concentrated on new songwriting. Heavy Shoes emerged in 2021, allowing the band to restart their energetic touring routine. In 2022 bassist Bryce Klueh joined, expanding the duo to a trio, and they entered the studio with producer Mark Needham, previously credited on projects by Taj Mahal, Fleetwood Mac, and Imagine Dragons. Drawing from songs Tapp composed during lockdown, most of Voices was tracked in two days in 2023, yielding what the group regarded as their most layered and exploratory album to date.