Catching Up with Stef Chura

Don't miss Detroit's own Stef Chura tonight at Trinosophes with R. Ring, Split Single and Casual Sweetheart. Stef recently released her latest album Messes and has been out on tour in support of this album. Before her hometown show tonight we had a chance to catch up with her via email. See what she had to say below. 

HID-Tell us about the new album! Where did you record it? How long were you working on writing it?

Stef- "Messes is part a few much older songs brought in a "best of fashion" But much of the album was written between 2012-2015 when I first moved to Detroit. A bunch of the songs were written when I lived alone and was going to CCS. We recorded it in Ann Arbor with Fred Thomas at a studio he was working out of in 2015."

HID-You've been doing quite a bit of touring since the new album came out! How has that been going?

Stef- "Touring has been great! We have a lot more coming up. We just hopped on a couple of support tours that are not announced yet!"

HID- Any crazy stories from the road so far?

Stef- "People ask this question a lot and I'm not even sure anymore. I need to keep a diary so I can remember because I basically have no short term memory anymore!"

HID- What have you missed the most while you were away from home?

Stef- "My bed. Sleeping not in a car. Driving not every day."

HID- What musicians have you been most inspired by?

Stef- "I really love Kristen Hersh and Buffy Sainte Marie. I was definetly a Nirvana child and I'm not sure what my music would sound like if I was from a pre-Nirvana era. Probably folk. I remember being 13 and hearing that Cat Power song "Nude as the News" and it blew my mind. Also that song by Kristen Hersh called "Gazebo Tree"."

HID- What is your go to album to listen to lately?

Stef- I've been checking out that new Grandaddy album ~ it's really good. I like that Why? song "Fatalist Palmistry"

HID- Growing up, who were your favorite bands or artists?

Stef- I had parents with really good taste and as a child. I had my mom's CD's - The Offspring "Smash", Lisa Loeb "Tails", Counting Crows "August and everything After, Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians "Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars" and my Dad's records - Patti Smith "Easter", Devo "We Are Not Men", Jim Carroll Band "Catholic Boy", Teenage Jesus and the Jerks "S/T"

HID- When did you first start playing music? When did you start writing your own music?

Stef- "I started playing guitar at 13 and writing songs at 14."

HID- Tell us about Friday's show! What can fans expect?

Stef- "We are playing with R.Ring which is Kelley Deals band from the Breeders. They are on tour with Split Single which is a supergroup of dudes from the Mountain Goats/Wilco/Superchunk."

HID-Give us 3 reasons everyone should come out on Friday. 

Stef- "It's one of our only local shows we are playing and it's definetly the most intimate one we are playing this year probably. Trinosophes is an amazing venue/coffee shop with Peoples records attached."

HID- What are some of your favorite places to hit up while you're at home? Favorite restaurants, venues, bars, etc.?

Stef- "You can find me at Aladdin's in Hamtramck nearly every other day because I forgot how to cook. I really like this place in Ferndale called Green Space. I don't really drink so I mostly go to bars to play shows or see shows. El Club is a nice bar. Oh Bumbo's is a nice bar."

HID- Is there anything else that you would like our readers to know?

Stef- We are playing a few new songs tonight! Upcoming shows are:
Saturday, April 22, 2017 - Grand Rapids, MI - Pyramid Scheme (solo)

Thursday May 04, 2017 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle

Saturday, May 13, 2017 - Saginaw, MI - Patchwork Art & Music Festival
Sunday, May 14, 2017 - Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Theatre with Mac DeMarco, Tonstartssbandht
Sunday, July 30, 2017 - Detroit, MI - Mo Pop Festival

Admission to tonight's show is $12 and doors are set to open at 8 p.m. For more info on this event, click here. 

~C