A Holiday Hit! Second Holiday Book Signing for Garage Sounds To Be Held at Stillwater Art Guild Gallery December 19

Stillwater, Minn. – A pictorial history of Washington County rock and roll groups from the Beatles era may be the hit of the season. Author Scott Schell will be signing copies of his popular new book, Garage Sounds, at the Stillwater Art Guild Gallery, Friday December 19 from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. The gallery is located at 402 North Main Street, in the historic Staples Mill building.

Garage Sounds: Bringing Down the House by Scott Schell. Publisher: Washington County Historical Society. Cost: $40. The book also is available at www.wchsmn.org/store.

"Demand for this interesting book is very strong. We only have about 100 copies left," says WCHS Executive Director Brent Peterson. "It makes a perfect Christmas gift, so the time to act is now."

Garage Sounds, written by Stillwater musician Scott Schell, is a unique undertaking for the Washington County Historical Society. The 350-page, richly illustrated book brings to life the sounds and times when country, jazz, and rock 'n' roll music was being cross-pollinated by a new sound from Great Britain. From the beginnings in the 1950s – the music teachers, record stores, musicians (such as Butch Thompson), and radio stations (WSHB 1220, later WAVN, and now KLBB) – the book looks at the sounds and groups that inspired so many local musicians.

Many widely popular dance bands came out of Stillwater High School in the 1960s and '70s. The More-Tishans, who played around the area from 1964 to 1968, and Keith Zeller, who started the Starliners in 1962 as a four-piece dance band, recently inducted into the Mid-America Music Hall of Fame. Other musicians covered in the book run the gamut from country to pop to rock 'n' roll and from blues/rock to fusion. Popular performers include Jeanne Chial, Roger Mueller, Gary and Greg Johnson, Jacque Montpetit, Rick McDonald, the Babcock brothers, Mike Hurley, Rick Johnson, and Rob Uppgren.

Pictures of many favorite bands are included, among them In-Sane, The Thundermen, The Lords Four, UTA, Changing Times, NewStone Bridge, Rex Trapper, Red Pepper, Dash Riprock, Sundance, The Weables and "Captain Cookie." There's information on songwriters, promoters, and others who made the Valley music scene one of the hottest in the Midwest, as well as pictures and posters from the Stage Door, Armory, St. Croix Boom & Company and other hangouts.

The author, Scott Schell, is a veteran of many area rock bands. He describes himself as a native and life-long resident of Stillwater, and a victim of mandatory piano lessons at age 8. Schell says that when he realized many of the people who had inspired and mentored him were gone, he decided he needed to get their stories down, and Garage Sounds is the result. Most of the posters, candid photos, publicity shots and memorabilia items pictured in the book came from the personal collections of the musicians.

For individuals who cannot attend the book signing, the book is available at the Warden's House Museum, 602 North Main Street in Stillwater, or by mail. Please visit www.wchsmn.org/store.

For more information about the event, please contact the Washington County Historical Society at (651) 439-5956.