townsppl

townsppl is the canvas of Alex Stanton, a folk-pop artisan renowned for his imaginative storytelling and masterful melding of sounds. As the creator behind townsppl, Alex is a singer, multi-instrumentalist, and musical inventor, known for crafting intricate ear snacks with an array of instruments—from his cherished parlor guitars and vintage amplifiers to a whimsically "in-tune-ish" upright piano. His toolkit is also rich with found object percussion, layered vocal harmonies, and the creative mangling of any number of audio sources, all in the service of songs that resonate with warmth and ingenuity.

With the new album, Beyond the Garden Wall, townsppl embarks on a reimagining of Alex's musical landscape. This collection of work is both ambitious and expansive, featuring a kaleidoscopic production aesthetic, and longer compositions that maintain the project's quintessential quirkiness and pop sensibility. The collection seeks to understand the present moment and the mystery of everyday life in two ways—by reaching back through time with a nostalgic yearning for a past of less (or perhaps just a different kind of) complexity, and by taking courageous steps beyond familiar confines into several possible futures, for better or worse.

To bring it all to life, Alex performs with zero to ten other people including backup singers and some tangly, dynamic vocal arrangements. townsppl has performed at the Three Rivers Arts Festival, South Park Amphitheater, and a number of other official and DIY spaces in Alex’s hometown of Pittsburgh. 2013’s care and feeding was acclaimed for its state of the art hand assembled packaging, which could be cut and folded into a 14” venus fly trap sculpture (if you’re willing to cut the CD in half). Alex’s second full-length twigs was awarded the local album of the year by Pittsburgh music station WYEP. Beyond the Garden Wall is the third entry in townsppl's discography and features a customizable modular album art kit.

Alex is also the owner and founder of Sunburst School of Music, which since 2011 has helped thousands of kids and adults in the Pittsburgh area discover their passion for music.

Press photos