Greenville Scene

My Friend Stephanie
Genre: Rock/Power Pop

Band Members:
Drue Bachmann - Lead Vocals, Bass, Songwriter & Founding Member
Kevin Heuer - (Original Drummer)
Joel McCreight - (Original Lead Guitar)
Chris Ebert - (Original Guitar)
Jeff Apel - Lead Guitar
Tim “Yogi” Watts - Drums
Charles Martin Freeman - Lead Guitar
Milam Byers - Guitar
Steve Barlow - Guitar

Is My Friend Stephanie still together?
No, My Friend Stephanie’s run was from 1995 - 2001. I still call the guys back together from time to time and we’ll do a random show, but it’s just for fun.

When were you first active?
My Friend Stephanie formed originally back in 1995. We had 2 Indie releases and 3 national releases. We toured full-time from 1996 - 2001.

How did you get together and why did you break up?
I played with Kevin Heuer & Joel McCreight in a band called The Promise. Kevin Heuer was also in a previous band of mine called Sunday Blue (Sunday Blue had a national release that Kevin was a part of). We always had a great chemistry when we played in our previous projects together (1988-1993), but in the fall of 1995 I was faced with a life changing experience that brought all of us back together. Not only were Kevin/Joel/Chris my closest friend’s through that struggle, but it also brought us back together to record a group of songs that, to us, were magical and therapeutic at the same time. It generated a great bond that we’ll always have. At various times Kevin, Joel, and Chris moved on to different cities and different musical projects, so I replaced members and My Friend Stephanie continued recording albums and touring full-time through 2001.

I ended the band while having 2 more albums contracted for us to release with our record label. I still enjoyed touring 250+ days a year, but not as much as I once did. From the age of 16 (1986 - 2001) I had basically been playing full-time in bands non-stop, so after 16 years of living out of a suitcase I wanted to stay in one place for a while.

What do you view as your greatest accomplishment as My Friend Stephanie?
My Friend Stephanie was a Christian band that played everything from clubs to churches, colleges to high schools, outdoor festivals in front of 30,000 people to small coffeehouses, 20,000 seat arenas to the basement of some fans house in front of 20 people . Obviously I hope that these songs have had a positive effect on the listeners and maybe played a roll in helping people make positive steps in their spiritual and everyday life decisions.

Outside of that I’m proud of the fact that we averaged selling 20,000 to 40,000 copies of each release. We had a total of 7 radio singles reach the Top 10 nationally on the CCM Rock Charts (with 2 of those singles going to #1 in the nation). We were given the opportunity to play in front of thousand upon thousands of people over the years doing extended tours with Switchfoot, Sixpence None the Richer, Third Day, Jars of Clay, The Prayer Chain, The 77s, The Choir, Larry Norman, Delirious and others.

I feel My Friend Stephanie played a big role in helping bridge the gap between the Christian rock market and the mainstream rock market. We were a Christian band, but we never were really embraced by the Christian market. We sang way too many songs about girls/love/life and kind of played by our own set of rules. We were at our peak right when the idea of bands crossing over was getting very popular. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the opportunity to take that step, but since the late 90s there have been a number of great bands that got their start in the Christian rock music scene and have since broadened their audience into the mainstream - bands like Switchfoot, Chevelle, Relient K, Mute Math, Lifehouse, NeedToBreathe, Demon Hunter, etc. We either did shows with or crossed paths with a number of these bands on the festival circuit. I believe MFS was part of a Christian rock music scene that helped broaden what we did to a larger market.

What are you doing now? (You and other members that you know of.)
Drue Bachmann (myself) - 2004-current: Solo Project with 1 indie release ( www.druebachmann.com) I am currently the owner/manager of Kineo Media Group, LLC. KMG is a Video Production company that handles all aspects of production for everything from national TV broadcast of college and professional sporting events all over the country, various cable TV shows/specials, and DVD series for major corporations, etc. I released an Indie project with Kevin, Joel and Chris in 2005, but only do random band or acoustic gigs when I have time. With the Video Production business keeping me busy, it’s staying on the back burner for now.

Kevin Heuer, in MFS from 1995-1997, moved to Knoxville to pursue Evan’s Dilemma and later joined The Vigilantes of Love. Kevin is now a drum instructor at Eastside Guitars and continues to play in a host of other local bands as well (Evan’s Dilemma & more) and is a quintessential fixture in studio recording around the southeast.

Joel McCreight, in MFS from 1995-1996, is currently working in the IT consulting and staffing business, and got my wife a great job at PixelShock (thanks Joel!). Joel also plays in a host of other local bands as well (Evan’s Dilemma & more).

Chris Ebert, in MFS from 1995 – 1996, is a Technology Director at Contec, Inc. in Spartanburg and continues to stay active in music through various local projects.

Tim “Yogi” Watts, in MFS from 1997-2001, moved to Nashville and became a session player. He later joined the band Holland(who later became The Lonely Hearts) and tours a good bit with John Davis. Yogi handles the massive drumming duties in his more recent band Demon Hunter, who just received a 2008 Grammy Nomination.

Charles Martin Freeman, in MFS from 1997 - 2000, joined the band Evoka Project.

Milam Byers, in MFS from 1997-1999, joined the band Miss Angie and later joined the band Bleach.

Steve Barlow, in MFS from 1999-2001, joined the band Holland (who later became The Lonely Hearts).

How has Greenville’s music scene changed since My Friend Stephanie started?
I got my start back in the late 80s and early 90s playing places like Al’s Pump House, Gary’s Hanger, Dawg Gones, etc. and to be honest there really wasn’t a scene, as much as there were some great bands trying to forge a path. More recently, things have turned around in a great way, in part thanks to some up-and-coming bands from this area that are making a splash on the national scene, like NeedToBreathe. And then mix in the history that Greenville has of players that paved the way for the current crop of rockers. It means that you can still go to The Handlebar and see a great show by Evan’s Dilemma (guys that have been tearing it up for 15 to 20 years), but also catch a lot of great shows from new bands that are making their songs known on the national level in a major way. I think it’s great.

We heard rumors that Corey Crowder would soon sign to Seattle’s Tooth and Nail records awhile back. After checking the site, it seems that the rumors have been confirmed. Crowder is expected to release his first album on Tooth and Nail in the Spring of 2008. Crowder just finished recording the album in Seattle with Aaron Sprinkle. Below is the bio from the Tooth and Nail website:

From the musically barren state of South Carolina comes a singer/songwriter named Corey Crowder who’s music can only be described as timeless. Crowder’s music manages to capture elements of the 60’s and 70’s while still maintaining relevance in the modern music world. With an emphasis on heartfelt lyrics that tell the story of his life and those around him, listeners are inevitably left with words that seem to tell their life story as well.

After several independent releases since he began in 2001, Crowder started writing for his first label release. Drawing inspiration from artists like Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, and The Allman Brothers, Crowder plans on bringing new elements into the album which promises to be his strongest yet. He and his band are scheduled to begin recording in November for a Spring ‘08 release.

Check out Greenville Scene’s review of Crowder’s Starting All Over here.

Denison Witmer is back in Greenville this Friday, December 7th at Furman University. The show is a benefit for Invisible Children. See TearsofAfrica.org for more info. Watkins Room, 7:00pm, $7 adv/ $10 dos.