Michael Stanley continues to look forward

By John Benson

A baby-boomer generation spokesman with a Northeast Ohio perspective, Michael Stanley has spent his lifetime writing songs about the trials and celebrations of his peers.

That’s the common denominator that defined his music in the ’70s and ’80s with the Michael Stanley Band (MSB), as well as into his solo career, which includes his recently released 10th studio effort, “Just Another Night.” However, the one thing that has changed over the years has been the tone or mood.

What started out as youthful enthusiasm and optimism about the endless opportunities in life and love has darkened a bit of late to middle-age regret and disappointment. That’s not to say “Just Another Night” is a downer of a record, but its motivation is obvious.

“I suppose as I get progressively older, it falls more into that either looking back at what did or didn’t happen, what was accomplished or what wasn’t accomplished,” Stanley said. “About a year ago I did realize that probably the overriding theme in my writing was, it’s about tonight. Anything could happen tonight. Something could change drastically for the better or worse, but you never know unless you meet it head on.

“Actually, when I started [‘Just Another Night’], the word that came to mind was mundane, which isn’t a good one when you’re trying to pitch an album to somebody. It wasn’t the glorious battles that were being fought in terms of some sort of high-concept thing, but it was just the everyday things that everybody runs up against. Some of them are heavier than others. Some are good, some are bad. Some of them are personal, some are political. It was just trying to get a snapshot of one night.”

In looking at Stanley’s recent subject matter of the working class as it’s tied to the decaying fabric of America, which is a theme also explored on Stanley’s 2007 effort “The Soft Addictions,” one name that comes to mind is Bruce Springsteen. Granted, Stanley has always in some ways been Northeast Ohio’s own version of The Boss, but the local singer and full-time WNCX-FM 98.5 disc jockey said the comparison is nothing new.

“I’ve lived with that thing for a long time, and if you have to be compared favorably or unfavorably to somebody, then that’s fine with me,” Stanley said. “I’ve always seen a connection, and I think that’s why I’ve always liked him. You can tell a lot about musicians in what cover tunes they do for encores, and early on, Bruce would pull something off like ‘When I Was Young’ by The Animals or ‘Pretty Flamingo’ from Manfred Mann. In terms of influences, there are a lot of similar ones. And we both have voices that aren’t exactly Steve Perry.”

While the Michael Stanley Band called it quits in 1985, its leader said the closest he’ll ever come to striking up the band again can be found in his annual Cleveland dates with backing outfit The Resonators when he’s invariably joined by former members and more than half the set is dedicated to MSB material. The next Michael Stanley & The Resonators shows take place Friday and Saturday at the House of Blues.

When looking at his career, Stanley acknowledges his solo material may fly under the radar of his MSB work. Still, Stanley points out he lives in the today and can only look forward as a singer-songwriter.

“I know that I’ll probably be remembered, if I am, for the MSB period, because that was our musical reign of terror,” Stanley said. “And it was so huge around here. But at the same time, I like to think I’ve gotten better. Not to say that I didn’t maybe write my best song ever on my third album way back when, but at the same time when sitting down to write a new album, each time you start a song saying to yourself, ‘I’m going into this that this will be the best song I ever wrote.’ Now only one of them can be that, and maybe you fall short of that goal every time, but if you don’t go into it with that … I’m just not treading water here. I’m not trying to, anyway.

“I came to a conclusion a long time ago this is what I do. I’m a songwriter, and so I’m trying to ply that craft as best I can. And I learn something every single time.”