Joe Stamm Band Performs Through Unfortunate Sound Issues at Stickyz

by Julian Spivey

Julian Spivey Photo

Joe Stamm Band brought their heartland country music to Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack in Little Rock, Ark., on Saturday, November 8.

Stamm has written some of my favorite Americana/country songs over the last couple of years, with “Flower of the Everglades” and “When the Lilacs Bloom” from last year’s Allegheny EP among them. The band’s most recent album, Little Crosses, released in July, has been one of my most listened to of 2025.

There were many great songs performed by Stamm and his talented band – Bruce Moser on bass, Dave Glover on guitar and Tim Kramp on drums – on Saturday night, but unfortunately, the sound system wasn’t great for the entirety of the show, drowning out much of Stamm’s low baritone vocals and making it hard to decipher lyrics. This is really a disservice to Stamm’s voice and lyrics, both of which are tremendous. I’m not an expert on such things, and am not sure what the issue was, but I heard Joe Stamm Band do a short set at the outdoor Peacemaker Festival in Fort Smith, Ark., in October of last year, and they sounded perfect.

It wasn’t until late in the show, when the band took a break and Stamm got to play a couple of solo songs, including the incredible “Grandma’s Bible,” that you could really make out all of what he was singing.

It was nice to hear some of the songs from Little Crosses that I had been jamming to since the album’s release, like “Territory Town” and “How to Quit” — probably my two favorites on the album —live. Knowing them by heart, it wasn’t so much of an issue with the sound – just sing along.

Stamm can really pen a great story song and got to show off his more literary style of songwriting with songs like “Dollar General Sign” and “Grandma’s Bible.” It was a pleasure hearing “When the Lilacs Bloom,” an audience request he did during his encore, that told the story of a soldier writing letters back home to the woman he loves during World War II.

Among the audience favorites of the evening were “Ahold of My Heart” and “Bottle You Up,” love songs that got some in the packed Stickyz club swinging each other around on the dance floor.

While Stamm’s more literary songs have proven to be my favorites from his repertoire, he certainly has a handful of fun, party-hard Saturday night rockers like “Beer, Mushrooms, Whiskey and Weed” and “Drink Enough (For the Town to Talk)” that gave the crowd the chance to get a little rowdy.

Joe Stamm Band is one of the best country-rock acts touring the country right now, and I’d recommend checking them out when they’re near your hometown. I just hope their sound is better than it was on Saturday night at Stickyz.
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