Stace England

Stace England hails from southern Illinois in the Great American Midwest, and found his creative footing in Chicago during the early '90s with House Afire, one of the first country/roots bands in what was to become a very vibrant alt-country scene. House Afire enjoyed tremendous fan support, and released one album, "Progress" (Bigwood) in 1992.
England returned to the isolation of rural southern Illinois and recorded a project of aggressive folk material under the name Tecumseh, releasing the well-received "Bearings" (Union) in 1995. His next musical adventure was with the alt/slasher/country-rock outfit Jubilee Songbirds, which released the eclectic "Birds of North America" (Western Front) in 1997. England released his first solo record, "Peach Blossom Special" (Relay) in 1999, garnering Release of the Year honors from Midwest music publication Nightlife and other strong reviews. The driving power pop of his 2003 release, "Lovey Dovey ALL the Time" (Gnashville Sounds), highlighted his extensive musical range and brought new fans into the fold. He has toured internationally, most recently in The Netherlands performing at the Crossing Border Multimedia Festival in The Hague.
England's concept/historical album "Greetings From Cairo, Illinois" was a culmination of five years of research, hundreds of conversations and "countless hours of general hanging around" in what he describes as "the most fascinating town in America, bar none." The CD traces Cairo's history from 1858 to the present through the Civil War, lynchings, the blues years, civil rights struggles and spectacular decline. England is joined on the CD by top musicians from southern Illinois, Los Angeles and Nashville including alt-country legend Jason Ringenberg of Jason and the Scorchers.
"Greetings From Cairo, Illinois" is performed live with The Cairo Project, now re-christened The Salt Kings, for his next CD, featuring guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Charlie Tabing from Jackhead, bassist Ron Johnson from Cherry Stoners and drummer Dane Spalt. Performances include multimedia with still photographs and film clips from Cairo's remarkable history.
Stace England & The Salt Kings tackle another bizarre slice of unknown US history with a new CD, Salt Sex Slaves, weaving true stories of brutal salt production, slave breeding, kidnapped free blacks and murder in a supposed Free State, the Land of Lincoln, into a volatile, provocative Exile On Main St.-ish stew. Out now!