Jordan Richardson Son of Stan | Photo Courtesy of Annie Nelson

The Fort Worth Renaissance Man Introduces 80s-Influenced “Divorce Pop”

By Juan R Govea

Hometown 2014 Grammy Award winner Jordan Richardson, drummer and instrumentalist for the skilled Ben Harper & Relentless 7 is also known locally for his work as Fort Worth’s Son of Stan. Richardson has performed on national stages as well on late night TV screens with Harper for The David Letterman Show, gathering an accumulated fan-base since the TCU graduate won Best Blues Albums with Charlie Mussselwhite on harmonica, Richardson on drums, and Ben Harper and The Relentless 7 group while living in Los Angeles.

Richardson has been producing and making music for several years and recently dropped a digital EP entitled Diamond Cuts with his group The Boat Club Road Band on Spotify earlier this month.

Diamond Cuts is naturally original and follows Richardson’s self-made genre like reverberation of mid-eighties Huey Lewis And The News, by describing his renovated sound as a humorous take on what he calls “divorce pop.”

Branching off ‘80s middle-aged songwriters during a time of baby boomers and divorce rates, Richardson says, “A little bit of it stems from that, which is a funny way to describe a pop culture sentiment combined with a current vibe. It kinda naturally presents itself in the music I make. I’m not trying to put on the costume of the past, but it certainly influenced [the music] and I’m not going out there wearing parachute pants.”

Jordan Richardson Son of Stan | Photos Courtesy of Annie Nelson

Zach Edwards guitarist (Oil Boom, All Clean); guitarist Michael Doty (Duell, House Harkonnen); keyboardist Justin Pate (Relentless7, The Orbans, Pablo & the Hemphill 7); keyboardist Sam Villavert (Sealion), and drummer Austin Green (The Cush, Telegraph Canyon); along with bassist Steve Steward (Oil Boom, Epic Ruins) have all helped in producing previous tracks along with the new release featuring several of these members mentioned as The Boat Club Road Band.

Right out of the gate, the new release hits hard with “Man Unknown” setting the stage for the rest of the EP’s futuristic like pop retake of the era. Richardson gives a freshly produced tip of the hat to subjects in his music stating most lyrics are influenced by breakups and heartache, but has never been divorced. Son of Stan is influenced by the punk genre, and carries an eighties vibe.

“I remember riding in the car with my mom in the mid-eighties, which strikes the idea of Phil Collins and combining punk rock with a schlocky, quirky, corporate sound about sad breakups,” Richardson said.

Son of Stan carries well-known recognition with releases over the span of 7 years with their first release produced by Richardson, Corsica, in June of 2012 and latest release in 5 years since 2014’s EP, Georgia.

Produced in Los Angeles with Adam Lasus and Richardson, the musician says late night bedroom vibes, and grabbing an unconventional microphone while creating new sound substitutes, experimenting with drum kits, and a band-like atmosphere is how Son of Stan’s first album came about.

A more traditional rock band setting was used in producing the latest album at Electric Barry Land, a barn-like recording studio located on Richardson’s ranch North of Fort Worth where a combination of The Boat Club Road Band and Diamond Cuts was recorded. The Son of Stan frontman recently helped produce DFW musician Steve Gnash’s newest album set to release in a few months.

Son of Stan is scheduled to hit the road touring with White Denim mid-April in the Pacific Northwest.