Stovepipe Stover (one man band), The Book Nook & Java Shop, Thursday June 5th, 2025 (video’s separate on White Lake Music Review Facebook page)
Stovepipe Stover is one man band musician known for his unique blend of folk, punk, and country music. He’s on all major streaming services under Stovepipe’s Caravan, and hosts a podcast featuring “interviews with artists, writers, musicians, and others who aren’t afraid to explore the scary corners of life… and death.”
He describes himself as a “songwriter, podcaster, soap maker, and part time werewolf.” He joked before the show that his last one man band split up due to creative differences.
Originally from Bangor, Maine, He lists influences including Tom Waits, Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith, and Stephen King. It turns out that Stephen King’s wife is his third cousin.
I suspected this wasn’t going to be your average local show. I looked forward to a unique musical and visual experience: one part Bert from Merry Poppins, one part vaudeville performer, one part singer-songwriter, and one part scary/campy storyteller. I wasn’t disappointed.
https://www.facebook.com/justin.stover.735
https://www.facebook.com/StovepipesCaravan
https://stovepipescaravan.bandcamp.com/music
https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/stovepipes-caravan-910084
After strapping on and hooking up his backpack percussion contraption (which has cables running to the backs of his shoes and headstock of his guitar, Stovie (as he’s known to his friends and followers), started off his first set with a rollicking version of CCR’s “Bad Moon Rising” (one of the few covers he did), encouraging the light, but enthusiastic, Thursday night crowd to sing along.
After that, he launched into an original “Next Summer” which starts with a Brian Adams “Summer of 69” style chugging guitar rhythm and features lyrics that speak of a mysterious woman seen in a vision and includes the chorus “Senorita, I want to see her, next summer, when the silver stars are working overtime…”
After that, he sang two originals, the amusing “Werewolf in Love” which starts out “She always say’s she likes a man who has a beard and works with his hands” and continues “I’d love to have that girl in my sights. But she hasn’t figured out what I mean when I say that I work nights” and “Swimming Hole” which he describes as a twist of the off-maligned traditional murder ballad. In his version, the woman kills the man.
Then, just to throw the audience a curve ball, he covered Modern English’s “Melt With you” (the backpack percussion kit going full tilt), before launching into another original, the up-tempo, irreverent “New Wine Moonshine.” I don’t want to spoil it. Check out the video (separate below).
After that he did an amazing love song called “Pickin’ Apples” that, I believe, firmly channels a small-town-hard-times-young-people-in-love Springsteen ballad mixed with a poetic meter that’s pure John Prine (if comparisons must be made). I regret that I didn’t record it. Never fear, there’s an outstanding version of it on YouTube that he did live for WNMC 90.7 FM. Look it up.
A crowd favorite was his cover of Guns and Roses’ “Sweet Child of Mine” which was a good match for his chosen tee shirt, followed by a heartfelt version of the above-mentioned John Prine’s “Angel from Montgomery”.
After that came his delightfully tongue-in-cheek werewolf first person account “Howlin, at the Moon”. Check out the video (separate below) to not only get the storyline, but to see the backpack percussion kit in action. I don’t know how he manages to sing and play guitar while manually triggering all the different components using steps/stomps and shifts of the guitar neck.
The show went on with more originals and creative covers. One song, which I requested, having heard it on his bandcamp channel, was “Ghost of the Mountain”. He announced it by saying “here’s one for you, Joe!” It includes the really cool, but decidedly off-kilter lyrics (video separate below):
“It’s good to see you
Ghost of the Mountain
Walkin’ barefoot,
And dressed so plain..
And it don’t scare me a bit
To see your lips sewn up.
It’s just good to see you
Comin’ round the way.”
That’s the thing, many of Stovepipe’s songs have a horror element, but (as he assured me) it’s done in a fun way. Those Stephen King inspired storylines mixed with Springsteen-esque small town songwriting sensibilities, spun with unsuspected humor, while this crazy dancing human-marionette powered backpack drumkit hammers out a mad rhythm counterpart – that’s something you must see and experience live…
If you threw Bert from Mary Poppins, Steven King, equal parts Waits/Springsteen/Prine, along with dashes of Tom Petty and The Clash, and a scene or two from every werewolf movie you’ve ever seen into a simmering witches caldron on Halloween night, it shouldn’t work. At a Stovepipe Stover show it not only works, but it also makes sense (in a slightly unsettling way). Don’t take my word for it. Make sure you see him next time he plays around the area!
The Book Nook & Java Shop
Far from just a friendly indie neighborhood bookstore and coffee shop (a wonderful thing in and of itself in this era of vanishing small businesses), they offer a large selection of fine wines, beer, and sprits, along with a food menu. They host events several times a week including classical pianists, lunchtime acoustic music, weekly trivia, a knitting group, book talks, Jazz and swing performers, open mic, festivals and too many other community-minded events to list. Check out their Facebook page at The Book Nook & Java Shop for more information.
What strikes me most about music at the Book Nook, is that people actively listen! This should be customary but typically doesn’t happen. All too often, people talk loudly with friends, performers relegated to background. To compensate, bands increase volume levels. Soon, not only is the music too loud, but you find yourself shouting at the person next to you and straining to hear their response.
Shows at the Book Nook pull you in, like stepping back in time to a 1960’s Greenwich Village coffee shop. Imagine seeing Bob Dylan or Pete Seeger playing at the Gaslight Café back in the day, or hearing Alan Ginsburg or Jack Kerouac beat poetry. If you want to get an idea of that culture, catch the excellent Coen Brothers film “Inside Llewyn Davis”. Note how focused the crowd is during the live performance scenes. This bohemian coffee shop culture is further espoused by original and eclectic art covering the Book Nook’s walls, including works by the talented local artist Ferrel Cordle.
