As the Posies wound down into a late 90s dormancy (the band has since revived and continues to tour and record albums today) Ken started his solo career like he did the Posies--with a home recording--1997’s “This Sounds Like Goodbye”--which garnered a rave review from Posies skeptic Everett True, and started a run of four-star reviews in Mojo that have followed every album--as well as perfect scores in Pitchfork and many other indie Bibles. Ken’s second album, “Touched”, recorded with legendary producer Mitch Easter, had the auspicious release date in the USA of Sept. 11, 2001. The spiritual questions asked on the album seemed to be good medicine for the times--(there are even spooky moments--”Sparrow”, a song about religious conflict and personal destiny, contains the line “the arrow winds in two wounds deep”...an image that brings to mind the pierced forms of the Twin Towers). Ken decided it best to go ahead with his tour as planned, and thus played New York City on Sept. 20, barely over a week after the attacks, and had a sold out, uplifting and positive show. Alan McGee, founder of Creation records and the impresario behind Oasis, My Bloody Valentine, Teenage Fanclub, the Hives and much more, released “Touched” outside the USA and called it “one of the best albums I’ve ever had my hands on” .

By the time of his third album, “Soft Commands”, released in 2004, Ken had well established his globe-hopping image (including relocating from Seattle to Paris to start a family there). The album was recorded in Stockholm, Seattle and New York and includes contributions from mythic session musician Larry Knechtel (the piano player on “Bridge Over Troubled Water” to name just one, Grammy-winning performance) among a rich orchestra of horns, strings, choirs, electronic squeaks, pianos, and guitars. Ken has been on a never-ending tour since the album’s release, playing shows for it in some 40 countries on 6 continents.

Now, to say that Ken’s life is a two-chapter novella, with the Posies giving way to solo records and that’s that. The list of Ken’s collaborations as musician, writer, producer is immense:

With global superstars R.E.M., Ken has appeared on two albums, a live album, live DVD, and several movie soundtracks; and was part of several world tours--headlining Glastonbury twice, headlining Rock in Rio, and participating in Live 8 to an global audience of an estimated one billion viewers.

With underground icons Big Star, Ken has seen a successful revitalization of the ultimate cult band, helping to write and record their first album in 30 years, 2005’s “In Space” and appearing as a festival regular in Europe, the US, and Japan.

With members of Norwegian hit makers Briskeby (with whom Ken had a chart-topping duet in 2005) Ken formed THE DiSCiPLiNES and released “SMOKiNG KiLLS” an album of catchy, garage-y, punk-y pop that was a staple of Norwegian radio with 3 hit songs, including “Oslo”, a glorious paean to the city where the band is based and has become a kind of *second* second home for Mr. Stringfellow.

Ken has appeared live and on records with artists like Snow Patrol, Neil Young, Patti Smith, Mudhoney, Wilco, French singer Cali, the Afghan Whigs, Death Cab for Cutie...and dozens more. He appears as the guitarist and co-producer on California punk band Lagwagon’s “Double Plaidinum” album and toured with them in the late 1990s. From collaborations with Senegalese pop band WaFlash to bluegrass band the Dixie Beeliners to Ecuadorian electronic duo Can Can to Latvian art rockers Brainstorm the diversity of his work spans styles and crosses borders of every kind.

As a producer, Ken has engineered and mixed highly acclaimed records such as Damien Jurado’s “Rehearsals for Departure”, the Long Winters’ “When I Pretend to Fall”, award-winning Austrian band A Life A Song A Song A Cigarette’s “Black Air”, Dutch multi platinum duo Acda & De Munnick’s “Leven Lang” single plus a host of indie records for bands from Spain, Israel, Norway, Australia, the USA, France and so on.

Currently Ken is taking THE DiSCiPLiNES for their first North American shows as well as writing and recording a second album soon, and working on a host of production projects; 2010 is looking to be busy as Ken’s plans are to tour SE Asia & the middle east, release THE DiSCiPLiNES sophomore album, record and release a new Posies album, and work on his fourth solo album. Having entered his 40s, Ken Stringfellow is energized and focused; content enough to be confident in his work but still eager to pursue new challenges and strive for more successes. We can be sure he’ll pop up in more places, but more than being an indie rock Zelig, Ken Stringfellow leaves contributions with high degrees of emotional, technical and passionate creativity and content.