Sean Stockham is a Sacramento drummer and vocalist, best known as one half of the hard-rock duo Middle Class Rut (MC Rut) alongside guitarist/vocalist Zack Lopez.[1] The pair are repeatedly identified as Sacramento natives, and MC Rut became one of the short list of local bands to find mainstream success beyond the region.[2][3]
At a glance
- Drummer and backup/co-vocalist of Middle Class Rut, a guitar-and-drums duo; his credited instruments are vocals, drums, percussion, and guitar.[1][3][4]
- A Sacramento native; he and Lopez are described as a "native Sacramento band."[1][2]
- Played with Lopez since age 12 or 13, and earlier in the band Leisure (signed and dropped by a major label out of high school).[1][5]
- Known on stage for an orange drum kit and a "For Sale" tattoo across his chest.[3]
- Relocated to Boise, Idaho, where he does carpentry work, while remaining in the band.[6]
Role in the Sacramento scene
Stockham is a drummer/vocalist whose career is tied almost entirely to his decades-long musical partnership with Zack Lopez. Submerge describes the two as having played together since they were "only 12 or 13," before they were old enough to consider music a business.[1] By 2013 the pair found a rehearsal tape dated 1996, underscoring how long the partnership predates their later fame.[2]
Their first significant project was Leisure, formed when they were teenagers around 2000. Stockham did not strongly identify with the band, describing it as "just an outlet to play shows with and be part of the scene."[1] Leisure secured a major-label record deal straight out of high school and relocated to Los Angeles; the band dissolved in 2003 (one later account says 2004), having been signed to and dropped by DreamWorks.[1][3][5] Stockham revealed he had skipped his high school diploma in pursuit of the rock-star path, and that its collapse forced him into factory work.[5]
Middle Class Rut
Stockham and Lopez formed Middle Class Rut as a return to the roots of why they started playing.[1] Before settling on the name, they briefly called their project "Strangler" — a name later referenced in the 2018 demo collection Strangler Days.[4] They played their first official show as the band at Capitol Garage in December 2006.[1] Stockham handles drums and backup/co-vocals; Submerge characterizes the duo's live energy as "stadium caliber" despite the two-piece format.[3]
The band's breakthrough came when Lopez mailed a three-song demo — including the single "New Low" — to KWOD 106.5 DJ Andy Hawk in late 2007; Hawk added it to the station's local-band rotation and it became one of the station's top-requested songs.[6] By the time "New Low" took off, MC Rut had been dropped by major label Island Def Jam, which had been sitting on the recording.[6] The duo released two early EPs they nicknamed "The Blue One" and "The Red One," with the song "Busy Bein' Born" becoming a hit in the UK.[1]
The UK breakthrough accelerated after BBC Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe came across the band in September 2008 and, according to Wikipedia, featured "Busy Bein' Born" as his Single of the Week during the week of October 20, 2008.[4] NME magazine profiled the band in its Radar section in November 2008, and Rocksound's December 2008 Christmas issue named them "Ones to Watch."[4] On November 19, 2008, the band recorded a live session for BBC Radio 1 in Studio Four of the BBC's Maida Vale Studios.[4] On March 10, 2009, Lowe debuted "I Guess You Could Say" and named it his Hottest Record in the World.[4] The band also performed at the Road Recovery Benefit at Nokia Theatre in New York on May 1, 2009.[4]
MC Rut's debut full-length, No Name No Color, was self-recorded and self-produced and released through Bright Antenna (the first band that label signed), with a CD release show at the Boardwalk in October 2010.[5][6] The album received a Metacritic score of 76 out of 100 ("generally favorable reviews") and reached #22 on Billboard's Heatseekers Chart on March 5, 2011.[7] Their sophomore album Pick Up Your Head was released by Bright Antenna on June 25, 2013.[2] For touring behind it, the duo expanded to a five-piece — adding a bass player, second guitarist, and percussionist — because the album's layered, beat-driven sound could not be reproduced live as a two-piece without backing tracks.[2][8] An earlier 2012 live expansion had brought in Eddie Underwood and Bob Lander of Sacramento band Lite Brite.[8] The band also appeared on the 2011 Vans Warped Tour.[4]
Stockham has described the band's beat-first, hip-hop-influenced writing process, in which songs like "New Low" were built from a percussion loop (in that case, beats made on a toolbox) rather than from drums-and-guitar jamming.[2]
Hiatus, relocation, and return
The band toured heavily for years behind both albums. The run came to a halt in 2015 when their gear was stolen from their trailer right before a final hometown show; already burnt out and reluctant to recommit to a new album cycle, they took the theft as a sign to step back.[6] Their label Bright Antenna, based in Oakland, remained supportive.[6]
During the hiatus, Stockham moved to Boise, Idaho, where he works in carpentry, while Lopez returned to contracting and studio work in Sacramento.[6] Stockham had actually relocated to Boise before the second record was made, flying to wherever tours began.[6] He originated the idea for the Kickstarter-funded comeback album Gutters (2018), reasoning that funding it themselves left their obligation only to the fans who paid for it.[6] In early 2018 the band also released a collection of old demos, Strangler Days.[6]
Notable Sacramento shows
- Capitol Garage, December 2006 — MC Rut's first official show.[1]
- Concerts in the Park, Cesar Chavez Park — repeated appearances, including June 19, 2009, May 11, 2012, and a third headlining slot on July 20, 2018.[3][8][6]
- Boardwalk — No Name No Color CD release, October 2010; Stockham also recalled playing the venue repeatedly as an opening act earlier in his career.[1][5]
- The Press Club — described by Submerge as a tiny venue MC Rut "murdered" before small crowds.[3]