Stephen Egerton – The Seven Degrees of Stephen Egerton

When I first heard that Decendents’ guitar genius Stephen Egerton was releasing a solo project, I didn’t think much of it.  The guy had never fronted vocally, nor had he released any new material in almost six years (excluding his production career).  The notion seemed like a desperate attempt to stay in the limelight in spite both of his bands’ (ALL, The Decendents) ongoing hiatus.  But then I realized that I had missed the not so small detail that his first solo outing would come in the form of a collaborative effort between Egerton and many of his friends – mostly punk frontmen having made their mark over the past twenty years.  Suddenly the prospect intrigued me.

With so many notable names under one roof the roster reads like a guest list to Fat Mike’s house party invitational; oh the possibilities: Dan Andreano of Alkaline Trio, MXPX’s Mike Herrera, Lagwagon’s Joey Cape – and even a rare appearance by The Decendents’ frontman Milo Aukerman – to name a few.  But it also begged the question: how would this play out in practice?  Could so many disparate voices be united?  And what was preventing the aptly named The Seven Degrees OF Stephen Egerton from feeling like a joint Fat Wreck Chords/Epitaph Records mix tape?  Well, it seems that I may have been underestimating Egerton’s musicianship, because the pioneering pop punker’s unique style and trademark quirky chords bind these vocalists together in a tight ribbon of continuity.

Where one vocalist ends, another begins, and Egerton’s guitar picks up right where the last track left off.  Seven Degrees has a sense of flow that elevates the sixteen-track disc out of compilation territory, and awards the venture with full-fledged album status.  Now, picking the album apart track-by-track is a challenge seeing how each song offers its own unique virtues.  So rather than list each and every collaboration, I’m simply going to say that Seven Degrees has it all.  There’s the rock’n country grooves of “Fire’s On” (Jon Snodgrass of Drag The River), the meaty punk self harmonies of “South For The Winter” (Tim McIlrath of Rise Against), the comforting return of Aukerman on “She’s Got Everything,” and a slew of lesser known but no less effective vocalists representing varieties of anything and everything on the melodic punk spectrum.

As someone who only appreciated The Decendents and ALL during the twilight of their careers, I have often longed for new material so that I could experience first hand the magic that defined the generation before me.  Well, that chance has finally come, and despite initial reservations, I couldn’t have walked away more satisfied.  Even with over half a decade separating Seven Degrees from Egerton’s last formal work, I think it’s safe to say that Egerton still has what it takes to turn heads in today’s packed soundscape.

Should ALL or The Decendents ever awake from their deep slumber, they’ll find Egerton’s musicianship and enthusiasm as sharp and capable as ever.  Who knows, the next ALL or Decendents album might even be their best.