For more than a decade, Stephen Wilson was the glue that held together a community of creative people in Half Moon Bay, CA. The communal music space he provided gave rise to the Trolls Of Amsterdam, a trio of coworkers that came together to channel the frustrations of the work world, including Wilson on the mic, Armon Cabana on drums and Stefan Drobel laying a foundation of tracks via Maschine. Their 2016 self-titled EP, at once funky and hilarious, is a lighthearted jam session with infectious beats, full of inside jokes about hustling in the audiovisual industry.
2021 saw the addition of rhythm section specialist and producer Mat Gilbert, who brought to life some of their previously unreleased funk material, this time with live instrumentation, while Wilson added some new country and blues compositions to the mix. During the recording process, Wilson's life was beset with obstacles. His deteriorating financial situation forced him like so many others to leave California. With one foot in Northern California and one in Stephen's native South Carolina, Wilson Drive is an honest and heartfelt chronicle of Stephen's life over the last ten years. The album has been praised as “a killer blending of both traditional and contemporary influences, creating something that feels instantly familiar yet excitingly fresh at the same time.” Steven Uhles for The Augusta Press called it “a really interesting release that feels very simple but is sophisticated in goals and execution.”
In March 2023, the album hit #195 on collegeradiocharts.com.
Reviews
"A West Coast production featuring local talent Stephen Wilson, 'Wilson Drive' is the good time music you hear behind the fence sending up barbecue smoke signals. It’s the easy droptop jams that pull up next to you during a snack-and-six packs stop at the convenience store. It’s late night funk just before last call and Sunday morning coming down. It, in many ways, seeks to fill the same space Sublime occupied in the mid-90s, although perhaps with fewer punk rock accelerants and a couple more Herbie Hancocks for the road. It’s an interesting collection of songs in that it feels less about individual moments than the prolonged soundtrack it provides. There are few manufactured singalong moments. Instead, 'Wilson Drive' builds on a more abstract foundation of mood, groove and attitude. No hits but no filler either. No hooks but deep and infectious jams that distract you from looking. It’s mood music that doesn’t ask much but, when you are least expecting it, provides exactly what you need. It is a really interesting release that feels very simple but is sophisticated in goals and execution. Nice work, Trolls."
-Steven Uhles, The Augusta Press
"'We Can't Afford To Start Em Up' was one of the most impressive tracks I've come across in recent memory. It totally rips! ... What a killer blending of both traditional and contemporary influences, creating something that feels instantly familiar yet excitingly fresh at the same time."
-Jon Delange, Tinderbox Music
Branson
Can You Get to That (live at Awendaw Green)
