Hot Cauliflower by Flat Stanley

Flat Stanley was a New South DIY band active from 1983 to 1988.

Originating in high school as a six-piece, including a horn section, they solidified a final quartet lineup upon the addition of Bassist Barry Roach in 1985. Songwriter/Guitarist John Gotschalk and the Brothers Farmer- Chris on Drums and Clay on Vocals- flirted with Ska and Reggae early on, but settled on a somewhat kaleidoscopic set of influences drawing from the widely varying sounds of the time. R.E.M. loomed large over the creation of a regional touring circuit for like-minded bands, but Flat Stanley drew plenty from the caffeinated British sounds of The Jam and early XTC, while also absorbing American Underground notes from the likes of Meat Puppets and Husker Du. All told, they ultimately sat under the contemporaneous umbrella of “College Rock.”

Their one and only commercial LP, “Hot Cauliflower,” was self-financed and released through their own label, 10West Records, garnering national college radio airplay and limited International distribution. A video for the single “Second” was featured on MTV’s underground program “120 Minutes.”

In 2024, Roach reconvened the group to review and update the original 8-track recordings, miraculously discovered in a basement studio. While they agreed to keep the spirit of the 1987 release, current digital technology- and its limitless possibilities- allowed for discrete additions. Fixing mixing and mastering shortcomings was the goal - here it is for posterity.

Clay Farmer, vocals. John Gotschalk - guitars, vocals. Chris Farmer, drums. Barry Roach - bass, vocals. Flat Stanley is a band from Richmond VA, active from 1983 to 1989.