Outlook Magazine - Fall 2017

ALUMNI NEWS

Johnny be good Art graduate making it in Nashville as full-time musician

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Step into colorful San Pedro Cafe in Hudson, across the St. Croix River from the Twin Cities metro area, and one wouldn’t guess that the owner grew up in town working at a bakery and then a classic steak-chicken-burgers bar and grill. From the warm, sun-inspired décor to the laid-back vibe to the tantalizing and spicy menu options, San Pedro Cafe is a veritable Caribbean-Jamaican food island in the Upper Midwest. Taste of the Caribbean Hudson restaurateur brings international flavors to hometown “The whole hospitality piece is what really drives me. That’s why we focus on customer service. The employees are the ones who make it possible. If the employees are not enjoying their job and representing me the way I want them to, we fail. Pete Foster, a 1993 UW-Stout hospitality graduate, had a hunch that Hudson, a small town with big city influences, was ready for something different when he and his business partner opened San Pedro Cafe in 2000.

s a young man Johnny Stanton ’04 hoped to make a living playing

music. Stanton cut his musical teeth in middle school garage bands with classmate Justin Vernon, eventually of Bon Iver, and Drew Christopherson, of the Minneapolis band Policia. By high school, Stanton was playing three to four nights a week and recorded his first song at 16. He enrolled at UW-Stout as an art student and played in the 715 rock band and the blues band Florez- Stanton-Vaughn. Along with having a blast playing live music at places like the Den on Thursday nights in Menomonie, the gigs helped pay his tuition bills; he graduated debt-free.

Johnny Stanton, second from left, is bass guitarist for The Steel Woods, a country, southern rock band that released its debut album in May.

Thirteen years later, the bass guitarist known as “T-Bone” lives in Nashville and is indeed a full-time musician. He’s performed at the Grand Ole Opry several times, on the “Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” and on the Academy of Country Music awards show with Heidi Newfield. He also has a long and distinguished list of recording credentials. His best years may be yet to come. Early in 2017, he landed in fledgling country, southern rock band The Steel Woods, which released its debut album “Straw in the Wind” in May. The band, with blues and rock influences, received strong reviews from Rolling Stone and the Washington Post, among others. “This band does have a lot more potential to do some cool things,” Stanton said. “It’s my kind of music, a blend of everything I like. It’s been exciting to play music I like with people I like.” Although his vocation grew from his avocation, Stanton still puts part of his BFA degree to use. He specialized in photography at UW-Stout and began his career as a New York fashion photographer. In Nashville, he has developed an extensive portfolio of CD cover photos and promotional materials for musicians. When he’s not performing with The Steel Woods, he works as a session player recording in studios and playing gigs on Nashville’s historic Lower Broadway. He also returns to the Menomonie area as a session musician at the Drum Farm recording studio. “It’s been great to do what I want for a living. I feel like the luckiest man alive,” he said.

Johnny Stanton also is a recording session musician and a photographer.

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