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Who We Are
Stellwagen was formed by Jim Grenier (singing, left) and Rob Brun (right), in 2005. We are recovering rock musicians, who found a way to make our music without rock's requisite amplifiers, distortion pedals, and drum sets.

As Stellwagen, we keep things down to a reasonable level, putting acoustic spin on classic and contemporay songs. At any given show, we are likely to play almost anything, but play it our way. We've been strongly influenced by the jangle bands and folk-rock of the 60s and 70s but we still might launch into Elvis, Bowie, Monty Python, Cat Stevens or Cab Calloway.

Being sailors from the seacoast area, Jim from Salisbury and Rob from Newburyport, songs about boats, fishermen, mermaids, lighthouses and pirates also drift in and out of our shows.

Rob Brun

Rob Brun is the co-founder of Stellwagen. After working with Jim in the 6-piece rock band Rust, where he played bass and sang “extreme backing vocals,” he and Jim decided to retune for something a little quieter with gear that would all fit into one car. In Stellwagen, Rob plays his personally-built 1974 Brun 12-string guitar as rhythm to Jim’s lead and Phil’s bass. He can also be heard playing harmonica, tambourine and shaker egg as well (often at the same time, quite a sight!) and is currently looking for something to do with his right foot. Starting off primarily as a backing singer, Rob now trades off with both Jim and Phil as lead singer on some of the songs. After 35+ years, Rob is still trying to write that first song without much luck, although he has modified the words to a few tunes he’s “barrowed.” The song Hinkley of My Dreams based on Shindell’s Kenworth of My Dreams has lyrics by Rob.

Rob started playing back in the 70s on a stolen guitar (No, he didn’t steal it!) Needing a better instrument and finding he had more time than money, he soon started building guitars in the summer between semesters in college. He also still has a custom 6-string dreadnought as well as a few hand-built electric guitars.

Rob grew up in a family where the radio was always on, His musical influences span 6 decades (he’s responsible for the Harold Arland number The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea we do) and every genre from big band to punk, but most strongly by the acoustic performers and bands from the late 70’s.

Primarily a professional landscape artist, Rob is also a sailor and in July and August can often be found sailing the coast of Maine on one of his “business trips” sketching and collecting images for his paintings. To see a collection of Rob’s artwork click here.

Jim Grenier

Jim has been playing in rock bands since grade school. Just prior to founding Stellwagen, he co-founded and sang some lead and backing vocals in the classic rock band Rust with duties of rhythm guitar and blues harp. In Stellwagen, he primarily concentrates on guitar and vocals though he also plays harmonica, woodwinds, 5-string banjo, mandolin and slide guitar on occasion. He's built his own A-style mandolin and a hollowneck lapsteel guitar, as well as Native American cedar flutes.

Jim is also a songwriter with several songs featured in the Stellwagen set list. His tunes range from soft ballads to the more upbeat chantey-like Polish the Brass and Provincetown Girls. Jim is a latecomer to songwriting. After playing many great songs during his musical career he thinks he knows what makes them work. Why not bend a hand to the task himself? He finds it a great creative outlet.

Many of Jim's songs are about life on and around the ocean, including songs about sailors and fishermen. Jim has been both, growing up on the water on the North Shore of Massachusetts. He worked on local fishing and party boats as a teenager and throughout his 20s. Currently, he is a summertime sailor with an antique, gaff-rigged, wooden Cape Cod catboat. So, when you hear Stellwagen launch into an old traditional sea chantey, you can bet it's Jim at the helm.

Jim's musical influences are as diverse as Tom Rush, The Seldom Scene, The Byrds, The Lovin' Spoonful, Everly Brothers, Paul Simon and The Beatles. He is a fan of open tunings and you'll likely catch him quickly retuning his guitar between songs.