Brandon Stoner Picks Up His Guitar

There are a lot of Stoners in this newspaper’s territory. On Pine Plains Community Day, Saturday, September 9, one of them will play music on the porch of The Stissing Center office building at 2981 Church St., next to the shuttered Rosey’s. Brandon Stoner played at Community Day last year and says about this Bicentennial year performance, “Every time I pick up my guitar, I just enjoy myself,” suggesting no extra pomp and circumstance accorded to the celebratory year. 

The 30-year-old Stoner grew up in Stanfordville and began playing music when he was 12. On bass guitar, he joined his parents, Wendy, vocals, and Brian, lead guitar, and his older brother, Jordan on drums. All of them sang in a band naturally called “The Stoners.” The parental Stoners also ran Cold Spring Bakery on Cold Spring Road, Stanfordville; Wendy sometimes prepared pop-up dinners using Rosey’s facilities.  

Apparently inheriting some of the cooking skills and interest, Brandon successfully ran a hot dog truck last year, parked across from St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Pine Plains, stopping that popular business only to do the work, with his wife Vanessa, of buying a house in town. He also has a power washing business; he is a parent of a daughter, 6, and a stepson, 17; and, yes, he is fixing up the house. 

Stoner strapped on his guitar and enjoyed himself last Friday night onstage at the Back Bar Beer Garden, West Church Street, Pine Plains. In this intimate and lush space, his music drew a group of young boys and girls up out of their chairs, to hop, swing and swirl with abandon in front of the stage. Stoner’s music includes both original music and covers, and he freely inserts his own lyrics into familiar songs. Improvising on the Van Morrison classic, “Brown Eyed Girl,” Stoner honored, perhaps embarrassing Vanessa, his green-eyed wife, who waitresses at Tower Pizza and the Garden, as she wound through tables serving food and drink to the diners.   

As the sun went down, Andrea Sotela, a veterinarian from Red Hook, danced to several songs with partner Rob McDiarmid, who said only that he was not local. Sotela commented, “We always enjoy (Stoner’s) music and the venue.” The lively music and relaxed performance made for a very enjoyable end-of-summer evening.  

The full music schedule in Pine Plains on Community Day, Sept. 9: 

11 a.m., The American Legion Hall, North Main Street, features Stissing Mt. High School Chorus, Half Pint, The Stanfordville Swingers, Stissing Mountain High School Jazz Quartet 

11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., fiddle music will be played from time to time at the Graham-Brush House 

11:30 a.m., on The Stissing Center office porch, Brandon Stoner performs, followed by Bob and The Boys  

4:30 p.m., the Red Barn Band plays at the Back Bar Beer Garden  

7 p.m., the Verona String Quartet performs at The Stissing Center