StereoSoul's name may not sound familiar, but the guys have all been part of the local scene for quite some time. The band members started playing together around eight years ago in a series of band names that wound up being Cosmic Avenger. According to Gene Pompilio, the band's drummer, the band basically evolved into StereoSoul after running its course.
"We went into a real studio to record in for the first time," explained Pompilio. "It was the Pigeon Club in Hoboken. We came out with three songs and it really didn't sound like what we were doing as Cosmic Avenger. So we kind of felt we needed to change the name of the band to reflect the music a little better."
The new name came from a line in the song, "Mary Stuyvesant", which was originally written for Cosmic Avenger but never played by that band. The song can now be found on StereoSoul's debut CD.
StereoSoul currently consists of Gene Pompilio on drums and vocals (he is one of the few drummers in the area to play drums and sing lead at the same time), Joon Quinn on guitar/keyboards, John Moller on synth bass and keyboards, and Tom Spelda on guitar. Both Quinn and Moller also share lead vocal duties.
StereoSoul is one of the few Jersey Shore bands to blend a little surf music sound to their songs. Many of the band members were influenced by the music of the 50s, 60s as well as popular surf bands like the Beach Boys. StereoSoul's own sound has often been compared to bands like Fountains of Wayne.
"It's not even like we do that on purpose either," added Pompilio. "I think that's why I really like what we have and the mix that we have in it because everybody brings something totally different to the band. My songs, if I just played them strictly the way I wrote them, would all pretty much sound the same way. But then you add in a little bit of everyone else. Tom (Spelda) joined around the time we turned the band into StereoSoul and what he brings to the band is just a totally different aspect - something that I wouldn't even be able to envision putting into the songs. It's just a different set of influences and when you put all that stuff together, it's not like you consciously try to make something sound a certain way, it just comes out that way."
"I think that, in some ways, everybody's had a common thread with the late sixties," said Spelda. "Like Gene said, if he originates the song then everybody gets to throw in what they will and mix it up a bit and see what happens. Usually we have very good results."
The new record, which was officially released at the end of October, is being distributed nationwide by Select-O-Hits. The first single, "(I'm In Love With A Porno Star", has already been added to over 200 stations around the country. It's a great radio-friendly, pop tune that seems infectious from the first listen and stands a good chance of being the band's break-out song.
Success may or may not loom ahead for the band, and they know that it comes down to hard work and a little luck. But music will continue to drive them forward.
"If I could make like $25,000 a year, I'd be the happiest guy in the world," said Quinn. "Other than that, I'd love to be on MTV or in Rolling Stone and be seen by all the people who have laughed at us, which has happened a lot - but the big thing is $25,000."
Join us for McCarter at the Museum - renowned performing artists in one-night only events at the Princeton University Art Museum.
Jason Robert Brown is a four-time Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist of The Last Five Years, Parade, Songs for a New World, 13, The Bridges of Madison County, Honeymoon In Vegas and The Connector, has performed as a soloist or with his band in venues around the world, including sold-out shows at the London Palladium and Carnegie Hall. His albums as a singer-songwriter include Wearing Someone Else’s Clothes and How We React and How We Recover on Ghostlight, and Coming From Inside the House and Live In Concert with Stephen Sondheim on Concord.
With Special Guest Tony nominee Betsy Wolfe. Tony Award-nominated actress Betsy Wolfe is currently starring as Audrey in the acclaimed Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors, following her recent Broadway run as Madeline Ashton in the hit musical Death Becomes Her. She previously originated the title role in Joy, the new musical inspired by inventor Joy Mangano, and earned a 2023 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her celebrated performance as Anne Hathaway in & Juliet. Other Broadway credits include starring as Jenna in Waitress, Cordelia in the acclaimed revival of Falsettos, Bullets Over Broadway, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Everyday Rapture, and 110 in the Shade, as well as her critically acclaimed performance as Cathy in the Off-Broadway revival of The Last Five Years. Wolfe made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Die Fledermaus and has appeared as a guest artist with more than 65 symphony, pops, and philharmonic orchestras worldwide, including the New York Philharmonic and BBC Symphony Orchestra, with performances at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. Her screen credits include First One In, Estella Scrooge, CBS’s Instinct, and the film adaptation of The Last Five Years. Wolfe is also the co-founder of BroadwayEvolved, the acclaimed musical theatre training program she launched in 2018 to train and mentor the next generation of theatre artists.
A limited number of early access tickets for McCarter Director’s Circle members and members of the Museum’s Partner Circle are available, on sale Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 12:00 PM. General public on sale begins Friday, September 18, 2026 at 12:00 PM.
Please be aware there is no public drop-off or parking at the Museum. For visitors with mobility needs, please contact the Museum at least three business days in advance of your visit to request special access to the Museum via Elm Drive. Call 609-258-3788 and select option 1 to speak to a visitor services staff member, or email Louise Barrett at [email protected].
