Who know exactly how much music R. Stevie Moore has released. Some say it’s around 400 albums (which “might seem stretching it a bit,” he has said); there are some 200 releases on his Bandcamp page; and the “official” releases via labels number in the dozens.
No matter how prolific, the lo-fi recording pioneer and DIY hero, now 66 years old, has inspired many (Ariel Pink credits Moore as a mentor), spreading his legend via mail-order cassettes. Next month he will be honored with a tribute album — released by Long Beach’s Porch Party Records via cassette, of course — that features a host of Southern California artists (including Matt Costa, Joel Jerome, Lens Mozer and Greater California) covering Moore’s songs.
It’s the brainchild of Dustin Lovelis, who’s released two solo albums himself (2015’s “Dimensions” and 2017’s “Been Hit Before”) and confesses to having been smitten by Moore’s extensive catalog. When Lovelis had gathered up all the tracks for the tribute album, he sent them to Moore. To Lovelis’ surprise, Moore responded — and even gave a name to the compilation: “Sensual Harassment: Various Artists Outperform the Hits of R. Stevie Moore” (out July 6).