Formed in 2008, the band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Jon Landry, bassist Dillan Tate, guitarist Jason MacIsaac,
bouzouki/
fiddle player Calen Kinney, and drummer Mark Murphy. The band formed and started out by playing Rock,
Folk, and
Country music cover songs during open mic performances at the Seahorse Tavern in Halifax, Nova Scotia. They quickly gained local notoriety for their rowdy, entertaining live performances and were signed to Halifax independent label
Groundswell Music in February 2010. In 2012, the band signed a
distribution deal with
Cologne-based
punk rock label,
Rookie Records. The Stanfields released their debut album
Vanguard of the Young & Reckless in 2010, and followed up with
Death & Taxes in 2012. The album contained 10 new songs written, performed and recorded completely acoustically. The band's fourth full-length record,
Modem Operandi, was released on September 18, 2015. A fifth album,
Limboland, was released on March 23, 2018. In early April 2020, during the
COVID-19 pandemic, Nova Scotia premier
Stephen McNeil made a speech in which he instructed Nova Scotians to "stay the blazes home" to protect the public from the spread of the virus. The Stanfields helped popularize the message by releasing a new song called "Stay the Blazes Home". ==Band members==