“People ask us all the time if we are a family band or a cult,” says AKA BELLE. “The truth is somewhere in between, depending on what you think a family or a cult looks like.”

AKA BELLE was formed by married songwriters Catherine and Sam Merrick, alongside longtime friends Anthony Mulparry and Jake Stigers. Christine Nygard first saw the band when she was 17 and manifested the dream to join them by the time she was 19.

So…cult/family band…sort of. Together, AKA BELLE have become known for their immersive performances  filled with layered harmonies, percussion, theremin, vibraphone and swirling psychedelic textures – fusing together psych-rock, garage rock, folk, blues, and tropicalia inspired sounds into a vibrant, theatrical and sometimes ceremonial, aural and visual experience.

AKA BELLE released their new double album “All Time is Now/Now is All You Have + The Time For Love is Always Now” through Moon Ruins Records in April 2026. Described as “Whimsically Defiant” the album “plays like a technicolor dispatch from a commune that discovered both a fuzz pedal and a philosophy book at the same yard sale…” –addtowantlist.com

(oh…there’s the cult/commune theme popping up again)

Exploring themes of identity, connection, uncertainty and the natural world through dreamy imagery and protest minded songwriting, four tracks have dropped as official singles – “Fittin’ In,” “Six Severed Feet!” “Envy of Venus,” and “Radiant” along with corresponding music videos, and these tracks – as well as others from the album –  have received airplay across over 251 US and international stations, often landing in the Top Ten charts for new releases. 

“…a positive fusion of pop melodies, psychedelic vibes and 70’s glam rock…catchy, quirky and surprising…” – Loud Enough? Magazine

“Commune-core psych jams for the end times (and the after party)” – Dennis, addtowantlist.com

“(Aka Belle)…continue to sharpen their distinct blend of cosmic psych-rock and experimental pop…” bloodmakesnoise.com

“Aka Belle makes the most inspirational, life affirming music. They’ll change whatever mood you’re in to the happiest and best side of you that exists. It’s all miracle-like, really,” Daniel ‘Kid’ Yoshida, DJ/Radio Boise

Their passionate calls for love, resistance and soul-lifting energy serve as reminders that we are all part of this beautiful Universe and the Earth we call home.

Cult? Commune? Family? You decide

We make music for the overwhelmed and the over thinkers, embracing uncertainty amidst the nonsense. If you need to do your own stick and poke, write a strongly worded letter to your senator, or take an hour-long shower, STS is your sonic companion.

Howdy folks, thanks for swinging by! I’m a singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist from the Pacific Northwest. I’ve been playing live music and writing songs for over 25 years now. I’ve gathered my mojo from such places as: St, Louis, Seattle, Portland Oregon, Boston and Vermont. I’ve spent the last few years co-fronting a band called Curtis/Sutton & the Scavengers, playing solo gigs, and backing other musicians in and around Boise, Idaho. Over the years I’ve shared the bill with such acts as: Hillfolk Noir, Eilen Jewell, DBUK, Carson McHone, Benyaro, Jamie Lin Wilson, The Mastersons, The Young Dubliners, Zoe Muth, The Country Lips, Bart Budwig, and several other artists. I was also featured as a solo performer on Garrison Keillor’s, A Prairie Home Companion, way back in October of 2006. I spend my free time writing songs, sketching, painting, writing poetry, watching films, fishing and foraging in the woods. I recently released a solo album called Primitive Songs For Modern Times on Junkerdash Records with the help of my talented friend, songwriter and producer—Travis Ward.