Following the demise of Nirass, Mike (bass and vocals) and Jim (guitar and vocals) Nickras
formed Stü Art in the summer of 1994. Choosing an electronic
keyboard/synthesizer, "Beau Casio,"
to
round out the band, the group recorded their first two albums (Stü Art and Men
Attempt Trans-Atlantic Swimming Feat) over the next six months,
without technically "releasing" them. Actual release came in the form
of the 60 minute Fly me a... in February
'95, a compilation with one newly recorded track. Through August of
that year, Stü Art recorded their third full-length (30 min)
album, My i.
At some point during this early time period, Stü Art made
it's first attempt to showcase their "talents" to a wider audience by
entering a Spin Magazine (we think) "worst band" competition. No response
was returned from the tape submission, indicating either that Stü
Art wasn't the "worst band" or that two foolish teenagers didn't know
how to properly enter the contest.
In the fall of '95, Mike began his college career at Wright State University
in Dayton, Ohio. Recording of new material would become sporadic from
this point on. As such, the follow-up to My i,
...has no feelings, was eleven
months in the making when released in June '96.
Interested in a new release, the band assembled previously
unreleased tracks from the sessions for each of the three prior albums.
This collection became Less Art: More
Matter. The "anthology," comprised of material that had been once
rejected, was a self-proclaimed "horrible album." The group included a
new, unlisted piece as a fade-out.
The trio's next effort The Perfect
Response was completed in August '97. Reflecting over a year's
worth of recording, the album showcases the group's changing approach
in instrumentation (gradual elimination of the bass in favor of the
electronic keyboard) and song creation (tracks composed almost entirely
by individual members). A part of a song composed by Jim was included,
unlisted, at the end of the album.
Jim started attending the University of Akron in the fall of 1997.
Finally..., the group's 8th "album," was
released on Saturday July 15, 2000. Ledy Pa Records' first compact disk
is comprised of material that was recorded between June and December of
1998. The album continues the new approach taken on The Perfect Response and focuses more
on Jim's writing than on any previous effort. Most releases include 3
bonus tracks (a "clean" version of the album was released with only 2).
The band joined the mp3.com community at some point following the
release of Finally.... Due to a
glitch, for a few days "Better Like
Us" was a top 10 single in the site's "lo-fi" category.
In the fall of 2001, Stü Art returned to the studio to record
new material. 
The product of these
new recordings was the Chôpek Rink
album. Released in August 2002, this collection was edited almost
entirely on an iMac, representing a change in the band's recording and
editing process. As on Finally..., this
album focuses primarily on Jim's writing and vocals. Additionally, a
number of songs were recorded individually or in multiple stages, also
a slight departure from previous recordings.
After the completion of Chôpek
Rink, some additional recording was done but work on the follow-up
album has been on hold since 2002 due to the nomadic nature of the
group's members.
In 2009, Mike began a project to digitize the band's master
tapes. Beyond the simple act of archiving the material, a goal of
the project was to develop a new anthology release covering the group's
entire history. Also during this period, Stü Art returned to
the mp3.com
community.
