Photo: Force Field PR By Mike Ayers 

Big Star drummer Jody Stephens had been friends with musician Luther Russell since the early ‘90s, but it wasn’t until recently they decided to collaborate on a few songs. That collaboration sparked a new group and album, Those Pretty Wrongs, which debuts on Speakeasy below.

Over the course of 10 tracks, the two explore many different topics, from enjoying life’s ordinary moments on “Ordinary,” to runaway love on “I’m for Love,” inspired by the classic Ava Gardner film “Pandora and the Flying Dutchman,” and circus-freak life on “The Cube.” The songs feature echoes of Big Star’s beloved power-pop sound, but mostly live in a more acoustic-sounding space, while not relying on electric guitars.

Stephens lives in Memphis, Tenn., where he runs Ardent Studios, and Russell lives in Los Angeles — so much of the early songwriting stages happened via telephone. “I’d come up with an initial idea and call up Luther and leave melody ideas and lines on his voicemail,” Stephens says. “Luther would add guitar in a fascinating way.”

Also of note on “Those Pretty Wrongs”: Stephens anchors a majority of the vocals for the first time in his career. He admits that the whole thing was a happy accident, and it was Russell who really convinced him to see it through.

“One of his talents is being a cheerleader and a motivator as opposed to a prodder or an annoyance,” he says.

“Those Pretty Wrongs” is out May 13 on Ardent Music/Burger Records. Listen to it below: