[1] Stemple played guitar and sang as a member of the folk rock "rock-and-reel" band Cats Laughing from 1988 to 1996.

The CD has the distinction of including the full text of the novel The Gypsy, which Brust co-authored with Megan Lindholm and upon which the songs were based.

Like Cats Laughing and Boiled in Lead, Stemple's current group shares musical roots that incorporate Celtic and rock styles.

In April 2015, Stemple reunited with Cats Laughing in a concert at the Minicon science fiction convention.

[10] Stemple was among the members of a group of writers known as the Pre-Joycean Fellowship, which included his bandmates Emma Bull and Steven Brust.