Stonebrother Interview 25/05/21
MM: Can you tell us about your Band and whos your biggest influences
(Zach) Stonebrother is made of myself on vocals and guitar, my brother Ethan Smith on drums and vocals, and Leo Cox on bass. We are based out of Nova Scotia, Canada. We each draw influence from different places, but as a band we settle somewhere in the middle of Van Halen, Guns n Roses, Rush, and The Tragically Hip, with lots of pieces of other influences.
MM: Where do you draw your inspirations and ideas from
(Ethan)We draw our inspiration from wherever we can find it. Inspiration is all around you, sometimes it’s the most random things. The important part is to be open to it, and look for new idea wherever you can find them.
MM: What would you say is your Bands favourite song ?
(Leo) I would say that we probably love music too much to designate one song as our “favourite” song. That being said, I think collectively overtime Simple Man has always stayed a favourite of the group.
MM: Plans tour and festival wise for 2020
(Zach) As much as we can given the restrictions. If all goes well we’re hoping to do a tour of university bars this year when they open.
MM: What can we expect from (Stonebrother) live
(Ethan) Stonebrother in concert is a fast paced show, with all three of us giving our all and rocking the house in a completely new way.
MM: What do you like best and worst abt touring
(Leo) My favourite thing about playing shows is the audience interaction and when people get into it and enjoy our music, my least favourite part has gotta be the hearing damage.
MM: Which three Bands would be your ultimate touring buddies
(Zach)
MM: What's the most memorable concert you've been to (other than your own) and why
(Ethan) Personally, the first concert I ever saw was Billy Talent in about 2012. That show was hard hitting, energetic, pure adrenaline, with everyone cramped together in a small room, pushing each other around, jumping about the room, and everyone was overheating and covered in sweat. It was amazing. I knew from that day forward “I want this. All of it. I want more.” It was eye opening.
MM: What do you feel has been your biggest accomplishment so far with
(Leo) Releasing our Every Second Counts EP, I think we did a really good job of both writing and recording it and I’m proud of the end product we got.
MM: Which are your Two favourite Albums of all time
(Zach) For me there are so many that I just couldn’t do without, but if I had to choose two I’d say Van Halen’s “5150” and Guns n Roses’ “Appetite for Destruction”.
MM: Can you remember the first time you ever played live and how it felt to have people watching you?
(Ethan) It’s been a very long time since the “very first show ever”, and a lot has changed since then. Band name, members, even our sound. Back then it was me and Zach playing Matchbox 20 at a school talent show, with a friend of ours on bass that didn’t really “play” much. But from what I recall, jittery as it may have been playing in front of people for the first time, we were excited more than nervous. We were ready, and doing what we loved.
MM: Growing up which Bands posters did you have on your bedroom wall.
(Leo) Van Halen, the Beatles, Dorje, Zeppelin and Rush.
MM - Who do you think influenced the world of Metal / Rock more than any other person
(Zach) Everyone has a different opinion on that one. Personally I’d say Ozzy, because with Sabbath he really changed the game and showed all these new sonic possibilities, and then did the same thing again with his solo career. The differences between some of the songs of both eras show that an artist doesn't necessarily have to be nailed to one particular sound, like “War Pigs” vs “Changes”, and “Goodbye to Romance” vs. “Mr. Tinkertrain”.
MM - What's the most important thing to the band right now?
(Ethan) The most important thing to the band right now is writing new songs. If we get the money, we could record an album, and sure that’s great, but what then? You don’t want to start taking off, build a bit of an audience, and then not have anything ready for when you’re ready to move on. We’re writing new stuff all the time and always coming up with new stuff, so we’re always thinking about “what comes next”.
MM:If you could do a cover of any song which one would it be and why?
(Leo)I’d like to do a cover of Joline by Dolly Parton and really punk it up, I think the song suits it especially with our style.
MM: Tell us why we should buy and listen to your Band
(Zach) I believe that we’re playing a certain subgenre of rock music that isn’t as popular as it once was, but people still love it and we’d like to bring it back. Our sound is original, but definitely has elements of classic bands that are still great to listen to.
MM: Four words to describe (band Name)
(Ethan) Punchy, adrenaline fuelled fun.
Final Words for your fans and our readers
(Zach) Check out the Every Second Counts EP on all major streaming platforms, follow us on Instagram (stonebrother_official) and Facebook (stonebrotherofficial), and thanks so much for reading!
