Stone River
Stone River has been called “The New Southern Rock of the North” by the late mastering engineer George Marino (AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith). A band with passion, love and decibels to spare, Stone River crafts their own brand of southern-style melodic rock with all the trimmings.
In a current musical climate afflicted with transitory images and sub genre trends that quickly burn out, it's comforting once in a while to discover young artists that actually put the music first. Being inspired by the harmony and musical depth of early 70's rock, Stone River is a true musician's band that embodies the absolute best of this musical epoch (the band's numerous comparisons to The Black Crowes, Led Zeppelin, The Allman Brothers, Point Blank and Aerosmith reinforces this fact). Stone River plays memorable, timeless and exciting original songs -- songs that capture a wide audience of true music fans.
Formed in 2006, the Toronto-based quintet has played hundreds of shows across Ontario and has gained thousands of fans across Canada, playing in direct support of major acts like The Black Crowes, Tom Wilson, Parlor Mob and Jeff Martin. No strangers to large festivals, Stone River has played Sarnia Bayfest in front of 20,000 people as well as the Barrie New Music Fest, Toronto's Festival of Beer, NXNE, Canadian Music Week, Canada's largest ribfest, and Queen West Music Fest to name a few. The band is comprised of Jeff Desilets and Darren Flower on guitar, Renan Yildizdogan on lead vocals, Jay Macedo on bass and Sasha Siegel on drums.
Stone River is currently finishing up their second LP entitled Euphoria with Los Angeles based producer Christopher Thorn (Blind Melon, Awolnation, Live) and legendary engineer Nick Blagona (Deep Purple, The Tea Party, Alexisonfire) at Jukasa Studios for a winter 2013 release. They opted for an old-school approach, going live off the floor to tape to best capture the fun boogies, acoustic ballads, and foot-stomping hard rock songs that most bands these days could only dream of writing. Get ready for the best rock 'n roll record to come out of Canada in a long time.
R. Tell us the brief history of your band. How did you guys meet?
SR. Stone River was started by Jeff Desilets and Darren Flower after becoming friends during high school. Darren and I shared similar interest in music so we began jamming together and playing in a few different bands with each other. Never finding the bands that really suited us, we decided to form our own. We began writing riffs and humming melodies but had no singer to sing them. We posted an add in a local music paper, and got a call from Renan shortly after. I met Renan at a coffee shop and handed him a tape with music on it and asked if he could sing over it. The three of us met Jay at a local open mic where he was playing guitar and singing and we invited him to a rehearsal. Sasha, our drummer, is the newest addition to the lineup.
R. Describe your shows, visually and musically?
SR. Our shows are very loud and guiatr driven. We don't rely on computers or hard drives while on stage. The melodies, harmonies, and dynamics come from playing together for years and going through so many experiences as a band. Visually, we look like we just stopped out of the early's 70s.
R. Who are your musical and non-musical influences?
SR. We enjoy all kinds of music but some influences include bands like The Allman Brothers, Led Zeppelin, Blind Melon and The Rolling Stones. We are heavily influenced by music of the late 60's and early 70's. and these bands will forever stand the test of time.
R. How does music effect you and the world around you?
SR. Music means everything to us and is a big part of our daily lives. We have all been living and breathing rock 'n roll for a long time, and couldn't even conceive of a life without it.
R. You are currently working on your second LP titled "Euphoria" How different is it from your first LP?
SR. The songs on this album are more diverse -- ranging from acoustic tracks through softer ballads to hard rockers. It also has a more 'jammy' feel as a whole, and shows our musical growth as a band.
Last but not least…
R. Tell us about your next shows and why we should be there?
SR. We are playing some Toronto dates this month and will be showcasing at Canadian Music Week in March. We are going to be playing an extensive amount of dates throughout the spring to support the release. Stone River Shows are a celebration of real rock 'n roll, and they are enjoyed by a wide range of true music fans.
Follow Stone River
www.facebook.com/stonerivermusic
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