STONE SENATE SIGNS WITH MRL MUSIC GROUP FOR BOOKING REPRESENTATION
Southern Rock band, “a heavier version of Lynyrd Skynyrd, crossed with The Allman Brothers Band.” Soundcheck time — which Skynyrd and Allman Brothers Band songs are your favorites to play?
We love both bands’ entire catalogs, so it is always tough to choose the songs we add to our set list each night. Of course, “One Way Out,” “Don’t Keep Me Wonderin’,” “Whipping Post,” and “Dreams” are all fun Allman Brothers Band songs to play, and we have included those over the years of touring. And then we get requests for “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Made in the Shade,” along with a few other Skynyrd tunes. These last few years, we have really been doing mostly original music and throwing in just a couple covers here and there in our setlists. We have three guitars, so there is a lot of jamming and improv going on, as well as a Skynyrd-like feel with all three guitars in our original songs. That is really how we got the “comparison” of both bands.
Working with producer Toby Wright. “He made us dig a little deeper, try a little harder. Raising the bar on yourself is a great idea, anytime you can.” How did Wright change the way you viewed your music?
Toby is a genius in the studio, and he knows how to make music. We were really lucky to work with him and become so close with him. His resume speaks for itself, and he really helped us raise the bar on our songwriting. We rewrote lyrics and made changes until he was happy, and that made us really happy that we all did not just settle for whatever ideas came out first. Toby helped us with our guitar and drum tones and helped me (Clint) become a better singer and player. It was just an all-around amazing experience working with Toby Wright. He stepped this band up in a big way, and we look forward to stepping up even more on the next record!
EPs, Dusk and Dawn. Next up is a 13-song album, Between the Dark and the Light, set for release this year. What can fans expect on the upcoming record?
The full 13-song album “Between the Dark and the Light” consists of both the Dusk and Dawn EPs, along with three unreleased tracks. We are doing vinyl as well, actually double vinyl! We are really excited to do vinyl for the first time, and the layout and packaging are really something to see!
“Mike Alan wants to work as hard as this band does, and we see wonderful things for the future with this partnership.” Together since 2012, you have played over 600 shows across the country. Signing with Nashville’s Alan and MRL Music Group for US live performance and concert appearances throughout the United States. Looking to also expand globally this year. What are some of your road traditions while on tour?
We always try to stop and see the sites wherever we are. Whether it’s Mount Rushmore, Billy the Kid’s Gravesite, The Coors Brewery, Roswell, NM, or South of the Border! We all enjoy seeing everything we can while we travel around. This year we are headed to Europe for the first time to tour for about a month, so we are all really excited to play, meet some new folks, make some new fans (we hope), see some amazing places and faces, and spread the word about Stone Senate as much as we can overseas! We are lucky to get to do what we do, so we take full advantage and see all that we can see, as well as trying all the good food and drinks each town has to offer! It’s a hell of a thing!
Playing in Daytona, Broken Spoke Saloon Daytona, Iron Horse Saloon. What makes venues like these special to play?
We have been playing these venues for a few years now and have been playing a lot of the same motorcycle rallies for awhile now as well. We have made a lot of great friends that work these rallies and friends that come out to these shows and rallies, and it’s just a wonderful environment to be in, and we are lucky enough to play these venues again and again to continue to build our audience. We also play with some great other bands, and there is always a great brotherhood and family feeling with everyone at these rallies and venues. The owners of The Broken Spoke and The Iron Horse have been really good to us, as well as the staff, so it’s always a pleasure to play both.
When you have time at home, what hobbies/interests do you like to pursue?
We all write a lot when we are home to get ready for the next album, try to catch up on some sleep if possible, continuously work towards doing more and more with the band, and then when we are in Nashville, we always hang at our favorite bar, Losers in Midtown. For the most part, the music never stops for us when we are home; it’s a continuous thing for all of us.
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