Stone Robot Bans Together to Chat All About the Music!

STONE ROBOT have put together a wide variety of music, when it comes down to their styling. They have released an album, a debut one in fact titled "Planned Obsolescence", with there always being new music in the works. The band bans together as a few of its members chats about the music!

1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.

B. Steels: Well, we’re what Eric Draven would call, “a whole jolly [band], with jolly pirate nicknames.” *sigh* Please forgive the old man reference, I’ll see myself out. Truth is, the three of us have been writing music together for longer than we would probably like to admit. Dr. JAMessiah (there is a long and inappropriate anecdote that goes with that nickname), and I started playing together when we were practically kids, rocking 6–8-hour practices in our drummer’s basement. Since then, he’s been in every band I’ve ever been a part of. Mr. Johnny Walker, esquire was introduced to us a few years later by a mutual friend. As soon as we started jamming together, we formed a fast and lasting bond. JW felt like the piece that had been missing for JAM and myself all those years. Even as projects dissolved and we started careers and families, the three of us remained in relatively close contact. But, when the pandemic crashed down, JW hit us up with the idea of creating a new project…one without defined roles or boundaries. Needless to say, JAM and I we’re on board, however, since we were on lock down getting together to write was not an option. So, we set up a shared google drive where we could upload individual parts recorded from our home studios. The drive was originally labeled, “Strangers on the Internet,” but that was too long, fairly stupid, and taken anyway. That’s when JW suggested we call the project, “Stone Robot.” 

2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?

JW: I’d love to tell you that it started as this incredible observation on the limits of technological advancement overcoming man’s natural inclination to devolve to his basest form. The truth is that I was in my boss’s office one time, and I saw the two words next to each other on adjacent pieces of paper, and I thought they looked cool together. Now that we have the name though, let’s go with the metaphor.

Steels: The album name, “Planned Obsolescence,” was aptly chosen as we struggled to get our recording and mixing technology to keep up with the rampant pace in which we were creating. While the intrinsic value of the project alone made it worthwhile, I think we all dug a little deeper into our pockets than we had originally intended to. 

3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend? 

Steels: Our origins rest in the greater Springfield area of Western Massachusetts where the local scene was always on fire. We’ve spread out since then. Another reason why the google drive was a great option for us. The album was written and recorded across four state lines (Mass, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and a little bit from Texas). As far as local bands go, I know an old friend of mine from the scene is still playing in a band called, Neon Fauna that I love. They have a bunch of albums out now. People should check them out for sure.   

JAM: The scene in Western MA is pretty diverse, I can say. In general, there’s a healthy respect for music and musical creators, regardless of specific genre. We’ve definitely received a decent online reception for Planned Obsolescence so far.

4. How would you describe your style?

JAM: Our style is the “art of genre, without genre.” All three of us enjoy listening to a pretty eclectic and wide variety of music. I guess wherever these potential influences overlapped became the seeds for our own songs. I’ve always held the belief (or opinion) that ultimately the listener deserves the right to ascribe personal meaning and interpretation for any song they spend their valuable time listening to. And I think the same goes for style. We definitely pull some intensity and attitude from the metal, hard rock, hardcore rap, classic hip-hop and alternative scenes we grew up with. But our process is as organic and fastidious as a starving imbecile in a gourmet kitchen… We just start mixing up spices at will and when something sounds tasty, we build another course on it. In essence, our process is straight punk. One of us might present a killer riff, and in the next wave we are custom shaping sounds from our collective imagination to fit the mood and climate of the world we’re living in. Not that it’s consciously intentional, but I think our style is like holding an unfettered musical mirror up to society; reflecting the good, bad, innocent, and downright horrendous. We just process all of the emotions through our own twisted filters to vocalize them.

5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?

Steels: Our debut album, “Planned Obsolescence,” hit the digital market on March 22nd of this year and has gotten a bit of pop. Our song, “Subliminal,” has over 1,000 streams on Spotify right now which has us rather elated. We’ve also created a music video for, “After All,” the first track on our album. That was filmed and edited remotely as well amongst the constraints of pandemic living. The fruits of our labour can be found on our YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbihY7Y-cuAdDNO88PL5-Pg.

We have a “call to arms,” on that channel as well for people to be in our NEXT music video! Using the hashtag #techtrashchallenge they can submit a video of themselves or friends creatively destroying their obsolete electronics––matching the theme of our song, “8645.” 

As far as what people can expect, I’d say the album is an, “artistically jarring,” collection of songs that range from alt rock, to synth-pop, to industrial with some hip-hop, as well as a bit of metal and punk influence for good measure. 

6. Do you have any new music in the works?

JW: I think the beauty of this project is that there is always new music in the works. And since no one is really paying us to do it, there are no deadlines to meet. JAM is going to take some time to work on his own material. I am in the process of working on a doom-metal collaboration. Steels is likely going to get roped into working on one or both of those projects in some capacity and will have a chance to dedicate some brain bytes to his writing. Having recorded an album remotely / collaboratively over the course of about 9 months was a learning process. We intend to apply the lessons we learned into a new Stone Robot project in September. 

Steels: Absolutely! Anything to keep the creativity flowing, allowing ideas and concepts to gestate as we promote this current album will be essential. And for the short term, I believe we’re in the process of remixing 91DIVOCation with a solo contribution from our friend Eric Franco, which we should be releasing soon. Keep an ear out for that. 

 7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?

Steels: We may need an actual drummer to do that. And considering we have hardly played a note of these songs in front of each other live, I’d say we’re a little bit away from live gigs. I’m sure that will change as restrictions start to lift and people are systematically inoculated from this nightmare. Stay tuned!

JAM:  Yeah, our chemistry is pretty dope. If you can blast this to find equally dope drummers, then who knows… maybe the Robots will be hitting the pavement.

8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?

JAM: To have fun co-creating.

JW: Even when we haven’t actually been working as a band, we have always been a band. We just took about a decade off from having a name for the band. That said, the advances in collaboration software / home recording technology over that decade have made remote projects even easier. Prior to March 2020 most people had probably not spent a lot of time on Zoom or Teams, and though I am looking forward to no longer being forced to use either as part of my day-to-day life, I’m sure they’ll come in handy when the next album’s sessions begin. 

9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?

Steels: Everything available for purchase is on our official website – www.stonerobotband.com

Including physical CDs, if people still buy those things. We didn’t want to leave anyone out. Merch has been talked about, but we’re waiting for a little more demand before we make any orders. So, let’s hear those demands!

In the meantime, people can stream us everywhere.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/54rYQEJQN9j8dI1l64YULT.

Apple Music: http://itunes.apple.com/album/id/1559502844.

iTunes for purchase: http://itunes.apple.com/album/id1559502844?ls=1&app=itunes.

Pandora: https://pandora.app.link/rojU9C64Afb.

As well as Amazon unlimited, Deezer, I heart radio, etc. 

People can also find us on 

www.facebook.com/stonerobotband.

www.twitter.com/stonerobotband.

www.Instagram.com/stonerobotband.

https://www.tiktok.com/@stonerobotband.

10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?

Steels: This may sound trite, but I’d really like people to remember how it made them feel. Music at its core is designed to connect emotionally with the listener, allowing them to derive their own meaning from the songs regardless of the songwriter’s intention. That said, I’d be fine if they just remembered how cool it sounded and then wanted to listen again. 

JAM: I second Steels' sentiment, but I don’t think it’s trite. I think too much of mainstream industry music is derived from formulas aimed at emoting old and tired motifs, with the goal of connecting with the masses… instead of genuinely expressing honest feelings and ideas. All to say, I just hope listeners of Planned Obsolescence “connect clues to their own emotions,” and can respect what we’re throwing down enough to spin it and share it.

Steels: I see what you did there, JAM.

JW: I’d like them to remember their credit card numbers, so they can buy our album. Who am I kidding? Nobody buys music like that anymore. Honestly, I just like the idea of someone I’ve never met tracking through the album and finding something that resonates with them. A melody here. A lyric there. A general vibe. I’m not picky. And if after listening to the album someone decides that it is not for them, and they think they could make something better, that’s cool, too. I don’t think there will ever come a time where I will think the world needs less music.