An interview with StoneDrive

by Jennifer Hewett
Static Noise
http://www.staticnoise.net

Jennifer H ~~ So its time to play get to know the band....  :-)  Growing up what would some of your earliest memories of music be? Also, what are some of the artist present/past that have influenced you?
StoneDrive ~~ I can't answer for my bandmates... well partially.
First music memories would be probably related to French stuff you've probably never heard of :) Let's say a band named Trust (French hard rockers) in the mid 80's.
Duh ! Yeah you can say I'm older than the dinosaurs ;)

Our musical influences are very eclectic. So here they are, just to name a few :

Xavier :  Zakk Wylde/BLS, George Lynch/Dokken, Mark Tremonti:  Creed-Alter Bridge
David :  Kiss, Motley Crue, Metallica, Bon Jovi
Romuald :  Perfect Circle, Depeche Mode (!), Sting
Me :  Soundgarden, Dishwalla, Metallica, Del Amitri

As you can see, it's quite a weird mixture :)

Jennifer ~~ How did you guys come up with StoneDrive? I am sure it has some meaning behind why you all chose it.
StoneDrive ~~ As for the bandname, it took quite a long time to find something that wasn't already picked up.
We made lists of random names we liked and combined them.
Stonedrive also refers to a place in our neighborhood ... translated from French to English of course ;)

Jennifer ~~ In five years where do you hope to be with this musical endeavor? Ultimate goals, venues you would like to play, maybe bands you dream of opening for etc.
StoneDrive ~~ One of our ultimate goals would be playing in front of a large audience in the US or maybe doing the Hammersmith in London. First goals for this year would be in no particular order : finding a music label, selling enough CDs to do a second album and let's say ... meet Alter Bridge :)


Jenn ~~ The song writing process is something I am always curious about also. How do you guys go about writing the awesome songs you have put together thus far?
StoneDrive ~~Regarding the song writing process, almost every song is kinda unique. Most of the time, someone would come up with a guitar riff or a chord progression as a basis and the song slowly takes shape. It took us 2 years to write 10 songs ... Some of them needed several versions until we got satisfied.
Lyrics are a complex process as well. Kevin (US lyricist) and I have been working together for more than 3 years now. He's an open-minded and talented guy.

 
Jennifer ~~ Do you guys have nicknames for one another?
StoneDrive ~~ Nope we don't use any nicknames for each other but I can give you some of our favorite quotes instead.

Xav : "this riff really kicks some serious ass" (usual answer : "Ok, time to unplug guys!")
Romu : "can I have some more low-ends please ?" (usual answer : "I can't hear you with my earplugs on!")
David : "Tempo issues ? What tempo issues?!" (usual answer :"Yeah you're f*cking metronome...")
Fab : "Have we sold any copies yet?" (usual answer : "Have sex with Mr ITunes, he'll tell you")
Dave :"You know I can't really sing, don't you?" (usual answer : "put your f*cking guitar down !")

Jennifer H ~~  Do you guys have any before show rituals? If so what are they......
StoneDrive ~~  Nope, we don't any rituals before playing shows. We mostly focus on being as tight and punchy as possible :)

Jennifer H ~~  What was the first song you guys did as a band?
StoneDrive ~~ The very first song we worked on together was probably the one that became the album opener "Bulletproof bones". But the first versions were pretty different. This song even got tweaked and re-arranged while we were recording in the studio ... blame it on some artistic ego issues :)

Check out StoneDrive on Myspace! (http://www.myspace.com/stonedrive)