Robex Lundgren virkblogg.

What´s the name of your band? Stonebolt.

How was the band formed? Ray, Danny and Brian grew up and went to school together. Being close friends, they decided to start a band.

Where are all band members from?/Who does what in the band? Ray, Danny and Brian came from North Vancouver, BC, Canada. David from Seattle, U.S.A.  John from Burnaby, Lewis from Winnipeg.

What was the ambitions of the band when you started? To get a record deal, tour, and see the world- which we did.

Could you explain your music to someone that haven't heard you? Melodic Rock, with influences ranging from Deep Purple to the Eagles, and other great bands of that era.

Where was your first gig? The first Stonebolt gig was at a teen dance in North Vancouver. 

Where was the latest gig? We played an end-of-summer festival in a beautiful little town in eastern B.C. called Grand Forks. More shows this year!

Who writes your songs?/Who writes the music who writes lyrics? Ray has always been the most prolific writer in the group, followed by David. Brian and Lewis have contributed songs, too.

Who has the best since of humor in the band? That would be a 5-way tie! We used to pull pranks on the road which got us into hot water on occasion.

What's good/bad with the band?/What genre do you feel you are? At one point our previous record company had us chasing styles, our biggest hit was soft rock, though we're great doing heavier stuff.

Why did you pick that particular style?/What are your songs about? The style(s) that worked best were ones we honestly felt- melodic, but with a rock edge.

Do you write your own material or mainly covers? During our peak recording years we always played originals, with the odd cover that we would make our own.

Have you made any albums?/If yes what are they? 4 studio albums on Casablanca/Parachute and RCA. Plus the 'Regeneration' Best of CD, which also had three new tunes. 

Do you have any clips on YouTube? There are a few circulating around; some old footage from the early years, and new clips from recent performances. Search and you'll find!

How old are you?/What got you started in music? Amazingly, we've all hit 60- but we still rock hard! I think we can all say it was The Beatles that lit the fire for us. 

At what age did you start playing? We all started around 13 or 14 years old. Guitars and girls seemed like a good idea at the time. And they still do!

How old were you guys when you first stood on stage? The first gigs were in basements and on gym floors- but by 15 we were learning how to work the stage. 

What year was the band started? The band was originally called Perth Amboy, but changed the name to Stonebolt in late 1972.

Best/worst gig you've played? Each of us has our worst/best. Playing on American Bandstand with Dick Clark was a thrill. But there were some gigs in little outposts that were pretty miserable.

What places will you be playing in in the imidate future? We're set to play a show April 4 in a beautiful studio/theatre near Vancouver called Blue Frog. We'll have new video coming from it.

Where have you played from then till now? That's a large question! Over the years we've played across Canada, the U.S., and Japan. 

Witch band is the best you´ve seen? We each have favourites, but as a band we got to play a show with Deep Purple, who we really admired growing up. They are still fantastic!

Is it always the same songs live? Not always; there are the hits which we always play, then we mix up some of the album cuts, plus throw in a couple of covers that we really enjoy.

What has been the best/most promising gig so far? Well, since we're past the 'buzz' years, we enjoy all gigs where the production is good and the crowds are appreciative. 

Have you had any bigger tours from start to now? These days we don't do the formal tours anymore- just one-off dates. Though if the right offer came along, we'd be back on the road!

How big crowds do you usually play for? In recent years more in the hundreds than thousands. We've played more intimate venues, like the show that's coming up.

What are the plans for the rest of the year? Each of us have our own bands now, plus various studio projects which keep us all busy. But we're still very involved in the Canadian music scene. 

Where do you usually play? Recently, some of the casinos in the area, and fairs and festivals during the warmer weather months.

How do you get psyched up for a gig? Each of us do certain things- vocal warmups, stretching. Watching the audience. Putting on a flashy shirt doesn't hurt, either. 

What are your goals with your music? To continue sharing it with a new generation that hasn't heard it before. Plus, we still have some new music left in us pushing to get out!

When did you decide to go all in for the music? 50 years ago exactly- when The Beatles hit North America. 

Is it easier to get your inspiration from older bands or from bands more modern? When we were young, it came from hearing the older bands. Now, it comes from hearing the new music.

What are your sources of inspiration? Older players/singers who still master their craft; and younger ones who take classic influences and push the boundaries with it. 

What's the first step when making a new song? The hook, the hook, the hook. A melody, a guitar riff, even a drum fill. But it's gotta stick in your head. 

How do you feel about the downloading of music instead of buying albums? The format doesn't matter as long as consumers pay for it. For without that, there will be a dwindling of committed artists.

What would be your dreams for the band? At this point, to have more years of performing together, and more recording together.

Besides your own music, what genres and bands do you listen to? We have different tastes- but Black Keys, Kings of Leon, plus the new retro Soul artists, and some Roots/Americana.

What do you hold most dear? Well from a band standpoint, ourselves as mates since we've been through so much together. 

What would be your greatest fears for the future? Aside from wars and disasters, that kids may not have the chance to play music for a living as we did when it was easier to do.

When you are on stage, what do you fear most then? Fear is not something we take onstage, we're our most comfortable there. Illness, power failures, etc happen, but the show still goes on!

What songs and what years were they released? Biggest hits- I Will Still Love You 1978, Baby Don't You Hide It 1980

Have you been part of any other projects? Ray had a solo album on Long Island Records, John has played keys for likes of Motley Crue and Van Halen, and David's produced several pop country artists. 

Have you been in any other bands? Ray has the Ray Roper Project, David has the Dynamics, and Lewis is in England playing with John Reilly. 

What do you work with outside of the band and the music? Ray and David both produce other artists, and David produces commercials for radio and TV.

What would you do if there was no music? We have all been so immersed in our musical lives that we haven't done much else- occasional temp jobs during slow music times.

How important are your fans? When we were a young band, the fans were a cool thing, but as time went by we came to really appreciate them. Now, we regard them as friends.

What's the funniest/most memorable thing a fan has done for you? There have been some wonderful parties and outings done for us on the road. We will write a whole chapter on this some day ;)

How often do you rehearse? only occasionally as Stonebolt- if there's a new show coming up. But we all rehearse our various projects. 

Where do you rehearse? In recent years it's been at Brian's house. His wife makes us dinner, it's very civilized!

Name 2 of your own songs you like at the moment? Our two biggest songs are always fun. Recently, we've really gotten into 'Are You Listening' from our last album. It smokes live! 

What do you feel is the best live band you've seen? My most memorable (David) was Jimi Hendrix. It was more than a show. It was- in his words- an Experience. 

What drives a band that isn't all that famous and renowned to try to make a living on their music and to keep playing? If you have a small taste of success it will hook you like a drug and you'll want more.

Do you have any webpages? The best place to interact with us right now is www.facebook.com/stoneboltband

Any pearls of wisdom for all other bands out there? Take the best influences you love then create your own recipe. Be yourself- there's only one of you!

Describe your show, visually and musically Musically tight, still a high energy, good time. Thrown in with good vocal harmonies and a few witty tales between tunes.

How do you view the musicindurty of today? On life support until Apple, Microsoft, Youtube and other multinationals distribute fair revenues to the music creators. 

What advice would you like to give other bands? Never lose sight of why you began playing in the first place.

What are the biggest obstacles for a band? Competing against 1,000's of other artists when mass media still only promotes a fraction of them.

What is best/worst with playing the clubs? Good for perfecting your music, tougher than ever to make money. 

Tell us about upcomming gigs and why we should be at them? Our show in April will be nicely produced event, and we invite you wherever you are to come join us!

How would you describe your sound in one sentence The best influences we all heard condensed in one show for you.

What is your favorite crappy instrument? Some toy instruments make very interesting sounds when recorded!

What was one of the most quarrelsome times for you in the band? At the peak of our 'rock star' period, there were disagreements about how management and label were handling things…..

What Won't you spend money on? bad food.

What do you feel a band should spend their money on? Quality gear, if they can afford it. Also music business education. There are wonderful programs now that were never available back in the day.