interview with Stonecutters
What does the name "Stonecutters" stand for? It comes from an episode of the Simpson's where Homer joins a secret organization called Stonecutters. It's a great episode with a theme song of it's own, the Sacred Parchment...a must see. But yea, that's where we got the name.
How was the band formed? I formed Stonecutters after my old hardcore band, My Own Victim, disbanded.
MOV released three full-lengths and an ep with Century Media Records then another three albums with the help of Ear X-tacy Records, a record store that I worked for in the 90's. Things happened and lives changed so from there I formed Stonecutters. The drummer from MOV joined Stonecutters after our 1st release.
Can you briefly introduce your band and who you are? Brian Omer-vocals/guitar, Nick Burks-guitar, Johnny Wooldridge-drums, Kevin Redford-bass
Where are all bandmembers from? Drummer Johnny and myself grew up together in a little town outside of Lexington, Kentucky called Danville. Kevin and Nick are from Louisville. We all grew up in Kentucky, Louisville has been our home for many years now.
What was the ambitions of the band when you started? This may sound crazy but I wanted to fuse a weird combination of pretty much 2 opposites-Jimi Hendrix & GG Allin. Big fan of GG's last album, Brutality and Bloodshed for All, and love the intensity and really just pure hatred in his voice on that album. And on the other hand I love Hendrix's (at times) sloppy but skillful & tasteful guitar playing. Stonecutters has really changed and progressed a lot since our inception though.
Could you explain your music to someone that hasn't heard you? At times Iron Maidenish, sometimes sludgy like Eyehategod, some parts fast hardcore...depends on the song or mood. The new one turned out very diverse, much more so than the 1st two. I'd have to say my top three favorite bands are Iron Maiden, Neurosis and Death...then Black Sabbath and Sick of it All...we're kind of a mix of those bands, with a little Randy Rhoads thrown in.
Where was your first gig? Uncle Pleasant's in Louisville, Ky. 2006
Where was the latest gig? We just played the Revenants album release show. Another great Louisville band.
Who writes your songs? Guess I'm gonna have to say I write most of the music and lyrics, cause I do. Ha. But everybody does their part. Stonecutters artist, Dave Pollard, helped me tremendously with lyrics on the new album.
Who has the best since of humor in the band? Well, our drummer Johnny is pretty talkative and keeps the entertainment going. We laugh at ourselves quite a bit.
What genre do you feel you are? I keep reading all these reviews for the new album calling us stoner rock, thrash, sludge...but I don't really feel any of those define us. We're just Stonecutters. I'd personally not like to get lumped into any category. Just Metal-if I have to choose.
Do you write your own material or mainly covers? Originals. We've busted out a cover here and there. We have covered-Die with your boots on & 2 minutes to midnight (Maiden), Within the Mind (Death), couple of Sabbath and Slayer tunes, and an old Louisville band called Kinghorse.
Have you made any albums?/If yes what are they? We have three-The Death of Me, Christhammer & the newest Creatio Ex Nihil.
Do you have any clips on YouTube? Yes, please checkout our video's for I, Wurdulak and the Bloodiest Battle. Those seem to be the most popular.
At what age did you start playing? I started playing guitar at age 11. first gig not til I was about 18.
How old were you the first time you saw a live band play? Bout 8-9, my first concert was Tina Turner. Ha. 2nd Genesis. I didn't start really going to shows until I discovered Bogarts in Cincinatti. Saw so many memorable shows there like Death, Obituary, Deicide, Wrathchild America, Pantera early on, Gwar...I still drive up there for good shows.
What places will you be playing in in the imidate future? just 2 shows left for this year. Our next show is on black Friday opening for Huntress.
What has been the best/most promising gig so far? Opening for Mastodon went great for us. We've played with so many national acts now-Anthrax/Testament, Eyehategod, Machine Head, Black Label Society/Clutch, Goatwhore, Gwar...they've all been good for us!
What are your goals with your music? No goals really, just like to keep progressing and take this as far as we can.
Is it easier to get your inspiration from older bands or from bands more modern? Honestly, we listen to more older music. But current bands we enjoy playing with inspire us. Me personally, I've been listening to some modern music like Windhand, Exmortus, Moonknight, Revenants, Anagnorosis, High on Fire, Misery Index...
What are your sources of inspiration? I find other guitarist inspirational, local music, movies, practice.
How do you feel about the downloading of music instead of buying albums? Whatever people want to do, but I do feel downloading is killing the music industry. Personally, I never download. Maybe working at Ear X-tacy Records here in Louisville brainwashed me, but I still buy the physical product. I prefer vinyl to cd's, but I buy both. Vinyl just gets expensive. To each their own, but I like to support the artist.
Besides your own music, what genres and bands do you listen to? I do still listen to a lot of Metal and Hardcore. Not really into Metalcore so to speak. But I do like a lot of crust/punk, grind, good doom & sludge, blues, as long as it's good I don't care what genre it is.
Have you been in any other bands? I mentioned My Own Victim, we were together '95-'05. Did 3 European tours and 7 albums. Played bass for both Slapshot (Boston) and Son of Dog, and also played guitar in Ozzy tribute Crazy Train and punk band Hookers.
What do you work with outside of the band and the music? I actually teach guitar at Guitar Center here in Louisville for a living.
What's the funniest/most memorable thing a fan has done for you? This one guy made me a Stonecutters glass pipe that had some of our symbols on it and all turned out really awesome. I thought it was the neatest thing.
Name 2 of your own songs you like at the moment? Off the new album I really think Endbelievers and Revere what thou hast burned turned out killer.
What do you feel is the best live band you've seen? Sick of it All in Kansas City around '96 was mind blowing. Bout 10 people on stage at a time diving and crowd surfing. Place just erupted for them. Still one of my favorite live bands. Also big fan of Gwar's live show. Seen them over 20 times. My Louisville native friend, Jamie Land, is their new bassist. He's on their new album, Battle Maximus.
How do you view the music indurty of today? I feel like we might be, just now, coming out of what I've been calling 'the great music depression'.
Do you have any webpages? www.facebook.com/stonecutterskywww.reverbnation.com/stonecuttersky
Would you like to add anything else? Pick up our newest release 'Creatio Ex Nihil' available on Lp and cd, and Death of Me and Christhammer still available on cd. Hit myself, [email protected] or facebook page up for all releases. Also available at http://www.allthatisheavy.com/ and http://www.risingbeastrecordings.com/
