Month of Rock | Interview with Stone Nobles – english version

Clique aqui para acessar a versão em português da entrevista com a Stone Nobles.

World Rock Day has passed, but we continued to celebrate for the entire month. And we celebrated in a very special way, as OtaGeek got an interview with rising American band Stone Nobles. In addition to leaving the full interview on our YouTube channel, we’ll tell you all about the best moments here.

Stone Nobles was formed in 2019, in Rhode Island, USA, and currently has 4 members, Ross Mags on vocals and rhythm guitar, Lancer Steele, lead guitar and back-up vocals, Davy Charr on bass and Brody Silver on the drums.

And Ross and Lancer took the time to talk to us and tell us all about the band, their inspirations, dreams for the future, and of course, talk a lot about rock n’ roll.

A band by chance

Ross started by telling us about the band’s emergence, which happened almost by accident. During a talent contest at his college, Ross just wanted a few guys to play with him during the performance. So, he got in touch with Brody, who was already in a band.

But it seems that the combination worked so well, that they decided to continue even after the show. And eventually Lancer and Davy joined them, completing the Stone Nobles’ formation.

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The band already has four songs on Spotify, one of which, Child of the Night, has almost 250,000 reproductions. And it has one of the best origin stories a song could ever have. Ross told us how Child of the Night was written during a drunken night and completely forgotten by the next morning, surprising the composers themselves when they found it scrawled in a notebook. There isn’t a more rock n’ roll way to write a song.

But make no mistake, the band’s other songs deserve as much appreciation as they are as good as, or better! They are marked by heavy vocals and guitars. Which Ross and Lancer said to be inspired by classic bands from the 70s and 80s.

The best feeling in the world

As the band was born months before the pandemic, much of what they became is thanks to social media, which were essential in bringing their name and songs to the public. And that’s exactly why Stone Nobles has only recently managed to do a live show.

During the 4th of July holiday, the band performed alongside other artists at a live show. We asked them how it was the experience of having an audience singing their songs while following the band.

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And their responses was emotional, Lancer says he couldn’t stop smiling, “when you hear someone singing back lyrics that you wrote, it’s the best feeling in the world!”, he says. And Ross points out that probably, of all the people there, they were the happiest, and had the most fun. “It’s kind of surreal, because you go to concerts, that’s what you do when you go to concerts. And now you’re the guy that everybody knows the song that you are singing. And you wrote it!”.

Unforgettable moments

And speaking of concerts, I’m sure everyone here is dying to go to one. So, to remember good times, we asked about concerts that marked the Nobles’ lives.

Ross tells us some of his favorites, such as the two shows by Greeta Van Fleet, a band in which the singer is hooked. He also mentions The Who‘s performance at Fenway Park in 2019. But he highlights Slash’s performance at the House of Blues in Boston in 2018.

“It was amazing because he is my hero. He’s like my deity, Slash is my guy. He torn to shreds. […] He wasn’t really playing any Guns’ songs, he was playing basic his solo stuff. I didn’t mind, because I was just watching my hero just do his thing for three hours,” says Ross.

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Lancer, on the other hand, can barely pick his memories, he says he has plenty. But he chooses to start with the first show he went to, at the age of 6, to see Kiss: “I think that changed my life. I got to see Gene Simmons breathe fire and spit blood, and fly through the air, and sing God of Thunder.”

Lancer also says that he always has been more into the theatrical and horror kind of shows like Alice Cooper‘s, which he says he’s seen a few times already. The guitarist says that any performance of bands from the 70s will conquer him. “I’m just really fortuned to have seen so many great bands. Hopefully, I can get a few more before they stop going.”, says Lancer.

The passion for rock n’ roll

But if there’s one thing that was clear during our conversation with Stone Nobles, it’s their passion for music and rock n’ roll. We told them how our Brazilian rock is very attached to the concept of freedom, after all, it was born right after the Military Dictatorship. And we asked what rock n’ roll means to them.

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Lancer was the first to speak and he spoke beautifully. “I want to start by saying that I hope our music represents that (freedom). That is rock n’ roll,” he says. Then he continues, “Rock n’ roll is just like a lifestyle. We just grew up with it. Its special. It’s one of those things that gives you a good feeling. And you can’t let it go.”

Ross agrees and adds, “A lot of people see it as a phase, but… it’s just something that we will never grow out of it, you know? It’s just so much fun, and it’s never not gonna be fun for us. I’m sure I speak for the four of us when I say that. But we just love what we do. It’s all about loving it. It’s all it is. Love the game”.

Zombie Lullaby

And speaking of rock n’ roll, the Stone Nobles are there with a new song, released now on July 23, called Zombie Lullaby. And they told us a little bit about the inspirations and the creative process of the song.

Ross explains that for the first few songs, they took a lot of inspiration from classic bands, and they wrote a lot about everyday stuff, he says it was something like “here what just happened to me, I’m gonna to convolutes a little bit and sing about it”.

But now comes a new phase, as the next songs have a more storytelling style, with the creation of characters. Ross says it will be more cinematic, more poetic. Also, they draw heavily from horror rock‘s source, and mention the band Motionless in White as an inspiration.

Ross and Lancer also say we can expect an EP, which will feature Zombie Lullaby, and three other songs that continue to follow the same theme.

Rock n’ Roll is a risk

Details on these topics and more are in the full interview video. There they also talk about the geek side inside all of us, and that includes them, like their love for superheroes and Star Wars, and how Davy knows by hart cartoon quotes, from Sponge Bob to Rick and Morty (“I’m gonna need you to take this seeds in to the bathroom, and I’m gonna need you to put…” Oops, better not continue).

Ross and Lancer also give tips for all those who are starting a band or want to start one: “you gotta put yourself out there. And like, you’re not going get in a band with everyone you meet, but like… you never know, just go out and play. That’s all”, says Ross.

And Lancer gives us the essential advice, which he also claims the Stone Nobles follow: “play music you love to play, and find people that like the same stuff”.

So, we end here by saying that there are two things that are really worth doing: listening to the Stone Nobles songs on Spotify and checking out this entire interview on our YouTube channel, because it’s a badass conversation.

Continue reading Month of Rock:

• July 13th, World Rock Day, but only in Brazil
• 7 current bands that prove rock is alive
•  Weissguy and his account of The Decade of Rock – Review