We speak to Canadian hard rock trio Stonebrother on day five of this year’s Music Interview Marathon. They share their creative process and the challenges of making money as musicians.
Band Name: Stonebrother
Members: Zach Smith (lead vocals/guitar), Ethan Smith (drums/vocals) & Leo Cox (Bass)
Genre: Hard Rock
Founded: September 2018
Originated From: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Discography: First Things First (EP) & Every Second Counts (EP)
How would you describe your music?
Our music combines punk, metal, and rock to form something catchy, high energy and sing-along-able.
What is your musical creative process like?
Our creative process generally goes with one of us having a good line or melody, even a riff and playing around with it. From there, we record what we have, and promptly forget it. A couple of days later, we go back, fix it, make it better, and rinse and repeat until we have a full song.
How did the band form?
Zach and Ethan met when Ethan was born and Zach said “He’s gonna be a drummer someday.” Thus it was Ethan’s destiny to become a drummer, and Zach a guitarist. They found Leo, the bassist, somewhere along the way.
How did you come up with your band name?
We have no idea. Zach was driving home one day thinking about band names and it just came to him. He ran it by Ethan and Leo and it stuck.
Who influenced you within the music industry?
Big names include Rush, Tragically Hip, Led Zeppelin, and stuff like that. On a more personal level, however, our collective friend/teacher Nick Pettipas, who actually is the one that introduced Ethan and Zach to Leo all those years ago.
Have you performed live much and what was your favourite gig to play at?
We’ve performed live as often as we’ve been able to, any bar gigs, small festivals, or private shows. Our favourite gig to play at was probably either a wedding or Gus’s pub simply because of the energy in both of those places.
What is the best thing about being in a band?
Performing the songs that we wrote for other people, as well as recording them. But it’s all great.
What’s the biggest problem you’ve had to overcome so far as a musician(s)?
Our biggest problem is that, on the large scale, there’s no money in music. Unless you’re already a well-established artist, chances are music isn’t your primary income.
With that in mind, it’s incredibly hard to make it as a new band, when the industry is all but built on promoting the people who are selected by record executives and pushing everybody else into bankruptcy.
There is hope, however. Listen to local acts, buy their merch, go to their shows, and share the music. An artist can’t succeed without support and the industry will never change unless we show the people who run it that it’s time to change it.
What plans have you got coming up this year?
Releasing a few songs, hopefully, a music video, as well as doing a tour of some of the local university bars. Keep an eye out!
What is your ultimate dream as a band?
To be able to make a decent living with music and to tour the world.
You can find out more about Stonebrother by following them on Twitter and TikTok.
If you’re in a band or a musician and would like to appear on this blog, please contact me and I’ll forward you an interview template.
Also, check out my other Music Interview roundups from 2018, 2019, 2020 & 2021.
