Interview with Pete Devine of Pete’s Rock News and Views (http://petesrocknewsandviews.com)
PD: How would you describe yourself or your band as an artist?
SN: We categorize our band as doom metal. We love heavy riff oriented music. All of it; thrash, hardcore, death, doom, etc. If it is heavy and aggressive guitar driven music it has an influence on us.
PD: Can you tell us briefly about your background – i.e. where you’re from, how you came to make music, etc.
SN: Jon and I have played in bands together over the years. In 2020 Jon moved to Houston. I was already living there. We started hanging out and jamming. We liked the riffs that were being generated during our jam sessions, so we decided to start a band. At the time I was listening to a lot of Candlemass and Pentagram, and Jon was listening to a lot of Crowbar and Sabbath, so I imagine that influence seeped into those first few songs.
PD: Who and what inspires you to make music, both in terms of musical and other influences? What do you like to write about in your songs?
SN: We don’t have a set formula for writing, but a lot of what we write is influenced by books and literature. There might be a passage or chapter in a book that is particularly evocative. We then try to write music that would be the sound track to the pictures in our minds. Or write music that fits the mood.
PD: What are your aspirations as an artist?
SN: Make a living playing music. It’s what we have wanted to do our whole lives. Our goal is to be able to write, record, tour, and make enough money to live.
PD: What is the proudest moment in your music career so far?
SN: Opening for Elder was a big moment for Stone Nomads. It was a sold out show, packed to the gills. Even though we were the opening band, as soon as we walked on stage people went nuts. Definitely an electric moment.
PD: Promoting one’s music is such a challenge these days, especially with so many new artists emerging from bedrooms
in the day of the home studio. How is that going?
SN: We’re learning. None of us were social media savvy previous to this band. It is something we have had to learn, and are still learning. It’s really time consuming, but worth it. It gets the name out there, and you get to meet a lot of cool people that are fans and in other bands. We connected with so many great people because of social media that we wouldn’t have otherwise. That has been a pleasant surprise.
PD: And how do you book and promote your live shows and tours? Any performances coming up?
SN: We book through connections. Social media has been a big help with this. A good example is last week. We called up the Louisiana band, Vermillion Whiskey, and asked if they wanted to hit the road with us. We were trying to book some things in north Texas and Arkansas for late July. Turns out they were already booking stuff going east and needed a band to go on the road with them. We jumped on their dates and will be hitting the road together in July. That is a connection that was gained through social media. The same thing happened in February. We did some dates with Damned to Earth out of Savannah, Georgia. We met online. They used their connections to set some dates and we used ours to do some as well. Then we united on the road. It was a blast.
PD: What do you think about downloading music online? What about streaming sites like Spotify?
SN: We’re fans of streaming and downloading to a degree. I discover new bands all the time through streaming. If I like their music I will buy it. That’s a good way for things to work. You get a taste online. It’s like a sample you get at a brewery. Sometimes you want to try it before you buy the whole pint.
PD: What song do you wish you’d written and why?
SN: Emerald by Thin Lizzy. It is a hard rocking song that has great guitar harmonies. Phil Lynott was such a great song writer.
PD: Is there anything you don’t like about the music industry, which you would change if you could?
SN: We don’t involve ourselves too much with the “industry.” We are DIY. We try to do as much as possible on our own so we do not have to worry about the industry.
PD: So, what are you working on at the moment?
SN: In April we will begin recording our new album. That is the biggest thing we are doing at the moment. Other than that we are hitting the road a couple of weekends every month. We are trying to conquer the Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Arkansas region. We really want to build up this region. There are a lot of fans and good bands in the area.
PD: Where can we learn more about you and buy your music/merch online?
SN: Check us out on our social media to see what we are up to:
www.facebook.com/Stonenomadshtx
www.instagram.com/stonenomads
And buy our music and merch on bandcamp:
Stonenomads.bandcamp.com
Stone Nomads links:
Band/Artist location – Houston, Texas USA
Website – Facebook – You Tube – Bandcamp – Merch – Reverbnation –
Instagram – Apple – Spotify – Amazon – Deezer –
Check our page for Stone Nomads
