THE STONE FOXES:
It’s not just great song writing, warm guitars, a nut-tight rhythm section, and the occasional blues harp riffs that make The Stone Foxes’ so good; the Bay Area band consisting of brothers Shannon and Spence Koehler, and Aaron Mort have captured something else on their recordings and live shows that makes them huge, and very, very cool.
Listeners sense it right away. There’s a genuineness here that’s rare and refreshing, and it’s something that can’t be achieved simply by grabbing a couple of vintage axes and plugging into a stack of tube amps. Because while The Stone Foxes may be influenced by the greats of the late 60s and early 70s like The Band, Bob Dylan, and Led Zeppelin, they never sound like they’re trying to be anything but exactly who they are. But then they don’t need to: their style of blues-rock stands on its own.
“The four San Franciscans in The Stone Foxes have an energetic style that’s rooted in swampy, foot-stomping blues-rock. Their freshly released sophomore album, Bears and Bulls, tackles ambitious arrangements with diverse moods ranging from acoustic twang to thunderous electric-guitar riffs.” – NPR
TUMBLEWEED WANDERERS:
Busking outside of countless Bay Area venues, Tumbleweed Wanderers took stage on the streets of San Francisco with hopes of, simply, sharing their music. Imagine a hat filled with crumpled dollars and a small crowd gathered- smiling and swaying to the beat of a washboard, mandolin, banjo and guitar. Because of dedication, drive and pure stubborn persistence- in two short years the band went from playing sidewalk jam sessions to headlining those venues. From acoustic sets to electric rock explosions. From the crowd swaying in the open air to throwing down in a jam-packed club.
The story and sound of Tumbleweed Wanderers — an Americana inspired mix of soul and classic rock-n-roll — spread throughout the Bay, the West Coast and across the country, essentially, independently. Through constant touring, supporting some of the best road warriors in the game (Moon Taxi, Greensky Bluegrass, Angus Stone, Jackie Green, The Revivalists) and wowing audiences at major festivals (Outside Lands, Hangout, Shaky Knees, and Hardly Strictly Bluegrass) the band solidified themselves as a not-to-be-missed live experience.
Now, after a year in the making, Tumbleweed Wanderers new album, Realize, is set to showcase the evolution of this talented rock band.
For Realize, Tumbleweed Wanderers demoed over twenty songs in a San Francisco mansion-turned-home-studio; as well as, cutting fifteen basic tracks at Panoramic Studios in Stinson Beach. These tracks were incessantly overdubbed, rearranged and tweaked for months on end. Their layers of harmonies, guitars, keyboards, string quartets, and pedal steels added unparalleled dynamics throughout the album.
After whittling the record down to the tightest eleven songs, they recruited Brian Deck (Iron & Wine, Modest Mouse) to provide the fresh ears and creative spark needed to mix the record. Brian Lucey (Black Keys, Arctic Monkeys) was brought on board to master the album, giving it the rock-n-roll sheen they tenaciously sought.