Stone Senate's unique journey

Clint Woolsey, lead vocalist/guitarist for Stone Senate, reflects on the unique journey of a band that’s been described as a heavier version of Lynyrd Skynyrd crossed with The Allman Brothers, and delves into the influences that shape their sound.

Stone Senate is embarking on its first-ever European tour, which is a significant milestone for the group. How does it feel to take your music overseas, and what are you most looking forward to about this tour?

We have wanted to tour overseas for a long time now, so finally getting an opportunity like this is amazing for us! We are all so excited for the chance to make some new fans and meet the folks that are already familiar with the band. Also, we all love history and always try to see historic sites as we tour around the US, so having a chance to see the history and people of each country we visit will be amazing. We have a pretty packed tour schedule for Europe, so we are going to go see and do everything we have time for in between shows and drives.

As a band known for capturing the essence of southern rock and country, how does the geographical and cultural background of Nashville influence your music and lyrics? Are there any specific places or stories that have inspired your songs?

We have all spent a lot of time in Nashville over the years, and we have all really worked hard to learn the craft of songwriting while also keeping as much real feeling and raw rock n roll in there as well. Our producer, Tony Wright, really helped us merge all of our ideas and raw feelings and emotions into these 13 songs and really make it an album to be proud of. Relationships, good and bad, life experiences from the past, and also just being in a rehearsal room with each other helped write this new album. James Edwards (lead guitar, vocals), Ted Hennington (lead guitar), Kieran Cronley (bass guitar), David Zettler (drums, vocals), Toby Wright (producer, engineer, mixing engineer), and myself were all part of a great team effort!

Can you tell us the story behind your name, Stone Senate, and how it reflects your collective identity?

Well, trying to get everyone in the band to agree on a band name is almost impossible, haha! So we all had ideas written down for band names, and we merged a couple. I had an idea to call a band “the senate,” and then we merged the “stone” from another name one of the other guys had to make it Stone Senate. We were originally called The Shakes, but once we realized there were tons of other bands with that name, we knew we had to come up with something really original. Although the shakes, in my opinion, were always a really cool name as well.

Listening to your latest album, ‘Between the Dark and the Light’, I can hear rock, country and soul. Can you tell us about the inspiration behind this record and how it represents the evolution of your sound?

Well, we all listen to a lot of different types of music and all love classic old country and classic rock, jam bands, jazz, old R&B, Yacht Rock, singer-songwriter stuff, 80’s rock, 90’s grunge, and so it all comes out when we all write separately and together. We never really sat down and thought about the style of songs we wanted to write; it just kind of happened for us. Some may have a little country flavor, and some may have a harder rock flavor. It’s really cool how it all flows out, and we craft it with the help of Toby Wright, our producer. Toby has been in the business for a long time, and having his guidance and friendship really was amazing on this record!

Stone Senate has often been compared to Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Allman Brothers. How do you balance paying homage to these influences while creating your own distinctive sound?

We definitely take a lot from both of those bands; those guys were pioneers and musical gods to us when we were coming up, you know. The guitar riffs, lyrical stuff, twin guitars, and then live, we throw a little improv in there too. Both of those bands have greatly influenced us, but we wanted to make our own mark, so we are really happy with how it has worked out for us so far!

You have helped to build your following through extensive touring in the States. Do you think this has shaped the band’s identity and sound, and if so, how?

Well, we basically took almost every gig we were offered if we could physically make it there in time to play the show. The more a band plays together and tours together, the longer drives, and all that, it makes a band tighter and tighter. It has definitely helped shape this band in a really positive way. We still tour extensively, but luckily we have moved up in the lineups to better venues and more cities, so all that touring has helped position us for future tours and our first European tour, so we couldn’t be happier about it.

Stone Senate has had the opportunity to share the stage with a wide range of artists, from Styx to Billy Gibbons. Can you share some memorable moments or lessons learned from touring with such diverse acts?

We have really been lucky and worked our way up to getting the opportunity to open for some great folks! It’s always exciting to play shows with folks that you love and respect and have grown up listening to, but we have always gone out on stage with the mindset of blowing anyone and everyone off that stage! Nothing personal, of course, just the mindset we always want to have. I guess it goes back to wanting to make your own mark on the music industry and the world, you know.

The band’s lineup includes two lead guitarists and a strong rhythm section. How do the different musical elements come together in your songwriting and live performances, and what is the secret behind your chemistry on stage?

Well, really, just touring as much as we have and playing together so much, that builds the chemistry, and after awhile, you know each other so well that it becomes easier to feel where the other guys are going in a song. Or if it’s a tune we have all played 1,000 times, we all know it like the back of our own hands, as they say. I think that goes for songwriting as well; we all write separately and together. One guy may have a cool guitar riff, a lyric idea, or a drum beat, and then we build off of that. We always have a good time in the rehearsal room and writing room, though. We are a small family, so we enjoy what we do very much and somehow still enjoy spending a lot of time together! Haha.

If you had to choose one unexpected or lesser-known influence on your music that might surprise your fans, what would it be, and how does it show in your songs or performances?

Hmmm, that is an interesting question. I know each guy would have a different answer to that question. Mine would be that I love love love old classic country sad songs, and that comes out in a lot of my songwriting, I think. But definitely, each guy would have a different and probably very surprising answer to that! Great question!

How do you plan to continue building upon the success of your European tour? Are there any new projects on the horizon?

Well, we are going to do another album in 2024 with our producer, Toby Wright, and then, of course, continue to tour as much as humanly possible. We signed on with MRL Music Group for US bookings, and they have really done a great job for us in 2023, so I know 2024 will be another great year of touring. We hope to get back over the seas as well and also hit some new towns, cities, and venues, meet some more great folks, and make another album to be proud of. This European tour is definitely a high point in our career, as it’s something we have been wanting to do for a long time, so having that as a building block is amazing! We have a killer team behind us, from our management at the Erv Woolsey Company, our record label Rollin the Dice Records, our digital distribution Symphonic, to our publicist Dead Horse Branding, our digital marketing team, the Lozen Group, our website guru, KSKM, our US booking agency, MRL Music Group, and now our European Agency that is bringing us over for this 2023 European run, Teenage Head Music, we feel like we are in good hands! 2023 is ending on a very high note for us, and 2024 will be even better!

Thank you all at Strange Brew for having me on the interview. I really appreciate your time and interest in Stone Senate! All the best!