Stoney Joe 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Easy-rolling, beautifully melodic material, full of warmth and humour and great riffs"

4.5 STARS - The Age

 

S t o n e y J o e plays big Country music, kinda. Fingerpicking strings and moonshine vocal harmonies sit easily alongside beat loops and a vintage SH-101 synthesizer... no worries. 

The release of Stoney Joe’s impressive debut album Brown Bread and Rice in 2012 saw the W.A. four-piece receive 4 1⁄2 stars in Melbourne’s The Age, and pick up airplay around the country on Radio National, JJJ and various community radio. The band was nominated the same year at the WAMi Festival Awards for ‘Country Music Act of the Year’.

Spanning great swathes of musical territory from the Morricone-esque opening 'A Man' to the dreamy, electronic-infused title track, the band also delivers when it comes to good old fashioned hoedown as in 'Goin down to Freo' and 'Land is Green'. Corn n Beans sounds like it was recorded on a verandah somewhere while Four Weeks On is a keenly crafted ode to the fly-in fly-out mining culture of the North West.

It all weaves together to form a most interesting and unique debut album. Humorous in part but never cheesy. The album pulls on the heartstrings occasionally the way only a good country record can. All the while the subtle electronica inexplicably sits comfortably within the mix, almost by chance but perhaps testament to the production skills at hand. Being mastered in Nashville, Tennessee may have helped give this release its air of authenticity, but it's hard to tell. This is an album where every listen rewards the listener more.

Hot Jerky, the new album from Stoney Joe, is set to generate some serious heat for its release. The album travels further into familiar territory and is both meticulously produced and somehow more 'live' with the band settling into an upbeat edge early in the proceedings. Each song has its own flavour, lovingly tied together by the band's idiosyncratic use of electronic instrumentation. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There's an exciting lack of predictability, yet individual tracks flow from one to the other seamlessly. The breadth of the album spans upbeat mountain music like Dreamin' Tomorrow (the opening track and a classic example of the band’s country sound being punctuated by retro synth). These electronic western sequences at times even evoke The Tornados’ Telstar! 

Walk Together could be the next big line-dancing hit. The lyrical rhythm of the mandolin lifts the mood of this track as well as many others. Stars, Moon and Seas features one of the saltiest bass lines you'll hear. Big Blue World is intricately produced and can’t be pigeonholed. A moody folk number that tips its hat to the solar system as deep synth tones augment the feel. Kalamunda Hills reveals the band at their most whimsical. Wobble board provides an unexpected backdrop to the mournful country swagger. Not to be forgotten are the tender ballads like Cold Morning and Lonesome Joe, plus the dramatic instrumental masterpiece that is Big Rock... and more. 

The live show is a foot stompin’, wobble boardin’, spoon slappin’, wild, and at times, cinematic journey through their extensive repertoire. In WA the band is fast becoming a Festival favourite, with knockout performances at Perth International Arts Festival, Fringe World, Boyup Brook Country Music Festival, Nannup Music Festival and Fairbridge Folk Festival. 

Stoney Joe are inspired by the great expanses of Western Australia and bring their modern outlook to country music creating a super fresh approach to the genre, all with a respectful nod to the past. 

Like a good whiskey... this music goes down real easy.