A Dirty Dozen with STEPHEN BURDICK from THE STONE EYE – March 2020

According to a recent press release: “Rising from the ashes of absolutely nothing but the remnants of Uncle Earl’s canned Budweiser in 2014, The Stone Eye is an electrifying rock band from Philadelphia, PA. Combining elements of stoner, alternative, progressive, and garage rock comes a hard hitting yet catchy style of music. Following a plethora of releases dating back to 2014, The Stone Eye is at it yet again with their latest full length record, Ventura, that was released on 2/28/20 via TLG / INgrooves Music Group. In addition the band has announced a string of tour dates in support of the release.” We get guitarist / singer Stephen to discuss new music, influences, and much more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release. What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through? Are there any hidden nuggets the band put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

Our latest release, Ventura, is by far the most divisive and risk-fueled release we have partook in as a band. We essentially have foregone the majority (not all) of our stoner rock roots and said “Fuck it, let’s make a record that reflects the style of music we want to play right now”. As a result, the majority of tracks standout sonically from one an other- but in my opinion, diversity is what makes an album great. In regards to details, the majority of tracks are chalked full of little licks and harmonies that you almost certainly would not pick up on first listen. About hidden nuggets, there is a handful of lines lifted from Oasis’s “Slide Away” that may or may not be heard at the end of “Beyond The Pale” 😉.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

The moment I heard Jimi Hendrix play “Hey Joe” live at Monterey was the moment I wanted to pick up and play guitar. The moment I realized I wanted to take music serious was the first time I saw the video for Alice in Chains “Rooster.” Blew my mind when I was 12.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

It’s pretty easy to tell – Alice in Chains played a huge role in my developmental phase of becoming a musician. I have a much larger taste now, but they were by far the band who shaped how I approached my craft.

4. Who would be your main five musical influences?

Jerry Cantrell, Elliot Smith, Josh Homme, John Fahey, and Lennon/McCartney.

5. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

Hmm. I feel like Kurt Cobain would be cool – regardless of the whole mystique surrounding him, he was a hell of a song writer in my opinion and I would love to see how he approaches music in the writing phase.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

A fuzzy mix of Alternative rock, riffs, progressive rock, and pop. Honestly we have gotten compared to stuff that we really do not see at all, but it’s pretty cool regardless that people can put tags on us and claim we draw from an act that we really don’t care for/have never even heard of.

7. When the band are all hanging out together, who cooks; who gets the drinks in; and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

Nobody cooks, my drummer and I get the drinks in, and I whip out the acoustic.

8. When was the last time you were star struck and who was it?

Seeing Liam Gallagher made me feel that way. Love Oasis.

9. What is the best part of being a musician?

Playing shows, writing music, and having an outlet for creativity that simultaneously connects with other people in a meaningful way as it does with you.

10. If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

A toss up between Airline Pilot or Professional Athlete. Planes and Baseball’s are cool.

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over”, even if it didn’t change your current situation?

As with any release, you feel as though you can apply knowledge from your previous releases and use it in the next one- whether that be songwriting, promotional stuff, etc. A regret that I have though don’t really dwell on as we did not know in the past, was how we handled our first couple releases back in 2015/2016 in terms of how we promoted them.

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

Probably Alice in Chain’s Dirt, with a close second being The Beatles Revolver. Dirt was the first record that sparked my love for music – so many great tracks on that record. Don’t even get me started on the production of it as well, Dirt is probably my favorite record from a production standpoint. Everything just sounds so consistent and right.

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Category: Interviews