Interview by CHRIS MARTIN

STONE CIRCLE is everything you’d want an Australian rock band to be: hard working, passionate, not too self-conscious. After making waves with debut album ’385 Newcastle St’ back in 2008, the band is now gearing up to release follow up, ‘Living for the Sunshine’. According to bassist/keyboardist Craig Skelton the new album has been a long time in the making. “The first song that we wrote for the album was written about 18 months ago,” he says. “That was ‘Don’t Look Back.’ Over the next few months a few more were written. We sat down during the last three months of last year and dedicated a chunk of time to writing, preproduction and then in February we started recording.”

Lead vocalist Harry is proud of the fact that Stone Circle can easily be described as rock. “I think there’s too many bands out there playing indie pop/rock. We’re more about balls-to-the-wall rock and roll. We’re about old school rock and roll, mixed with new ideas, add some tasty goodness and next thing you know you’ve got well crafted songs people can sing along to, good lead breaks, solid drum beats, the occasional harmony and there’s the song.”

The band’s website proclaims that “Stone Circle have brought the craft back to rock music. Skelton can only agree with that statement.” Says Harry, “There’s a lot of cookie-cutter bands out there. We write what we feel, I use a word like ‘craft’ because we pay attention to detail. We’re very conscious of melody, harmony, the sounds that we use and how we play together.”

There has been a lineup change since ’385 Newcastle St’, following the departure of former bassist David Gammal. This meant Skelton, who played guitar on the first album in addition to keyboards made the switch to bass. This switch was made out of necessity, he explains: “I had been noodling on bass as there were some gigs the old bass player couldn’t make. Then he decided it wasn’t for him. I thought we were going to waste a lot of time looking for a fifth member when four was required.”

The change in lineup means that Scott Howe is now the band’s only guitarist (not that he hasn’t embraced the challenge of working with a new setup). “[The change] hasn’t affected my playing that much,” he says. “When Craig was playing guitar I could be a bit looser. Now I’ve got to play slightly more attention to what I’m playing.”

The band’s not-so-secret weapon is probably Howe. One of the better lead guitarists in Perth, Howe freely supplies driving riffs and rippling guitar solos over the groundwork laid by Skelton and drummer Derrin Kee. Harry is full of praise for Howe. “We’ve got a lead guitarist who can actually play lead. Having a lead guitarist who can play solid lead tracks and write good lead breaks is important. If you’ve got it flaunt it!”

Howe’s playing tends to reflect his musical tastes. “I used to listen to a lot of metal and that comes through. I dig Pantera, I dig Zeppelin, The Stones, Deep Purple; the good stuff.”

Harry’s tastes on the other hand tend to lean toward the more commercial end of the musical spectrum. “I would say I am opposed to the other influences in the band, I like commercial pop and rock. At the same time I like Pink Floyd, but this is so left of centre to my other influences. I like INXS and Matchbox 20, and that shows in my lyrics.”

Skelton’s tastes are eclectic to say the least. “I like anything that is well-crafted. Classically I’m influenced by Stravinski, Benjamin Britten, Mozart definitely, Chopin. I’m also a big prog rock fan and always have been, bands like Yes, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Emerson Lake and Palmer. As a classically trained pianist Rick Wakeman and Keith Emerson were big influences on how I approach keyboards. I’m fairly new to bass but being a Rush fanatic for years Geddy Lee is a big influence, as are Billy Sheehan and Sting. I can’t forget Chris Squire either.”

Kee may be quietly spoken, but the drummers he respects have made a serious noise.“I’m a big fan of Ian Paice, one of the fastest snare-roll players you’ve ever seen, Carter Beauford from the Dave Matthews Band, Max Weinberg, Tico Torres, Roger Taylor. Basically I like anything solid.”

So what about the new album? Well, it’s scheduled for release in February 2011 and from all accounts it’ll be worth the wait. “We’re taking pre-orders now,” says Harry, “and there’s about 100 of them. The first 100 that pre-order get an invite to a pre-release listening party. There’s only about 12 tickets left. We don’t know where the party will be yet, but we’re tossing up between The Ellington and Manhattan’s.”

Harry also sums up the band’s approach to playing live, which is quite straightforward. “No matter if you’re playing to one person or 10 000, you’ve got to put on a show to rival these international touring acts. If you’re going to pay good money to see our band we want you to hear the lyrics, we want you to hear the lead breaks, we want you to hear the double kick and the bass lines. If you treat the fans as ignorant individuals they’ll treat you like that. I think Perth bands take the crowd for granted too much.”

You can pre-order your copy of ‘Living For The Sunshine’ today by calling (08) 9379 2403 or email management@stonecircle.com.au . Credit card facilities available. Album costs $20.00 plus $4.95 postage and handling. The first 100 pre-orders get an invite to the pre-release listening party and a Stone Circle necklace, but hurry as these are going fast!

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