Arts & Entertainment

Exploring the Sound: Stone Leaf

Stone Leaf will compete in the second round of Battle of the Bands at 9Lives on Thursday, Feb. 2.

Stone Leaf is a local, hard-rock band comprised of three members who share a love for head-banging, crude humor and partying, among other things. The band is comprised of bassist and vocalist Matthew Barnhart, guitarist Keith Andersen and Sean Byrne on drums and vocals.

The threesome works hard to provide audiences with a stellar performance and recently produced two tracks, titled ‘Bleedin' Whiskey’ and ‘Stone Leaf’. Patch had the chance to chat with Matthew Barnhart and learn about the band’s musical goals. Check out what he has to say, below.

Gilroy Patch: How do you combine Southern rock with heavy metal and make it work? How do you define your style of music?

Matthew Barnhart: Our style of music sort of straddles between hard rock and heavy metal. Specifically, I'd say our style is more based on riffs and guitar solos, rather than just chord progressions. We focus primarily on making music that stands on its own, rather than just being the background for a vocalist to sing over. Music that’s largely based on chord progressions tends to lend itself well to singing and soloing, but it’s not always recognizable in itself. As for the Southern-rock element, we try to sing in a country or southern style sometimes, and all three of us are into the blues, and appreciate bluegrass and country.

Patch: What are some of the dominant themes in your music?

Barnhart: We start out with intentions of writing serious, socially-conscious lyrics, but when we fall short of that goal, we tend to sing about drinking and partying and rocking out. We have songs about zombies and rebelling against authority. We have songs that glorify being in a rock band and about hating working at a real job. It sounds a little juvenile, but it's tinged with a bit of hard-earned wisdom. Using alcohol or drugs to self-medicate or cope with hard times is a long-running theme in rock ‘n roll, and something we as a band are familiar with. We do write all our music and lyrics, but we also love to throw in the occasional cover tune to pay tribute to our idols.  

Patch: How long have you guys been involved in music?

Barnhart: We've all been playing our instruments for about 10 years, so that totals out to about 30 years, or 35 years if you count Keith's time playing the skin flute, hahaha. Sean has played in numerous garage bands growing up, and Keith and I had another band called Loudest Flag prior to meeting Sean. Keith and I really wanted to take that band to another level, but there was a conflict of interest with the other band members. So, Stone Leaf originally started as an extension of what remained of Loudest Flag, but then entered Sean Byrne. When we found Sean it felt like a new band, so it seemed fitting to change our name.

Patch: It seems like you guys have fun joking around. Does that help you maintain a positive band atmosphere?

Barnhart: It does create a certain camaraderie. When we first started to play on stage, we didn't really know what we were supposed to say to the crowd. When I get in those situations I tend to use humor as a defense mechanism. In some of our earlier days we would incorporate little joke routines in between songs to keep the crowd entertained. I'd say all of us enjoy practical jokes and picking on each other, and are naturally funny... well, at least I am.

Patch: Tell me about the two songs you recently released. What’s the meaning behind ‘Bleedin' Whiskey’ and ‘Stone Leaf'?

Barnhart: Bleedin' Whiskey is a testament to the highs and lows of heavy-alcohol use and Stone Leaf is our aptly titled theme song. It, too, glorifies drinking and partying and basically explains what would happen if Stone Leaf came to your town.

Musically, Bleedin' Whiskey starts off with a fast, ferocious opening riff, and then we switch tempos and play a much slower, sludgier version of the opening riff to close out the song. Stone Leaf is a great example of how you can highlight the guitar by keeping the drums and bass very tight. The bass and guitar complement each other during the more technical parts of the song without playing over each other, or sounding muddled. It also has a great AC/DC-style ending.

Patch: You guys recorded a couple songs yourself, what was that process like?

Barnhart: A lot harder than I thought it would be. We use a great program called ProTools. It allows us to use microphones to record our instruments directly into the computer, so we can edit and adjust it to make an awesome sound. We record each individual instrument and voice separately, and then layer them on top of each other to make the song sound complete. We record drums first, then bass, guitars and vocals. Microphone placement is important because it can alter the sound of the recording. Sometimes we spend hours just setting up the mics to get the sound we want.

Patch: I read that you’re planning on recording an album yourself. When do you plan to have that completed, and have you thought of a name?

Barnhart: Hopefully this spring we'll see a 10-or-12 song album. Each time we record a song it seems we learn new tricks, so sometimes we go back and record older songs again. It can be a very slow process. As for a name, think of the most brutal, aggressive, animal you can imagine and combine that with some sort of sexual innuendo. That's probably what the name will be.

Patch: What well-known bands do you think your music is comparable to?

Barnhart: Keith and I are huge Metallica fans. Sean is a huge Pantera fan. Sean and I are also huge Alice in Chains fans, and the list could go on. As for who we end up sounding like, I'd say bands like Down, Corrosion of Conformity, Black Label Society or Pride and Glory.

Patch: What are the strengths of your band and of each member specifically?

Barnhart: My greatest strength is obviously my mind, and even though the readers cannot see me, I assure you that it's also my looks. Same goes for Sean. Keith, on the other hand... not so much, but he’s really good at guitar. Seriously, though, I think the energy level we bring to the stage sets us apart, as well as our passion for musicianship. Music is something that we’re passionate about and take very seriously, yet it also comes very naturally for all of us. From the first notes the three of us ever played together, we connected instantly. The music bonded us at the soul.

Patch: I read that Stone Leaf works hard to put on an energetic performance for listeners. Do you put a lot of weight on your stage performance?

Barnhart: Yes. Energy and stage presence are key to a great show in my opinion. All of us in the band enjoy crowd surfing, mosh pits and head-banging. Nobody is gonna be more excited about your band than you, so when you get up there, you set the example for how people should be reacting to your performance. If you're playing a really fast, rockin' song, but you’re just standing still with a blank expression on your face, it looks boring. But if you’re running and jumping around, head banging with your tongue out, the crowd is gonna feed off that energy. And if you're lucky, they're gonna give it back to you by cheering, clapping, moshing or throwing their panties on stage.

Patch: Have you played at before?

Barnhart: Yes, we've played at 9Lives several times. It’s always a good experience working with Jorge and his staff. They're a really nice bunch of people.

Patch: What do you hope to bring to this year?

Barnhart: Fans! Wait, that's what we wanna gain this year. We wanna be memorable. We wanna bring that experience that you feel when you go see the bands you love. We're gonna be playing some brand new songs, and hopefully people will think it's the greatest sound they've ever heard.

Patch: What do you hope that the audience will take away from your music?

Barnhart: More than anything, we hope the audience will connect with it. Our music is loud, fast, heavy and rockin'. It's all about drinking and smoking and getting rowdy and acting wild and having fun. If you like that kinda stuff, then you should like our band.

Patch: Do you think it’s going to be an even competition tonight?

Barnhart: If my sources are correct, it's not gonna be even at all. Stone Leaf is gonna blow everyone out of the water. But, then again, my source is me.

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