The Stone Foxes own a reputation of being one of the most clean-cut rock and roll bands in San Francisco. While “clean-cut” isn’t usually a positive image to associate with rock music, I mean it as a compliment. The four musicians who make up the Foxes know how to cook up some filthy rock and roll. They just prefer to be in bed by midnight. With all that extra sleep on top of the fact that none of their members smoke weed or drink to excess, The Stone Roses are without a doubt the most well-rested, clear-minded band in town, and it shows in the quality of their music.
As a band who craft their tunes during live sets, The Stone Foxes perfect each song over a period of time and several shows – their music built in and for a live setting. The result so far has been a warm, scruffy brand of rock that is driven by warm blues riffs and the gut-wrenching shouts and growls of the band’s three vocalists and founders, brothers Shannon and Spence Koehler and Aaron Mort.
The studio has never been natural territory for this band, but the four-piece outfit found a way to adapt for their forthcoming LP, Small Fires, which will be in stores starting February 12th, 2013. Though the record will be the band’s third full-length release, Small Fires is The Stone Foxes’ first true studio album, especially in contrast to the fuzzed out, live and home recorded sound of 2010’s Bears & Bulls. Instead of forfeiting its gritty energy for a prim and polished sound, the band partnered their dirty blues with proper production, or more specifically, with Doug Boehm.
Producer of Father, Son, Holy Ghost, (the critically acclaimed, second and final album from San Francisco’s own indie rock darling, Girls) Boehm has mastered the delicate touch of a sound engineer who enhances and never restrains the raw energy of artists. He steers the wheel but allows artists to navigate their own paths. And just as Father, Son, Holy Ghost propelled Girls from indie project to something of a San Francisco legend, Small Fires is the record that will win over the masses.
The Stone Foxes are set to play a free record release show at Amoeba’s San Francisco location on February 12th. In the meantime, have a listen to the first single of the album, “Everybody Knows.” A modern representation of Edgar Allan Poe’s “A Tell Tale Heart,” the track is available as a free download on the band’s official website.
The Stone Foxes
Amoeba Records
February 12th, 2013
6:00 pm, FREE
