Music of the Future Interviews Stone Senate

What are your names? Clinton Woolsey – Lead Vocals, Guitar James Edwards – Lead Guitar Ted Hennington – Lead Guitar Paul Zettler – Bass, Vocals David Zettler- Drums, Vocals

What is the band’s name? Stone Senate

How did you come up with the band’s name? Trying to get five guys to agree on a band name is not easy, so we all had a list of names we liked. The client had the idea of calling the band “the Senate” and we took the “stone” name from another band member’s list of names. We used to be called “the Shakes” but had to change the band name once we tried to trademark it and “the Shakes” name was already owned.

What is your genre of music? We are southern soul, rock n roll

Give us a little bio about you. Stone Senate has been called “a heavier version of Lynyrd Skynyrd, crossed with The Allman Brothers Band”. While being mentioned in such a heady company is flattering, one thing Stone Senate is most definitely not is a retro act. They are taking what came naturally from their collective influences a step further. Fronted by lead vocalist/guitarist Clint Woolsey’s smoldering, soulful vocals and unmistakable stage presence, stage left and stage right are burning with the dual lead guitars of James Edwards and Ted Hennington. Add to this the blood-bonded rhythm section of “The Mud Brothers”- Paul Zettler on bass/vocals and David Zettler on drums/vocals-and you have caught lightning in a bottle. Having been together since 2012, the band has built a loyal following through a relentless year-round touring schedule that has enabled them to widen their collective set list of band and audience favorites. Legendary songs such as “Right Side Up” (2014), “Martha” (2016), and “Lazy River” (2016), of country and rock, like the George Strait cover of “The Fireman” (2020), new original music from their EP “Dusk” (2021), with the singles “Whiskey Helps”, “Slow Crusade” and “Down”, and coming in 2022, the Toby Wright produced record, “Between the Light and Dark”. With over 600 shows throughout the US in the last few years, Stone Senate is steadily adding more and more dates each year and is looking forward to some great new music in 2022!

What made you get into music? We have all been playing music from a very early age, and always had a dream of making a living doing what we loved to do our whole lives.

Who are your influences? Our influences range from Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Doors, The Velvet Underground, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, and The Rolling Stones to John Coltrane, WASP, Alice In Chains, Miles Davis, Van Halen, Paul Davis, The Bee Gees, The Black Crowes, and really everything in between.

Are you signed? We are signed to Rollin’ The Dice Records.

You released your new single “Shine”, tell us more about the single? It’s a rocker and getting the crowd to sing along on that massive chorus is just natural. It’s hard to play that one without a bit of a smile on your face.

What is the meaning behind the single? ‘Shine’ originated from a stack of demos James (lead guitar) recorded in his home studio in Mississippi while writing for the record. Honestly, the subject matter of the song was inspired by a painting that was in his family Bible—Jacob wrestling with an Angel. James thought about how we sometimes know exactly what we need, but still fight it tooth and nail. It just flowed from there.”

What was the writing and recording process like? We really wanted a huge chorus, a nice groovin’ tempo, and almost a “sing along” type feel. We recorded this song along with 12 others to create a full album titled “Between the Dark and the Light”, to be released in late 2022. Once we were set up in the studio, and had the sounds of the drums, bass, and guitar amps, we just cracked a beer and went at it until we had what we loved.

Describe the track in two words. Good vibes

Who did you work with on the single? Toby Wright produced the single and the album “Between the Dark and the Light.”

Will we see a Music video for “Shine”, what can we expect from the creative process? We are still bouncing ideas around for the video, but leaning towards a live performance video from one of our many upcoming shows

Will we see an Album or EP this year and if so, what can we expect from it? We have an EP “Dawn” out this August, and then a 13 song album, “Between the Dark and the Light” out towards the end of 2022

Do you have any live shows or a tour coming up and if so let us know where we can catch you at? We pretty much stay on the road, all over the country, and all of our tour dates are at www.STONESENATE.com We would love to see you all out at a show and have a beer with you!

Will we see any collaborations and if so, can you tell us more about them? No collaborations planned at the moment, except another album with our dear friend, producer, engineer, songwriter, Mr Toby Wright.

Where do you see yourself now in 5 years? Playing even more live shows throughout the US, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and anywhere else that will have us. Along with a lot of new music, and a few more good stories to tell.

What quote or saying do you always stick by? “If it was easy, everyone would do it.” – Erv Woolsey

When you are at a gig, what are the 5 things you cannot forget? Besides the gear and instruments, we always remember to have a great time Make sure the audience has a great time Play like it’s your last show of your life , and like there are 20,000 people there Be grateful for being able to do what you love Grab a drink or a beer and get after it