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Stone Axe Premiere “Lady Switchblade”; Stay of Execution out March 18

Posted in audiObelisk, Whathaveyou on January 5th, 2022 by JJ Koczan

Stone Axe. (Photo by JJ Koczan)

Stone Axe will release their new collection, Stay of Execution, through Ripple Music on March 18. It is the first full-length studio offering from the Port Orchard, Washington-based outfit since 2010’s Stone Axe II (review here), though after their second long-player, the band released a handful of splits and shorter offerings, among them joint outings with Mighty High (review here), Sun Gods in Exile (review here) and Wight. Now, the at-least-semi-revived classic rock revivalists bring together eight songs that, while it’s not quite a new album in the sense of having been newly written and recorded, is enough to live up to the name as a means of saying don’t count Stone Axe completely out yet.

The core of the project was the collaboration between Tony Reed — who, after bringing back Mos Generator circa 2012, put Stone Axe to rest following the release of their Captured Live! Roadburn Festival 2011 live album — and vocalist Dru Brinkerhoff, whose boozy, bluesy classicism is enough to make one think, “Yeah, I wanna start a band that sounds like Leaf Hound with this dude.” Brinkerhoff‘s belt-it-out sensibility comes through with familiar force and sleaze on cuts like “Fell on Deaf Ears” and “Lady Switchblade” (premiering below) on which he’s backed by Reed, where “Deep Blue” reinterprets the melody of Black Sabbath‘s “Planet Caravan” in a one-two with the especially punching “Metal Damage,” which isn’t a Judas Priest cover, but, well, probably could’ve been.

Stone Axe Stay Of ExecutionThis sort of directness of influence was an essential part of Stone Axe‘s mission. They cast themselves as “’70s rock preservationists” — the band included Mike DuPont and Mykey Haslip live on bass and drums, respectively — and they were certainly that, but Stay of Execution reminds as well of the quality songwriting that was no less central to their identity as a band, even if that band in the studio was mostly Reed and Brinkerhoff. The Zeppelin-style acoustic-led “For All Who Fly” — released as a standalone single in 2010 — boasts a masterful stomp of drums to make its point, but it’s Stone Axe doing it, no less there than on the hard blues of “Sweet Sweet Time” earlier or the due swagger of the penultimate “King of Everything” that leads to the Rainbow-esque finisher “The Last Setting Sun,” grand in its scope of keys and an extended guitar solo across just under eight minutes.

That finale jam, it should be noted, has the full four-piece of BrinkerhoffReedDuPont and Haslip, and it’s in a fine spot to emphasize the dynamic of Stone Axe as they were. The inevitable question to which Stay of Execution leads is, of course, whether Stone Axe will move forward from here, if this collecting of lost/rarer tracks is leading toward new material — a preface, testing the water of listener interest — or if it’s a one-off from a band and a collaboration that is decidedly done. I don’t know the answer to that. What I do know is that Stone Axe were I think even to themselves an underrated project, and where most of what they heard was the influences they were pouring into their songs, what came through to the audience was invariably more their own than they gave it credit for being. They were not a cover band, and especially as they cut out before a third full-length, it always felt like they were leaving business unfinished. If this is the finish, so be it. The title and the existence of the release at all hints otherwise.

As it’s been a decade since they were kicking around, if you don’t know Stone Axe, I’ll say flat out they were awesome. Stay of Execution is at least one more chance to appreciate that, so I’ll take it.

Enjoy “Lady Switchblade” below:

Stone Axe, “Lady Switchblade” track premiere

Stone Axe makes a triumphant return to form with the upcoming release of “Stay of Execution” – out through Ripple Music on March 18th, 2022. Here’s your first taste of the album, the single “Lady Switchblade” – listen and enjoy, and then pre-order the album at the links below!

Grab physical copies @ https://ripplemusic.bigcartel.com/products
Or get physical/digital @ https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/

Born in 2007 in Port Orchard, Washington, at the hands of multi-instrumentalist Tony Reed (Mos Generator, Hot Spring Water, Big Scenic Nowhere), as soon as there was a Stone Axe, there was a reason for its being: Seventies rock preservation. Think of Cream, Free, Thin Lizzy or the earliest days of Foghat and AC/DC. Reed brings these sounds to life with vibrancy that makes the current crop of “retro” acts look silly. It’s not about fashion. It’s about the spirit of rock and roll, the spirit of creation. Stone Axe make organically grown, passionately harvested classic rock and roll.

On the new album, Tony Reed says:

“Stay of Execution is an album of unreleased recordings and tracks we like that were hidden in the grooves of vinyl that was released in very limited numbers with little or no promotion. All songs were recorded between 2008 and 2011 and cover a wide spectrum of styles in that seventies vein that we were known for. The musical concepts of proto metal, southern rock, psychedelic rock, and folk rock are well explored in this collection. Seven of the eight tracks on the album feature the usual studio collaboration of Reed / Brinkerhoff, while the last song includes all four members of the live band. I feel like these tracks are as strong as anything on our other long players. It’s great to see them finally get released.”

TRACKLIST:
1. Fell On Deaf Ears
2. Lady Switchblade
3. Sweet Sweet Time
4. Deep Blue
5. Metal Damage
6. For All Who Fly
7. King of Everything
8. The Last Setting Sun

Stone Axe on Facebook

Stone Axe on Bandcamp

Ripple Music on Facebook

Ripple Music on Bandcamp

Ripple Music website

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The Obelisk Questionnaire: Tony Reed of Mos Generator & Big Scenic Nowhere

Posted in Questionnaire on December 24th, 2021 by JJ Koczan

tony reed mos generator

The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.

Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.

Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.

The Obelisk Questionnaire: Tony Reed of Mos Generator & Big Scenic Nowhere

How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?

“Make Music Daily” are the words I live by and it’s very rare day when I don’t live up to this. I’ve very fortunate and blessed in my life to always have the support of people around me who have recognized and believed in my passion for music. It started with my parents and grandparents from a very early age. I’ve made a living at it for most of my adult life thanks to very hard work and the wonderful people that support what I do.

Describe your first musical memory.

Some of my memories aren’t really my memories. They are stories that my mom has told me about my obsession with the record player and stealing a “Nights in White Satin” 45 from K-Mart when I was 4. My first real musical turn on that I can remember was the album Rock Power. It was a compilation album released by Ronco in 1974. An amazing compilation and very diverse. I still listen to it regularly.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

I’ve done a lot of very cool things with music in my life but what I think what I enjoy most is watching my son play. He is a very talented multi-instrumentalist with a great amount of passion. I’m satisfied by the pride I feel when I go see him play. I know that is not one musical memory but it is something I hold dear.

When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?

When I refused to shake the hand of a person whose belief system was something I strongly disagreed with. This caused me a few years of “watching my back.”

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

I only know that I’m getting better with age and that is something I would have never imagined when I was in my twenties or even thirties. I’m learning not only how to become a better musician and songwriter but I’m also learning how to convey certain emotions in my music. Emotions that I barely understand myself but need to exorcize them through lyrics and music. As I get older I feel that this is becoming more important to me. The music I am working on now is the most honest music I’ve ever made.

How do you define success?

When I was young success meant making records and playing in stadiums. Tour buses, lots of amps and guitars, etc. Over the years I’ve found that all I want now is an honest connection with the listener. I want people to take the time to understand what I’ve been through. I’m sure that most of the people listening can relate to the feeling and emotions inside the music and lyrics.

That being said, I feel like the people that listen to the music I make do take the time to look deeper into what’s there. When I get messages about how my music has had an impact on somebody, that is the payoff. I have made quite a few records and done a lot of touring over the years so I can say that I have achieved a bit of my teenage definition of success but I’ve also succeeded in building something that is just as satisfying as all of the “Rock Star” stuff.

What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?

Some of my own actions that have hurt others.

Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.

A soul-funk album.

What do you believe is the most essential function of art?

To me art/music is true freedom. It is escapism for some and for others it is life. For me it is about leaving a legacy. My work will be around long after I’m dead and I hope will continue to be recognized long after I’m gone. This is not a new or original concept at all but the older I get, the more I realize that this is my line of thinking and that kind of thinking fuels my creative process.

Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?

Driving. I’m driving down to play a show with Big Scenic Nowhere in Yucca Valley in November and I’m looking forward to taking all of the old highways to get there. I like the back roads.

http://www.facebook.com/MosGenerator
https://www.instagram.com/mos_generator
http://www.mosgenerator.bandcamp.com
https://heavyheadsuperstore.storenvy.com/

https://www.facebook.com/bigscenicnowhere/
https://www.instagram.com/bigscenicnowhere/
https://bigscenicnowhere.bandcamp.com/releases
https://bigscenicnowherestore.bigcartel.com/

Various Artists, Ronco Rock Power (1974)

Big Scenic Nowhere, The Long Morrow (2022)

Tony Reed Interview, Nov. 9, 2021

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Friday Full-Length: Stone Axe, I

Posted in Bootleg Theater on July 20th, 2018 by JJ Koczan

Those who cite retro heavy rock as a European-only phenomenon have obviously never dug into Stone Axe‘s 2009 debut, Stone Axe I. The album, with its striking, vinyl-ready cover art and 10-track/38-minute run, was created with the express mission of paying homage to heavy ’70s rock and roll. And that’s precisely what it did, capturing the warmth of production and a live-in-the-studio feel that remains one of the best American executions of the style regardless of the band’s seemingly permanent dissolution. With the hooks of songs like “Black Widow,” opener “Riders of the Night,” “The Skylah Rae” and “There’d Be Days,” Stone Axe proffered memorable craft the whole time through, keeping a mellow groove beneath even its most active moments despite changes in instrumentation and mood. Live, the band included the rhythm section of bassist Mike DuPont and drummer Mykey Haslip, but in the studio it was just vocalist Dru Brinkerhoff and guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Tony Reed.

If the latter name is familiar, it should be. Reed partnered with Brinkerhoff and launched Stone Axe after putting his prior outfit, Mos Generator, to rest in indefinite-hiatus style following 2007’s Songs for Future Gods, which, like Stone Axe I, was released through Roadburn Records. Mos Generator‘s own classic heavy rock influence was one thing, but Stone Axe brought it to another level entirely. Listening to the Led Zeppelin-style blast of “Sky is Falling” and the telltale Thin Lizzy bounce of the subsequent “There’d Be Days” — as well as that in closer “Taking Me Home” — Stone Axe did nothing to mask the direct lines they drew to titans of ’70s heavy, in the Mellotron finish of “My Darkest Days” and the infuriatingly catchy blues rocker “Black Widow,” the band evoked a sense of melancholy beneath a harder-driving atmosphere, but the album never lost its sense of class either in theme or delivery. “The Skylah Rae” told a tale of humans leaving Earth on a giant ship that shared its name with the title, and side B brought about some considerable turns in momentum, whether it was the boogie of “Rhinoceros” or the swagger of “Diamonds and Fools.” Penultimate groover “Return of the Worm” brought a perfectly-paced rhythmic nod to bear and topped it with Brinkerhoff‘s boozy vocals, which were no less classic than any other element put to use, be it instrument or production. The dude absolutely killed on vocals. Just nailed it.

And in many ways, it’s the Brinkerhoff/Reed partnership that’s essential to understand when it comes to Stone Axe. stone axe iConsider that, at that point, Reed was coming off playing guitar and handling vocals in Mos Generator, and that he was also prone to not only recording the band’s albums but releasing them as well. I don’t know who penned the lyrics for Stone Axe, but even if he did, for Reed to step out of the frontman position and relinquish that to anyone else must have been a significant sacrifice for a band that was still ostensibly his as he was writing the songs and playing guitar, bass, drums and whatever else. Stone Axe was a significant turn away from Mos Generator precisely because Reed brought Brinkerhoff on board as the vocalist in order to better capture that classic rock feel, which, again Brinkerhoff‘s voice seemed to be made to bring to life.

And speaking of life, how about those live-recorded tracks on Stone Axe I, huh? Well, no. It would’ve been impossible with just Reed handling all the instruments. Natural sounding cuts like “My Darkest Days” and “Diamonds and Fools,” that easy groove in “Black Widow” and “The Skylah Rae” would’ve had to have been tracked one instrument at a time — probably the drums first, then bass, guitar and whatever keys after. Then Brinkerhoff would be able to sing over the final tracks. Yet Stone Axe I in no way sounds pieced together in this way. It sounds like players in a room hashing it out. Stone Axe I did a better job capturing a live feel than a lot of albums that are recorded live, and it’s a credit to Reed as a producer that that was the case. The material lends itself to an organic vibe, to be sure, but it would’ve been easy for the songs to come out staid and lifeless, and they’re anything but.

Like its 2010 follow-up, Stone Axe II (review here), Stone Axe I was reissued via Ripple Music after Reed signed with the label in 2010. I got to write the liner notes for the second record. A slew of releases were hinted at in that announcement, including a third full-length — which at one point they even started writing — but the band’s last studio outing would be a split with Germany’s Wight on Fat & Holy Records in 2012, the same year Ripple put out both Stone Axe‘s Captured Live! Roadburn Festival 2011 and Mos Generator‘s return long-player, Nomads (review here), the success of which effectively relaunched that band, which would go on to revamp its lineup and become the full-time touring act they remain until now. In the meantime, Reed channeled his love of classic heavy into a solo covers release called The Lost Chronicles of Heavy Rock, Vol. 1 in 2015, which he’s newly pressed onto CD ahead of a quick run of Midwestern Mos Generator shows next month that will take them to the Stoned Meadow of Doom festival.

Though a third Stone Axe album would never manifest, it’s somehow all the more fitting that, like so much of the ’70s heavy rock movement that inspired them it would be somewhat cut short only to have the two albums go on to become cult classics as they have and no doubt will continue to do. Would I ever say never on a Stone Axe resurgence? Never. But with Mos Generator topping tour bills and playing gigs like the Main Stage at Hellfest in France, one could hardly argue Reed‘s time continues to be anything other than well spent. Stone Axe was what it was, and I’m glad there are the records to document that, because it’s worth preserving.

As always, I hope you enjoy.

Goodness gracious. Was it enough week for you? It was definitely enough for me. I feel like my head’s still spinning from the Quarterly Review. I have a ritual I undertake every time I finish one of those where I clear the folders off my desktop — they go in my Albums folder — and delete the header because I’m not going to use it again, and I don’t even think I have the energy to do it. Maybe tomorrow, though probably not.

My plan for tonight is to go see Sasquatch at the Saint Vitus Bar in Brooklyn. I’m hemming and hawing and of course everything depends on the baby, so we’ll see. If I leave at seven I’ll get to Brooklyn by 9, blah blah blah. I’m keeping my fingers crossed I can get my ass out of the house. Tomorrow morning it’s a drive north to Connecticut and then seeing Backwoods Payback in New London. Then Sunday it’s back to New York for Bible of the Devil. As of right now I want to hit all three shows. Next weekend I want to do the same thing. Three shows, three nights in a row, and then that’s probably my quota for the rest of the year, surprise YOB gigs if there are any and Psycho Las Vegas notwithstanding.

Depending on what I actually get to — this is an ambitious plan, I recognize — is the schedule for next week, but here’s the notes as they stand now:

Mon.: Sasquatch live review/Arcadian Child premiere.
Tue.: Backwoods Payback live review; CB3 video premiere.
Wed.: Bible of the Devil live review; Lurk track premiere.
Thu.: Sergio Ch. video premiere.
Fri. Forming the Void premiere/review.

That’s a lot of live reviews for one week. Feels like even more coming off a Quarterly Review. But again, I’m going to try. If it doesn’t pan out, there are always plenty of albums to be written up.

Thanks for reading this week if you did, and either way, please have a great and safe weekend. Maybe I’ll see you at a show. I hope so.

All the best. Forum and Radio.

The Obelisk Forum

The Obelisk Radio

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The Obelisk Questionnaire: Tony Reed of Mos Generator

Posted in Questionnaire on April 1st, 2014 by JJ Koczan

You’d probably need a week to sit down and list all the bands and projects to which Tony Dallas Reed has contributed in one form or another over the better part of the last two decades. From playing drums in death metallers Woodrot to self-recording all-instrument Pentagram covers in his “spare time,” Reed‘s substantial body of work is the result of a genuinely restless creative spirit. Over the course of the last 10 years, he’s bounced between the heavy rocking Mos Generator and more specifically ’70s-minded Stone Axe while also embarking on the side-project HeavyPink and building his own HeavyHead Studio, where he’s done not only his own recording, but tracked Saint Vitus‘ comeback album, Lillie: F-65, among others, as well as mixed and mastered outings from Wight, Trippy WickedAlunah and many more from the US and Europe, often between or while on tours.

Reactivated following a run focused on Stone Axe, Mos Generator released the full-length Nomads (review here) on Ripple Music in 2012, two live albums in 2013, and will shortly issue a follow-up, Electric Mountain Majesty (review here), as their first outing on Listenable Records. Reed is also recently returned to his Port Orchard, Washington, home after a trip to Australia to record Seedy Jeezus and remixed/remastered Mos Generator‘s 2007 Songs for Future Gods album for reissue through Ripple, available now. Mos Generator also has splits with Copenhagen’s Doublestone and Washington’s Teepee Creeper coming soon.

The Obelisk Questionnaire: Tony Reed

How did you come to do what you do?

As a musician I started when I was 12. After years of mimicking KISS and Rush in my bedroom I figured that I should actually learn how to play. I borrowed a guitar from a guy up the street and the first song I learned was “Iron Man.” I started playing drums around the same time. I just wanted to take it all in.

As a recording engineer I guess you could say it was around the same time. I started recording everything with a boom box from the get-go. I have a recording of the first time I played drums. Over time I collected a few mics and got a three-channel Radio Shack mixer and two cassette decks and I was into overdubbing. When I was 20 I got my hands on a four-track and the rest is history.

Describe your first musical memory.

I actually think it is “Papa was a Rollin’ Stone” by The Temptations. I used to love that song. I also have recollections of the album cover for “Paranoid” being around the house and when I got that album in sixth grade I somehow already knew the songs on it, so I am assuming it was played frequently when I was a child. My mom also has a funny story of me stealing a “Nights in White Satin” 45 from K-Mart when I was two years old. She let me keep it.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

I would say that it would be 26-date Saint Vitus/Mos Generator European tour in 2013. It was a lot of hard work but we got to play for some rabid audiences and travel in style. Being on the road is all about making memories and of course later down the line you only remember the good bits.

When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

I believe that there is really no ending point to a musician who is driven and passionate. Growth is constant and sometimes moves faster than other times. Sometimes it would appear to move backwards and hopefully something can be learned from that too.

How do you define success?

I define success by respect. Someday I would like to be well respect as a musician and songwriter and recognized for the passion and dedication that I put into the music I make.

What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?

My grandmother’s eyes the day before she died. I think she had moved on already because I didn’t see her in there anymore.

Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.

I would like to create and album or song that moves people the way that certain songs move me. Sometimes I am so humbled by the songs I love that it makes me want to stop writing music because I believe I may never achieve these emotions in what I write. I also look at it as a goal and a challenge.

Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?

Even though this is musical in its subject, it doesn’t directly affect me musically. I am looking forward to watching the musical journey my son is going on. He has the passion in his blood and it’s great to see him doing things to make music his life.

Mos Generator, “Breaker” from Electric Mountain Majesty (2014)

Mos Generator on Thee Facebooks

HeavyHead Superstore

Listenable Records

Ripple Music

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HeavyHead Superstore Opens for Business

Posted in Whathaveyou on June 25th, 2013 by JJ Koczan

Talk to Tony Reed for about 30 seconds and you’re going to know he’s a pretty self sufficient guy, so it’s not much of a surprise he’d start selling his own wares sooner or later. The guitarist/vocalist of Mos Generator, Stone Axe and HeavyPink has opened a webshop for HeavyHead, his own imprint, where he’s selling items from his bands (I still have some HeavyPink 7″s left as well), including what looks like an exclusive in the form of a Mos Generator bootleg CDR recorded in 2006.

Mos Generator also have a new live album coming recorded on their most recent European tour. Details follow courtesy of the PR wire:

Tony Reed (Mos Generator / Stone Axe / HeavyPink) Opens HeavyHead SuperStore

Renowned heavy rock musician and engineer Tony Reed (Mos Generator, Stone Axe, HeavyPink) has launched HeavyHead SuperStore, the official merch site for Mos Generator, Stone Axe, HeavyPink and other Reed-related bands.

The store offers CD, vinyl, t-shirts and other assorted items from Reed’s many projects, many of which can only be found at HeavyHead. Items exclusive to HeavyHead SuperStore include rare live recordings from the vaults of Mos Generator and more. To check out the selection, visit heavyheadsuperstore.storenvy.com.

In other news, Mos Generator will be releasing a live album recorded in Germany on the band’s last European tour. The album is expected to see the light of day later this summer through Holland’s Lay Bare Recordings. More details to come.

heavyheadsuperstore.storenvy.com
www.facebook.com/MosGenerator
www.facebook.com/pages/STONE-AXE/186663969482

Tony Reed, “Forever My Queen” (Pentagram Cover)

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Tony Reed Gets Bored, Kicks Ass on a Pentagram Cover

Posted in Bootleg Theater on June 3rd, 2013 by JJ Koczan

Next time I’m sitting around being bored, feeling like there’s nothing to do but park my ass somewhere and wait for a baseball game to start, someone please remind me there are people out there like Tony Reed who manage to use downtime for the purposes of kicking ass instead of being a whiny jerk. Kudos to the Mos Generator/Stone Axe multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and producer for giving us all a lesson in DIY ethics with his take on the Pentagram classic “Forever My Queen,” which he recorded — as he intimates in the video info — more or less just for the hell of it:

I had a couple of hours to kill one day so i recorded this Pentagram song. I filmed as i did the takes so these are the actual takes from the song.

Blamo. I will not tell you some of the BS lines I’ve drawn on to-do lists just to be able to cross them out and tell myself I had a productive day, but suffice it to say, none of them have ever resulted in a cover as solid and professional sounding as this one, let alone a pro-quality edited video of me recording said cover, cut together perfectly with the finished audio. Were I wearing a hat, rest assured, it would be duly doffed.

Enjoy Tony Reed‘s “Forever My Queen,” and then go check out his bands and buy his albums, because they rule and because he obviously deserves the money more than the rest of us. Well done, Mr. Reed.

Tony Reed, “Forever My Queen” (Pentagram cover)

Mos Generator on Thee Facebooks

Stone Axe on Thee Facebooks

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Ripple Music Auctions Stone Axe and Mos Generator Test Pressing LPs for Hurricane Sandy Relief

Posted in Whathaveyou on November 19th, 2012 by JJ Koczan

…And they don’t mean, “Help me get that tree out of my yard” Sandy relief either. They mean like for people who don’t have a house anymore. Good for Ripple Music who continue to couple their love of all things classic, heavy and rockin’ with a desire to do some good in the world. Rare test pressings of Mos Generator and Stone Axe LPs will be going out this week on their eBay store, so make sure you follow the link to check it out. Yes, I’ve already added it to my “Watch List.”

Dig it:

Charity Auction for Superstorm Sandy Relief, Package Deal for Both STONE AXE and MOS GENERATOR LP Test Pressings

Continuing with the company tradition of giving back to the community, Ripple Music will auction a pair of extremely Rare Original Test Pressings in one package. Stone Axe: Captured Live! and Mos Generator Nomads vinyl are being made available with proceeds going to Superstorm Sandy Relief.

Only 5 copies of each test pressings exist, and these are the only one’s being made available to the public!  You can jump into the auction, win a cool heavy rock collectible and benefit the agencies that commit money and manpower to lend a helping hand. To do so, just visit us at the Ripple Music Ebay Store! The auction will start on Monday, November 19th and end on Monday, November 26th.

The Stone Axe and Mos Generator test press auction is the latest in a growing line of charity auctions that Ripple Music has created.  Previously, rare JPT Scare Band, Mos Generator, Stone Axe, and the Heavy Ripples test pressings were auctioned with proceeds going to Gulf Disaster, The Wounded Warrior Fund, Japan Tsunami and the Joplin Tornado disaster relief agencies.  With the sacrifices made by the men and women to assist their fellow Americans in need, Ripple founders John Rancik and Todd Severin thought the time was right to release another rare test pressing from their vault and raise money for a worthwhile effort.

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Stone Axe Start Writing for Next Album

Posted in Whathaveyou on October 4th, 2012 by JJ Koczan

You know what’s awesome? Stone Axe songs. It’s a fact. When these dudes get together, they churn out memorable classic rock of a quality level to embarrass even some of the people who made it classic the first time around.

They may have taken a break from writing to let Tony Reed focus on Mon Generator‘s Nomads album (review here) — a worthy cause indeed — but you just knew it wasn’t going to be long before Stone Axe picked up right where they left off.

And so they have, according to the PR wire:

STONE AXE Back In the Writing Process, Aiming at New Full Length in 2013

After dispelling break up rumors earlier in the year, Port Orchard rock n’ roll preservationists, STONE AXE, have announced that writing and recording has resumed for the bands next album. Multi-instrumentalist Tony Reed and singer Dru Brinkerhoff have reconvened in recent weeks to put the final touches on a handful of tunes, as well as sketching out ideas for a new STONE AXE record, the first new material since 2010’s Stone Axe II.

“It’s early in the process,” states Tony Reed on the writing process for the new album, “Dru and I have met a few times to plot out a musical direction for the new full length album. And, in the meantime, we’ve been working  on some songs that have been lying around for awhile that may be released as an EP in the near future.”

Though we’re going to have to wait until 2013 before we see a new release from the band, work is progressing at a steady pace. Some of the working titles in the mix include “Fell On Deaf Ears” for the new full length, and for the possible EP, “Lady Switchblade” and “Deep Blue”, a song reminiscent of the epic sci-fi thriller, “The Skylah Rae” from the STONE AXE self-titled album.

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