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Artist Interview- Five Smooth Stones:
1. (keith from Indieheaven) For the music fans who aren't familiar with your music, how'd you get started as a band?
(Colvin) Andrew, Kathryn, and I grew up very close, and we've always shared a lot of the same taste in music. When we were in high school, Uncle Tom (Andrew and Kathryn's dad) bought Andrew a drum kit. Kathryn was already learning to play guitar, and I decided that if we were going to start a band, I'd learn to play the bass. The three of us began playing together in the garage, and as we developed on our instruments, we began writing some of our own songs. We invited Uncle Tom to join the band as a guitarist and vocalist, and Five Smooth Stones was born.
2. (keith from Indieheaven) How would you describe your sound?
(Andrew) We pull sounds together from a variety of styles, and blend them into a pop rock base. Styles we borrow from range from dance to blues, bluegrass to classic rock, swing to alternative.
(Colvin) I think I read in someone’s music profile that said they sounded like the last 20 years of music. Not to steal from them but we sound like the last 50 years of music and then some.
3. (keith from Indieheaven) Who are some of you musical influences?
(Tom) Really we are influenced by a pretty eclectic array of artists- and each of us has our own tendencies. I would have to say that we all look to groups like Switchfoot, Jars Of Clay and Mute Math as bands we hope to be compared with, sound-wise. It’s interesting to me how much my younger bandmates draw from the music I grew up with from the seventies, and even earlier- I guess it’s hard not to be affected by great artists The Beatles and The Beach Boys and Led Zeppelin. As far as songwriting goes we really like Jon Foreman, Peter Furler, Kevin Max, Mat Kearney- there are a bunch of great writers around. Being a somewhat sarcastic bunch, we like the ironic and witty- writers like Andy Osenga and Steve Taylor for instance.
(Colvin) I think I make a conscious effort to be influenced by as much as possible. I kind of operate under the idea that a great song is a great song regardless of the genre it falls into. Musically I think I definitely draw influence from bands Switchfoot, Dave Matthews Band, Mae, Radiohead, and Death Cab For Cutie. I think part of what draws me to all those bands is the strength of their lyrics as well as their music. I've also lately been listening to people like Jakob Dylan and Joshua James and I think their more "folk" sound shows itself briefly on the album. (laughs)
(Kathryn) everyday sounds, my bandmates, and pretty much any band that defies genre, has lyrical depth, and rocks. Musicians such as Peter Furler, Dave Matthews, Phil Joel, Joe Satriani, Carlos Santana, Jeremy Camp, Jody Davis; and the guys from Jars of Clay, Switchfoot, Mute Math, Hyper Static Union, Kutless, The Swift, and Pillar.
(Andrew) I have a wide range of influences, and listen to music in just about every genre. Some artists I've been listening to lately include OneRepublic, The Beach Boys, MuteMath, Garbage, Paul Simon, Lady Antebellum, Huey Lewis & The News, Relient K, Owl City, and Train.
 4. (keith from Indieheaven) Your new album is called "Beneath The Finite Sky", what is the significance of the title?
(Andrew) "Beneath The Finite Sky" is a title that hopefully evokes a sense of adventure and curiosity in potential listeners. The title comes from the song "Escape" which I wrote one evening after watching the sunset. It really struck me how during the day, there's this solid blue sky that limits our view of things outside of this world, but as the sun sets and the sky gets dark, all these stars start to poke through. Looking at stars and galaxies so far away is a striking reminder that there's more to life than just us, our pursuits, our planet. The songs on this album speak about finding a purpose here that's bigger than us, they speak about the struggles we have as children of God making a temporary living here, they speak about the sure hope we have in better things to come.
(Kathryn) The title describes our lives lived under a ceiling that seems greater and more infinite than we are, but yet is finite and small in comparison to its Creator. A lot of the songs deal with this concept of the weight of sin and suffering on our bodies, and the groaning within to be reunited with the Lord in His perfect love and glorious presence. We live in these bodies small within the earth small within the galaxy small within the universe, a speck to the Creator, and yet we are infinite souls with infinite value, so much so that God Himself would love insignificant us and die for us.
5. (keith from Indieheaven) What do you feel is your proudest achievement on this album?
(Andrew) I think we set out from the beginning to write an album that had a strong, consistent message, and I think with "Beneath The Finite Sky" we were very successful in that. We also wanted to write songs with stronger melodies and more of a pop sensibility than our previous release. I'm very pleased with the result, I think we managed to achieve that melodic sound we wanted, and at the same time come up with an album that rocks even harder than the last.
6. (keith from Indieheaven) You took a somewhat unique approach to the recording process for Beneath The Finite Sky, compared to what a lot of indie bands do. Tell us about that.
Tom: For us, with a limited “indie” budget, and working full-time jobs, it was going to be tough to buy and schedule studio time. And we have a good recording setup and I have the experience that gave us confidence to record the album ourselves. When we realized that we needed to block out time to just focus on getting it done, we decided to find and rent a house where we could have a great, open room for recording the drums and we could just go away as a band and get the basic tracking done in a week. We had, I think it was seventeen songs that were candidates for the album, and we did get all the drums and bass recorded, and some guitars as well, at a great cottage near Chambersburg, PA. After that we recorded the remaining instruments and vocals at several locations in central Maryland, and mixed the project in my home studio. We are really pleased with the way the album sounds, and when it’s time to record the next project I believe we’ll take the same approach. We also reached out to our friends and fans with a crowd-funding project to raise some of the money toward the process, especially for the packaging of the CD. We did that through RocketHub.com, and we are thankful for the good response we received. Those funds gave us the opportunity to put the music, which we really believe in, in a quality package with professional artwork and full lyrics inside- we truly want the music consumer’s experience to be the same as they would enjoy from one of those artists we mentioned earlier.
(Colvin) I think Uncle Tom was really the one that had the idea to record the album the way we did. He really had a vision and I think the rest were happy to follow along and add our input here and there. The whole experience has really been a blast.
(Tom) I think it was a mutual direction that developed out of circumstances. But if you want me to have extra credit…
7. (keith from Indieheaven) You guys are playing out live a bunch this summer. What are the things that make that most enjoyable for the band?
(Andrew) We started out making music together in the garage, and really have developed together as musicians. We allow each other a lot of freedom to follow our own musical compasses, and then we blend the different parts to create our own unique sound. The live show is one of the best ways for us not only to share that sound with our friends and fans, but it's also a great way for us to do what we love to do. We just have a blast making music together.
(Colvin) The process of recording this album has been so much fun I know personally there have been a few moments where I honestly didn’t know how I would feel getting back into touring. Playing these new songs for a live audience has been such a rewarding experience. I had forgotten what it’s like to get out and try to connect with an audience. I think that’s what makes playing live enjoyable. And playing with these guys is awesome, we just gel really well together. Almost like we’re a family or something.
8. (keith from Indieheaven) Where are you playing this summer?
(Tom) We have dates scheduled in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Delaware right now, and we’re looking at some possibilities in New Jersey, New York, Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina for the Fall. All of our dates are posted on our IndieHeaven.com profile and our band website at www.smoothstones.net
9. (keith from Indieheaven) Tell us about your affiliation with The Hunger Strike:
(Andrew) We decided to get involved with The Hunger Strike this year to encourage people to get involved and to make a difference in the lives of some of the thousands of families around the world who are dying due to a lack of basic things like food and clean water. While writing "Beneath The Finite Sky", we found we were talking a lot about relationships, and about love, and about Jesus, and we began looking for ways to put those things into action. The Hunger Strike, along with Food For The Hungry, is a great way not only for us, but for our listeners as well, to get involved with people and show love to them by helping meet their very real needs, and to expose them to Jesus. We'd like to encourage anyone who is looking for ways to minister to others or to make a difference to visit thehungerstrike.org and prayerfully consider sponsoring a child or otherwise partnering with us to help save lives and foster relationships with Jesus Christ.
(Kathryn) The Scripture says that as we have opportunity, we are to do good unto all men. (Galatians 6.) I find it's hard enough to do good to those with whom I have a built-in opportunity (my husband, my growing-up family, church family, extended family, friends, etc!), so I'm very thankful that we are able to use our talents, and the fellowship we share as a band, to bless others who have very serious needs and who without these sorts of organizations would be outside of our reach.
(Tom) For me, I know I have come to a place where I am convicted that there is more I can be doing in the kingdom than I have been doing. I look at most of the artists that we respect and there is ministry happening along with the music. And there are many ways to get involved, which we are also striving to do locally through various groups that are on the front line, especially to the homeless and helpless, and the elderly. The great thing about The Hunger Strike is it brings the reality of poverty to youth and starts them thinking and acting on behalf of the needy. And Food For The Hungry has such a special approach, they aren’t simply feeding the kids, but they are supporting families and building communities and bringing Jesus Christ to those folks.
WEBSITES:
Learn more about 5 Smooth Stones and their music mission at: Indieheaven Profile
5 Smooth Stones Website
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