Stonefield (2013)

Just last month, I was complaining about the relative dearth of female musicians in the realm of rock music. Well, Stonefield is just what the doctor ordered. They are a modern band making the rounds in Australia, with a very groovy 'retro rock' sound, in the vein of all the best rock bands of the 1970s. And the band consists entirely of young women - all four of which are sisters! They are, in spirit, the second coming of the Quatro sisters (of The Pleasure Seekers/Cradle), with comparisons to Heart's Wilson sisters (who were also fans of Led Zeppelin) and the all-girl teenage rock group The Runaways entirely (and excitingly) appropriate.

Stonefield broke onto the scene three years ago with their exciting single Through The Clover (click for the official video), following it up with two EPs (2010's Through The Clover and then Bad Reality in 2012), only this year finally releasing their first full length debut album. As an Australian band, their music can unfortunately be hard to find here in America, but it is worth seeking out. The self-titled album is a strong demonstration of their particular flavor of "vintage" rock, built around a four piece band - Amy on drums and lead vocals, Hannah on guitar, Sarah on keyboards, and Holly on bass.

The music sounds fantastic, and it is refreshing to hear music of this quality and format being performed by female musicians (not to mention the fact that their most direct influences predate them by decades). If there is any one member of the band that stands out in particular on this album, it is perhaps the lead vocalist, who proves that she is a formidable rock singer. But the whole band cooks, and the mixture between the four instruments is nicely balanced without too much emphasis on any one (although I personally would have mixed the guitar louder, but I'm a guitarist, so I'm a little biased :p).

I don't know what lies in this band's future, but I'm hoping for the best. They seem to really enjoy playing this kind of music, and I hope they have the opportunity to continue doing it for a while - they certainly possess the talent for it. The last modern retro rock outfit I got really excited about - a band called Silvertide - imploded not long after getting their first album released, which was a shame, because they had enormous potential. With any luck, Stonefield will have better success - and if what I'm hearing about the attention they're getting on the festival circuits in their home country of Australia is true, it just may come to pass.

It's a distant hope, but it would be awesome if Stonefield had the opportunity to go on a world tour. I think they could be a huge hit among the classic rock-loving crowd here in America, if they're marketed right. But they're all still young, and I'm happy to sit back and watch their careers grow at a comfortable pace. I'll leave you with a video of the band's debut album trailer, which pretty well speaks for itself: