STONEGREY is that band. Already getting radio play, top venue opportunities and becoming a regular on the
Florida festival circuit, StoneGrey is already growing a very loyal fan base. They have already opened for
artists like HINDER and CANDLEBOX, and I see SUPER BOB and a big festival coming up on their schedule
over the next month. They have recently released their debut CD entitled simply “STONEGREY”, containing
ten of their originals, but there is much more to come. The boys have learned their way around the studio
recording at Tampa Bay's famed MORRISOUND STUDIO and have gained a veteran understanding of the
process and a better idea of what works and what doesn't.
StoneGrey consists of twenty-year-old vocal front man and rhythm guitarist ERIC WHITENER, seventeenyear-old NICK MITCHELL on bass and vocals, and the brothers--eighteen-year- old lead guitarist TRISTAN
DUSEK and twenty-year-old drummer and backup vocalist TYLER DUSEK. When checking out a band, I look
for the weak spot. A year ago the band’s weak spot was they were “too stiff” but today they have grown into
a fluid, battle-tested machine. They own the stage and the audience from the moment they begin. These
kids can RAWK. Their style is ninetyish with a touch of NIRVANA, a pinch of PEARL JAM and a dash of ALICE
IN CHAINS--but their original music is all their own. Check out their videos and listen to their songs and you
will see what I'm talking about--these kids are for real!
I had a chance to sit down with Tristan and Tyler and most of the questions I asked, they answered together.
Here is what they had to say:
Tom: Even though you guys are so young, you've been together for a while. Tell me how you formed the band.
Tristan and Tyler: We are brothers so we were already playing and we knew Eric from school and he could
sing. Since you need a singer if you're gonna have a band, we got together. We had a different bass guitarist,
but we knew Nick from middle school and he agreed to join us, so he's been with us ever since. We've been
playing together for three years.
Tom: You two being brothers, tell me about sibling rivalry and does it enter into the band?
Tristan and Tyler: We are brothers and oh yes, there is sibling rivalry but we have to hide it as far as the band
is concerned. There's rivalry within the band too, but it's usually three on one and majority wins.
Tom: I've watched Eric come a long way with his stage presence. He went from looking like a scared rabbit
to now owning the stage. How about you guys? Any growing pains?
Tyler: With me, it was the size of the kit. In the beginning I wanted a real big kit, then I went through a stage
of wanting a small kit. Now, I just settle for whatever we can fit in the trailer.
Tristan: For me it was getting the moves down. I know that for a good show you want to be moving around
the stage. I'd watch all my favorite musicians for ideas, then you learn what works by trial and error. If you
fall down it's probably not wise to try that move again.
Tom: Who does your writing and is there any special way you do it?
Tristan and Tyler: We all write together and we do have a formula, but the formula can change from song to
song. Somebody will come up with an idea and we all contribute. It can start with some lyrics or a chord
progression or a riff, then build from there. Everybody has input as long as they don't change the original
idea or meaning. If an idea changes the meaning, we throw that out.
Tom: Any big gigs on the horizon?