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 dual lead guitars of James Edwards and Ted Hennington. Add to these 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.
This band has built their audience through relentless touring year-round, along with radio tours inserted into the schedule. Having been together since 2012, the band is able to widen their collective setlist while throwing in band and audience favorites of Country and Rock legendary songs.
How would you describe the music that you typically create?
We call “The music we typically create” southern soul rock n roll. Everyone in the band grew up on classic country music, classic rock, bluegrass, and some jazz, and so we include a good amount of improvisation in our live shows, a lot of rock n roll, and really focus on lyrics and song structure like the older classic country music has.
Stone Senate continues to climb the charts and heat up the rock and country Spotify and Apple Music Playlists, including Apple Music’s New in Country and Country Roads. The Southern Rock band releases “Shine,” from their two-EP release.
With the pandemic, how have you found a way to get your music and your message out there?
The pandemic really affected the touring part of how we get our music and message out there. We have always toured pretty much year round, nonstop, so that was a big challenge for us. Luckily, we have a wonderful team of folks that have stepped in to help us with our social media, publicity, and our management and record label team have all been amazing for us. Our original goal when we started this band, was to build the band name by touring as much as humanly possible, and still believe that is the best way to spread the word and keep the band tight, and keep meeting folks on the road. We do a lot more social media and live streaming things now that we started during the pandemic. Also, touring has really picked back up, so we are just about back in the swing of things. Our next goal is to get over to Europe when our new album is released later this year.
What is your creative process like?
Our creative process is pretty straightforward forward I guess. We have 5 of us in the band, and we all bring ideas, guitar riffs, lyric ideas, and things like that to the table, and then work them out in our rehearsal room. We have always done it like that, and it keeps everyone invested in the songs, and everyone is able to get their say in where the song goes. It is very much a musical family with the 5 of us and really makes for a great brotherhood on the road and during the writing process.
Which famous musicians do you admire?
The musicians we all admire range from classic country, classic rock, grunge, metal, jazz, and southern rock. We all love the Allman Brothers Band, Van Halen, Alice In Chains, WASP, Whitesnake, The Doors, The Black Crowes, The Band, Merle Haggard, Bee Gees, Waylon Jennings, Coltrane, Miles Davis, The Beatles, and The Stones. We pretty much pull our influences from all those folks and a few more I’m sure we forgot to list.
What is the best advice you’ve been given?
The best advice we have been given was don’t give up on your dreams. The exact wording was “if it was easy, everyone would do it”. Haha, which is true and has gotten through the good and the bad times during this pursuit of ours. Some good words of wisdom there we think for anything in life I guess.
What kind of recording facilities do you have at home?
We actually recorded our upcoming album in Nashville, at the Sound Emporium Studio B. It is a great studio, with a lot of history to it. Our producer and good friend Toby Wright loves that room and studio, and it was his call where to record these 13 songs, and he could not have picked a better place. Great vibes there, wonderful staff, and we had such a good time over about 4 weeks there. Great place to spark a lot of creativity!
If you were a member of the Spice Girls, what would your spice handle be?
If our drummer (David Zettler) was a spice girl, his name would be Flaming Hot White Cheddar.
What was the last TV series you watched on TV?
Lonesome Dove was the last series a few of us watched on tv, we have seen that series too many times to count. Also really enjoyed Mindhunter, and always enjoy the Simpsons.
Which is cooler? Dinosaurs or Dragons?
We think dinosaurs are cooler than dragons, although dragons are pretty cool!
Which fictional character do you wish was real?
We wish Homer Simpson was a real character, although we know some folks very similar to Homer.
What would you bring to an idyllic picnic?
Our idyllic picnic would have a lot of Coors Banquet Beer, some Coors Light, some Tito’s vodka, Diet Dr. Pepper, and some killer pizza pie, we think.
Do you sing in the shower? What songs?
We don’t sing in the shower, we sing in our van as we ride down the road, Mostly Bee Gees songs.