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Indie On Indie November 2012: Scarecrows by One Bad Son and Rolling With The Punches by The Blue Stones

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Justin Tessier of The Blue Stones and Granny from One Bad Son (OBS pic by Alexandria Rachette)

November 29 2012 – T-Mak World presents Indie On Indie where we match up two musicians of different bands and give them the task to review one of the other band’s songs. In this ongoing series we will match up bands with similar styles of music, as well as bands on opposite sides of the musical spectrum. Kick back, listen to each tune and read what the other band has to say about it. If you have a suggestion for a cool match up or are in a band and want to be featured email us here.

  • Artist 1 – Adam “Granny” Grant is the bassist of Vancouver’s (via Saskatoon) hard rock powerhouse One Bad Son. The song he picked for Artist 2 to review is Scarecrows.
  • Artist 2 – Justin Tessier is the drummer of Windsor’s garage blues juggernaut The Blue Stones. The song he picked for Artist 1 to review is Rolling With The Punches.

Granny –  Bassist of One Bad Son shares his thoughts on The Blue Stones’ Rolling With The Punches

Going into this, I knew very little about The Blue Stones. But after hearing “Rolling with the Punches” I want to find out a whole lot more about this duo from Windsor, Ontario. These boys reside in Motown’s backyard and such is immediately evident in their music. There is a certain Motown groove in “Rolling with the Punches” that screams Smokey Robinson or Gladys Knight to me. But these guys take that smooth groove one step further and steep it in that dirty, garaged-out blues sound made famous by bands like The White Stripes and The Black Keys. The result is a slick melding of new and old that is fresh and damn catchy! 

The Blue Stones

The song starts with a sparse, picked guitar piece which is quickly followed by a tight drum march that immediately gets your head a-bobbin’ and your toes a-tappin’. A super catchy verse melody builds quickly and perfectly into a pretty heavy chorus riff. And then, “the hook”. It hits, and it sticks. Big time. “Rolling with the Punches.” Just as the listener is recovering from the hook, the second verse starts and you’re off to the races once more. A kicked up, riff-filled bridge seals the deal before one final chorus finishes the song off. With songs (especially “Rolling with the Punches”) built on solid grooves and littered with catchy melodies, The Blue Stones have something very special on their hands  –  Granny


 Justin Tessier –  Drummer of The Blue Stones shares his thoughts on One Bad Sons’ Scarecrows

 

One Bad Son’s “Scarecrows” is a textbook example of a building ballad. The fingerpicked guitar intro leads the listener toward the indie-folk genre which is becoming more and more popular these days. This leads into a simple, yet defining drum beat, with the welcoming chord strumming that sets the pace for the song. Shane Volk’s vocals float over this repetition, following suit with the laid-back feel the song’s provided us with so far. After one cycle, the band starts to pick up, getting more comfortable with the feel of the tune, and Volk kicks the vocals an octave higher to begin the build. One more repetition, and the chorus meets with nicely harmonized vocals, and a touch of a lead guitar to get things going into second gear. Third gear comes in with the band in full gear, and a great solo that could’ve been on the B-side of “November Rain”. 

One Bad Son

After turning the corner with a slower bridge that harkens back to the intro, Adam Hicks throws on the distortion and solos out the rest of the song with Volk’s high tones satisfying that craving for the hook that’s still fresh in your mind, and the two play off each other’s harmonies very nicely before settling into the outro, again back to the fingerpicking guitar that started off the song. With the resurgence of ballad-rock, this tune is sure to make it’s way among the favourites of Canadian listeners. Hours after the song’s over, you’ll find yourself humming that hook… “long days and longer days / will put you back into my mind / long days and longer nights / will drown with you out in the spotlight”. – Justin Tessier

Verdict: Thanks Granny and Justin – we are big fans of both your bands and that is why we invited you to be part of Indie on Indie. Slighty different rock styles but both bands are on trajectories to the stratosphere, and both are on our “must see” list next time they play close to you!
One Bad Son | Website | Twitter | Facebook
The Blue Stones | Website | Twitter | Facebook

Previous Indie On Indie Features:
Oct 2012 – Last Bullet vs. TimeGiant 

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