Stoneside
This project is focused on bringing into this world the stories of those who have passed from it. After frontman Crane lost a beloved family member to Lou Gehrig’s Disease some years back, feeling lost and desperate for their words and guidance, he began seeking out the age-old, multi-cultural ways of communicating with those who have passed. This pursuit continued for years; the stories found throughout were so numerous and so intense that the group Stoneside was formed, dedicated to expressing these stories so as for them to not be forgotten.
The band’s name comes from a conversation with a child who had been visiting a graveyard at the same time as Crane; they asked if the people who died were buried inside the headstones themselves. After Crane explained that “they are in the ground, but their energy is with us forever”, the child’s reply was simply “well, they are on the stone side now”.
Each song reflects on a particular person’s life and death journey – the ups and downs, highs and lows, triumphs and regrets. The music is as haunting, emotional, raw, and beautiful as the stories that it gives voice to; combining elements of a range of genres including alternative rock, prog-metal, ambient and electronic. The genres and song structures are fluid and ever-changing; they are merely a tool of the messenger.
Although the Stoneside project is new, the music that Wheeler and Crane played that would eventually become this project allowed them to play alongside a diverse group of genres and fellow musicians including Sevendust, Karnivool, Cold, Unearth, AWOLnation, IllNino, Sick of it All, Nonpoint, Saliva, Black Light Burns, Jeremih, Victor Wooten, SxSW festival, and a showcase for Disney/Pixar for a spot to represent Houston at the Superbowl Live Festival, which they were granted.
