“GARAGE ROCK GOLD” (PANDORA) OF THE STONE FOXES HITTING THE ROAD, PLAYING HARDLY STRICTLY BLUEGRASS AMID 21-DATE NATIONAL TOUR

The Stone Foxes – the all-out rock & roll band that’s opened for the Black Keys and surpassed five million track streams on Spotify – will play a 21-date national tour that includes hometown festival Hardly Strictly Bluegrass as well as stops in NYC, Chicago, DC, and Atlanta. American Songwriter is streaming the entire new album ‘Twelve Spells,’ calling it the band’s “next step”: http://www.americansongwriter.com/2015/09/stream-stone-foxes-new-album-twelve-spells/

SF Weekly wrote about frontman Shannon Koehler’s 11 open heart surgeries and how it affects him as a musician: http://www.sfweekly.com/sanfrancisco/the-stone-foxes-great-american-music-hall-gamh/Content?oid=3680413

Here’s what we’re reading elsewhere:

“Perfect back-to-basics rock”
- Eric Renner Brown, Entertainment Weekly, April 2, 2015

"Garage rock gold... the sound of a band hitting their stride.”
- Eric Shea, Pandora, September 15, 2015

“A distinct joy.”
- Ben Kaye, Consequence of Sound, May 1, 2015

“The San Francisco sextet dishes out the manic, expertly calibrated and disciplined orchestral guitar landscape you might associate with Television or Sleater-Kinney.”
- Paul de Barros, Seattle Times, July 2, 2015

“Darker, moodier sound borrowing from Ennio Morricone spaghetti western soundtracks [from a band] known for rousing live performances wherein instruments get swapped, stages serve as diving platforms, and general troublemaking is had.”
- Matt Saincome, SF Weekly, June 3, 2015

“It’s a pure shot of energy — nothing fancy – just rock… We could not love it more.”
- Hannah Angst, The Wild Honey Pie, July 2, 2015

“Loose, spontaneous and all about the moment. Most importantly, the group is hellbent on keeping their music and performances as soulful as possible… the Stone Foxes are on their way to big things.”
- Neil Ferguson, Glide Mag, May 6, 2015

“An explosion of pounding drums, powerful rhythms, and psychedelic hooks.”
- Elmore Magazine, June 11, 2015

The Stone Foxes ‘Twelve Spells’ Tour Dates

9/26 Reno, NV/Cargo
10/4 San Francisco, CA/Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival
10/23 Chico, CA/Lost on Main
10/26 Aspen, CO/Belly Up
10/27 Ft. Collins, CO/Downtown Artery
10/29 Chicago, IL/Schubas
10/31 Ferndale, MI/Magic Bag
11/1 Cleveland, OH/Beachland Tavern
11/3 Rochester, NY/Flower City Station
11/4 Syracuse, NY/Westcott Theater
11/5 Somerville, MA/Thunder Road
11/6 New York, NY/Mercury Lounge
11/7 Rehoboth Beach, DE/Dogfish
11/8 Vienna, VA/Jammin Java
11/10 Philadelphia, PA/Milkboy
11/13 Charlotte, NC/Visulite Theater
11/14 Asheville, NC/New Mountain Theatre
11/15 Atlanta, GA/Smith's Olde Bar
11/19 Conroe, TX/Dosey Doe Music Café
11/20 Austin, TX/Lamberts
12/4 Sebastopol, CA/755 After Dark

THE STONE FOXES FRONTMAN’S 11 OPEN HEART SURGERIES INSPIRE SONG “COLD LIKE A KILLER”

‘TWELVE SPELLS’ OUT SEPT 4

When front man Shannon Koehler of The Stone Foxes – the San Francisco rock & roll band that has over five million track streams on Spotify and has opened for the Black Keys – sat down to write about how his body and health on the new song “Cold Like a Killer,” he likened his body to a murder. The singer/harmonica player, who sometimes plays drums as well, has had eleven open-heart surgeries that he's had since he was eight.

Koehler says, "I take more pills that my Grandma Ruthie," then growing serious. I feel like my body is its own silent killer. I just tried to put that emotion on paper for 'Cold Like a Killer.'" Here's the song, from the forthcoming ‘Twelve Spells,’ out September 4: https://soundcloud.com/thestonefoxes/cold-like-a-killer?in=thestonefoxes/sets/foxes-first-fridays

Shannon says, "I was born with a leaking tricuspid valve. This allowed for my heart to enlarge and that lead to having tachycardia, a condition where extra nerves grow in your heart wall and make your resting heart rate jump, like how mine went up to 200bpm and sent me the ER twice. I've had 11 surgeries/procedures on my heart beginning with a procedure at age 8. My latest surgery was 5 years ago when I was the 3rd person ever – that's what UCSF told me – to get a new tricuspid valve put in intravenously... I'm in really good shape now. Need a new pacemaker battery in a year or so, but my valve should be good for a bit."

The reminders of his own mortality has also led to Shannon’s mission to go all-out on every show, knowing how important it is to seize the moment. The Stone Foxes have developed a well-earned reputation for memorable, wild, sweaty, all-over-the stage marathon shows.

The Stone Foxes "This Town" single

THE STONE FOXES SURPASS 5 MILLION SPOTIFY SPINS

The Stone Foxes – the all-out San Francisco rock & roll band – have blown past five million Spotify tracks streams as the new album ‘Twelve Spells’ approaches release September 4. The band will announce an album tour shortly.

Recent press spotlights have included Bullet, Entertainment Weekly, Consequence of Sound, and SF Weekly.

THE STONE FOXES SHINE A SPOTLIGHT ON SOCIAL ISSUES

NEW ALBUM 'TWELVE SPELLS' FINDS INSPIRATION IN PROTEST MOVEMENTS AS SF ROCK & ROLL BAND TAKES ACTION TO PROTECT THE MARGINALIZED

 

The Stone Foxes make music with a message, mixing raucous rock & roll with lyrics inspired by the Occupy movement, income inequality, gentrification and other social justice issues. On their fourth album, ‘Twelve Spells’ the San Francisco-based musicians take a hard look at the world around them, creating the soundtrack for a city that's home to billionaires and a sprawling homeless population.

 

The new record, which hits stores September 4, 2015, includes anthems like "She Said Riot," which takes a look at the way San Francisco's soaring home prices have affected musicians and other artists. On "Greasin Up the Door Man," singer/drummer Shannon Koehler spins the story of four different characters: three who don't have enough money to bribe their way past a door man, and one who's wealthy enough to talk (or pay) his way out of most situations. It's a personification of income inequality, delivered with an appropriate mix of fury and melody. Finally, "Goodnight Moon" pays tribute to the homeless, humanizing a population that many people ignore.

 

Putting their money with their mouths are, the Stone Foxes also collect cans of food at every tour stop, which they then donate to local shelters and food pantries as part of their ongoing "Goodnight Moon Project." They encourage their audience to become involved with similar issues, too, creating not just a fanbase, but a genuine movement of socially-conscious people.

 

The Stone Foxes' objective is simple: “We’re six dudes who believe rock n' roll can move mountains, and we’re gonna play it until we move one.” Since forming in 2005, they've have been making good on that promise, headlining their own sold-out shows on the West Coast (including legendary venues like the Fillmore) while also opening for national acts like the Black Keys and ZZ Top.

“NOTORIOUS LIVE ACT” (ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY) THE STONE FOXES TO RIP THE ROOF OFF THE MINT JULY 30

FRONTMAN ON NEW VIDEO: “I’VE NEVER SCARED MYSELF WRITING A SONG BEFORE”

CONCERT PREVIEWS ’12 SPELLS’ ALBUM OUT SEPTEMBER 4 WITH EARLY RAVES FROM BULLET, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, THE WILD HONEY PIE, CONSEQUENCE OF SOUND

San Francisco rock and rollers The Stone Foxes will come down the coast for a raucous show at The Mint. The show previews new album ’12 Spells’ (September 4) consisting of new tracks the band has released the first Friday of each month. ’12 Spells’ spells the arrival of a major voice in rock and roll, after the Foxes’ opening slots for Social Distortion, ZZ Top, Cage the Elephant, and the Black Keys. Here’s an SF Weekly feature on the band, delving into its inspiration of social dissent such as the Occupy movement; and into frontman Shannon Koehler’s nearly a dozen open heart surgeries.

The Stone Foxes just released a new video for “I Want To Be You,” with frontman Koehler telling Bullet Media, “I’ve never scared myself after writing a song before, until this one. I saw a magazine with a dude who was ripped and looking quite svelte, and I thought, ‘Damn, I need to eat less rocky road.’ I started thinking about how fucked up it is when either women and men feel like they have to live up to the expectations set by magazines in the grocery aisle. Then I let my imagination run. What if a woman wanted to actually be the person on the magazine so bad that she stalked her, murdered her, and stole all of her fans and fame for eternity? I wanted to push the darkness of envy to the limit."

Consequence of Sound called The Stone Foxes “a distinct joy” and Entertainment Weekly praised their “frenetic energy.” The Wild Honey Pie said, “throwback garage heaven.”

As with all tour dates, the band will collect canned food at the door and donate it to a local food bank or homeless shelter.

WHO: rock & roll band The Stone Foxes
WHAT: ’12 Spells’ album preview concert
WHERE: The Mint, 6010 West Pico Blvd, LA
WHEN: 8pm, July 30, 2015
TICKETS: $12 in advance, $14 day of show, via the Mint box office.

The Stone Foxes "I Want To Be You" video

The Stone Foxes bio

The Stone Foxes are a rock n roll band with one objective: “We’re 6 dudes who believe rock n roll can move mountains, and we’re gonna play it until we move one.” They hail from San Francisco and with the release of their fourth album, Twelve Spells, they have solidified a place in the city's rich rock n roll history. They’ve played in front of thousands at festivals like Outside Lands and VooDoo Fest, they’ve headlined the legendary Fillmore Theater in their hometown and have supported acts like The Black Keys, Cage the Elephant and ZZ Top. This is San Francisco’s rock band; bearing the torch of their predecessors and ready to shake the earth.

The Stone Foxes bring the audience in. Engaging and invoking them with their commanding stage presence, even jumping down into the crowd if the mood strikes. Their fans know they are in for something action packed and they light a fire in the band, just as the band spreads fire back into them. Guitarists digging in, jumping on and off of monitors, lead vocals changing between two and four unique voices all with impassioned nuance, and keyboard and organ sounds that fill the space with smoke and burning embers. There are edgy drum tones, wailing harmonica draws and violin cries that can silence even the most raucous of rooms. But this is not a sit-down-and-watch kind of event. The Stone Foxes are an experience to dive into, to get wild with, to sweat with. Like Elvis once said about rock n roll, “If you feel it, you can’t help but move to it.” The Stone Foxes' live show is built to make you move. When a band brandishes this kind of dynamic and all-in passion on stage, it is impossible not to feel it.

On the brink of the release of their fourth album, Twelve Spells, which hits in September, 2015, the band is wrapping up a year-long endeavor of dropping each song off the record on the first Friday of each month. Foxes First Fridays are the band's way of experimenting with a fresh method of releasing songs directly to their fans when they're fresh out of the studio, instead of shelving them until the album is released. Teaming up with local SF artist Giuliana Pinto, they have created unique cover artwork for each single reflecting the song's story and character. When released, Twelve Spells will act as a yearbook and on top of the twelve studio tracks, will include photos, live recordings and video from the road.

"Twelve" Spells concerns itself with inequality of various types, being oneself and the search to find those connections and learning to see past the artifice of society. The Stone Foxes’ work is all the more impressive considering that these deep themes run through a record that barely stops to take a breath. Kicked off in a storm of feedback and then nailed down with a double-timed drum beat and fuzz bass, “She Said Riot” was inspired by stories told to the band by friends involved in the Occupy movement and also by the way that drastic gentrification in San Francisco was impacting artists and musicians. The band says, “The main character in this song is looking at these changes but has a fire lit in him to ‘steal the streets back.’ A large source of his empowerment is drawn from his memory of the people and events of the occupy movement. Those were inspirational and passionate nights. Meeting new people, uniting for a cause. The character in this song is spurred on from remembering a powerful and impassioned girl who said ‘feel the way my heart beats, come on right now, riot, riot.’”

“I Want To Be You” explores a character driven to violent extremes by the envy of a lifetime looking at magazine covers and billboards over a wicked groove. The band says, “I'm not gonna lie, I felt weird and creepy writing this one.”

But the Stone Foxes look to go deeper than your typical garage band, observing life in San Francisco – and across America – in 2015. “Greasin Up The Door Man” personifies income inequality, telling the stories of three people who aren't given a hand up, and one man who's got everything he needs to get past the doorman. The band reflects, “It's easy to look around San Francisco and see a very clear line between the haves, and the have nots. Some of us have a lot of money. Some of us don't have any.  Some of us have connections because we were raised in certain circles with opportunities and options; some of us aren't given a second chance let alone a first.”

Like any good rock and roll record, ’12 Spells’ also hits the mark on those visceral moments that make life worth living. “This Town” concerns a magical night in small town, USA, blowing smoke rings, thinking of the girl who was your first love, wanting to see her and then bam, there is at the party. The narrator in “N.Y.T.” is turned on by the same things that turn him off, specifically a persona put on by a sexy recent arrival to New York.

Not all of the sentiments are universal. Singer/Drummer Shannon Koehler has had ten heart surgeries/procedures, two pacemakers, and two valve replacements. He jokes, “I take more pills that my Grandma Ruthie,” then growing serious. "I feel like my body is its own silent killer. I just tried to put that emotion on paper for ‘Cold Like a Killer.’” With a keyboard hook that will stick in your spine, “Cold Like a Killer” manages to be both sinister and defiant in the face of all of our inevitable fates. “Locomotion” is a garage burner torched with harmonica that tells the story of the Koehler's great grandpa escaping Russia during the Bolshevik revolution nearly being caught by police and jumping a train.

The Stone Foxes were originally founded by brothers Shannon and Spence Koehler. Most recently, the Stone Foxes joined forces with Vince Dewald and Ben Andrews of fellow San Francisco band, Buxter Hoot'n. The band, which writes and records music as a collaborative unit, consists of Shannon Koehler on vocals, harmonica, and drums; Vince Dewald on vocals, bass and guitar; Ben Andrews on guitar, fiddle and vocals; Brian Bakalian on drums, bass and vocals; and Elliott Peltzman on keyboards and vocals.

NLE Media at SXSW

WEDNESDAY

Joe Fletcher • Wed 3/18 • 2pm • Zen Fit
2200 E. 7th St • Sx7th St Day Party

“Must-see… [His] songs… wind and roll with steep changes, always ending with a birds-eye view that suddenly organizes it all into one delicate vision. The Rhode Islander-turned-Nashvillian's words flow more like folk poetry than verse-chorus status quo, picking on a honky-tonk spirit with a Tom Waits heart.” –Rolling Stone

The Stone Foxes • Wed 3/18 • 4pm • The Blackheart
86 Rainey St • Noise Trade/Green Notes Showcase

The Stone Foxes are seeing their profile rise to a new level as it announced its SXSW lineup and a headlining tour. The hard-driving, harmonica-blast inflected San Francisco rock & roll outfit, which has opened for the Black Keys, has seen almost 100,000 Spotify spins in February alone for new song “Cold Like a Killer,” its Foxes First Friday entry for the month. The Stone Foxes are premiering a new song the first Friday of each month leading up to its full-length album ’12 Spells,’ out August 7.

The Stone Foxes • Wed 3/18 • 6:20pm • Shiner's Saloon
422 N Congress Ave • Conscious Immaturity's Showcase

Kevin Gordon • Wed 3/18 • 10:15pm • Opa!
2050 South Lamar Boulevard • Radiothon

New record coming mid-2015! In the NY Times, Lucinda Williams said, "He’s writing songs that are like short stories, and I really like the kind of swampy, bluesy sound."

"Four stars… The sheer brilliance of the lyrics to Colfax/Step in Time alone justifies a top rating for the first album in seven years from this Southern-raised poet/rocker. Gordon sketches a not-so-simple portrait of a junior-high marching band on a bus trip, and every single image feels, tastes, smells and sounds absolutely true." –USA Today

THURSDAY

Kevin Gordon • Thurs 3/19 • 11am • Maria's Taco Xpress
2529 S Lamar Blvd • Grand Ole Austin

Kevin Gordon • Thurs 3/19 • 12:30pm • Broken Spoke
3201 S Lamar Blvd • Twangfest

Joe Fletcher • Thurs 3/19 • 2:25pm • Maria’s Taco Xpress
2529 S Lamar Blvd • Grand Ole Austin

The Stone Foxes • Thurs 3/19 • 4:50pm • The 512 (Rooftop)
408 E 6th St • SpokesBuzz Colorado Music Party

Kevin Gordon • Thurs 3/19 • 6pm • G&S Lounge
2420 S 1st St • Not SXSW

The Stone Foxes • Thurs 3/19 • 9pm • Maggie Mae's (Rooftop)
323 E 6th St • Monterey International Official SXSW Showcase

FRIDAY

The Stone Foxes • Fri 3/20 • 3pm • The Jackalope
404 E 6th • DeliRadio And Audiotree Showcase

The Stone Foxes • Fri 3/20 • 6pm • Little Woodrows
520 W 6th • LiveVibe Showcase

Joe Fletcher • Fri 3/20 • 8pm • Sam’s Town Point
2115 Allred Dr

SATURDAY

Various Artists • Sat 3/21 • 11am to 1am • Licha's Cantina
1306 E. 6th St. • Brooklyn Country Cantina

Kevin Gordon • Sat 3/21 • 1pm • Strange Brew
5326 Manchaca

Joe Fletcher • Sat 3/21 • 2pm • J Lorraine Ghost Town
14219 Littig Rd • BanditTown Texas Bound

The Stone Foxes • Sat 3/21 • 3pm • The Ginger Man
301 Lavaca Street • Dogfish/Blurt Magazine Party

Kevin Gordon • Sat 3/21 • 5pm • El Mercado
1302 S 1st St • Sun Radio

Leland Sundries • Sat 3/21 • 8:15pm • Licha's Cantina
1306 E. 6th St. • Brooklyn Country Cantina

“Oddball storytelling with a lo-fi country sensibility” – Time Out New York

The Stone Foxes SXSW and March/April tour posters

THE STONE FOXES ANNOUNCE PACKED SXSW SCHEDULE, HEADLINING TOUR

“STOMP” IN NAT’L BMW COMMERCIAL MARCH/APRIL

ALMOST 100K SPOTIFY PLAYS ON NEW SINGLE “COLD LIKE A KILLER” IN FEB. ALONE AS FOXES FIRST FRIDAY LEADS UP TO NEW ALBUM AUGUST 7

NEW MUSIC SEMINAR NAMES FOXES “ON THE VERGE”

“EXPLOSIVE” – NPR

The Stone Foxes are seeing their profile rise to a new level as it announced its SXSW lineup and a headlining tour. The hard-driving, harmonica-blast inflected San Francisco rock & roll outfit, which has opened for the Black Keys, has seen almost 100,000 Spotify spins in February alone for new song “Cold Like a Killer,” its Foxes First Friday entry for the month. The Stone Foxes are premiering a new song the first Friday of each month leading up to its full-length album ’12 Spells,’ out August 7.

Billboard reported that New Music Seminar featured the Stone Foxes on a list of “On The Verge” bands alongside such artists as Perfect Pussy, John Fullbright, Moon Hooch, Potty Mouth, and Twin Peaks. NPR has called them “explosive” and USA Today “irresistible.”

Their song "Stomp" will be featured in a nationally televised BMW commercial in March and April.

THE STONE FOXES SXSW SCHEDULE:

Wed 3/18 • 4pm • The Blackheart
86 Rainey St • NoiseTrade/Green Notes Showcase

Wed 3/18 • 6:20pm • Shiner’s Saloon
422 N Congress Ave • Conscious Immaturity Showcase

Thurs 3/19 • 4:50pm • The 512 (Rooftop)
408 E. 6th St • Spokesbuzz Colorado Music Party

Thurs 3/19 • 9pm • Maggie May’s (Rooftop)
323 E 6TH St • Monterey International Official SXSW Showcase

Fri 3/20 • 3PM • The Jackalope
404 E 6TH • DeliRadio & AudioTree Showcase

Fri 3/20 • 6PM • Little Woodrows
520 W 6th • Live Vibe Showcase

Sat 3/21 • 3PM • Gingerman
301 Lavaca St. • Dogfish / Blurt Party

THE STONE FOXES TOUR DATES:

March 7 – Oakland, CA - Leo’s
March 12 – Flagstaff, AZ – The Green Room
March 14 – Phoenix, AZ – Viva Phx
March 15 – Tucson, AZ – The Rock
March 22 – Dallas, TX – Gas Monkey
March 23 – Albuquerque, NM – Launchpad
March 27 – Las Vegas, NV – Backstage Bar
April 3 – Fairfax, CA – 19 Broadway
April 4 – Fresno, CA – Catacomb Party
May 16 – Vista, CA – North County Music Festival
June 20 – Folsom, CA – Folsom Rhythm & Brews

This Stone Foxes are lead by brothers Shannon (drums, harmonica, vocals) and Spence Koehler (guitar, vocals) and along with their brothers in rock-and-roll Vince Dewald (bass, vocals), Ben Andrews (guitar, violin), Elliot Peltzman (keys, vocals), and Brian Bakalian (drums) they bring their freewheeling, frenetic energy to the stage with plenty of tightly crafted hooks and dance worthy rhythms to spare. Koehler says, “We are on a mission to bottle up all the energy, the impressive amount of sweat, and the outrageous fun we have playing live, and give it back to the rest of the humans. We're six dudes who believe that Rock n Roll can move mountains, and we're gonna play it ‘til we move one.”

The Stone Foxes: First Fridays Playlist

The Stone Foxes Present

The Stone Foxes press photos & music videos

'Twelve Spells' album artwork

Credit: Joe D. Barham

Credit: Joe D. Barham

Credit: Joe D. Barham

Above credit: Mike Rosati

Above credit: Mike Rosati

Live Photo: Kenneth Kearney

The Stone Foxes press clips

Audiotree session (November 19, 2015):





Relix video session (January 30, 2015)


Pancakes & Whiskey track premiere (Jan 2, 2015)

Last.FM track premiere (November 7, 2014)

Jambase track premiere (September 17, 2014)