Kat Harlton
Up-and-coming rock act Ninety-Foot Stone recently released their debut single “Out of My Head” via all streaming platforms.
The project is the brainchild of Uxbridge guitarist and songwriter Austin Cole and packs some serious weight – sonically and in terms of those he’s collaborating with. Working with musicians from some of Canada’s most well-known rock bands, the song features Taylor Perkins of Bleeker (vocals/lyrics), The Trews’ Jeff Heisholt (keyboards), bassist Duncan Coutts and drummer Jason Pierce, both from of Our Lady Peace. To top it off, “Out of My Head” was produced by world-class rock producer Brian Moncarz (Alice Cooper, Our Lady Peace, The Trews). Inspired by classic metal bands with a modern twist, “Out of My Head”, is the brute force of those acts tempered by the kind of earworm guitar and vocal hooks inspired by the likes of Stone Temple Pilots and Queens of the Stone Age.
We had the opportunity to chat with Austin about the new single, what he learned on this project, and what’s next.
Kat: Can you talk about the inspiration behind your new single Out of My Head? Why did you choose this track to be the project’s debut?
Austin: At the time we had some really cool songs pretty much ready to go but I wanted to make something that hits hard right away to really grab the listener’s attention. I wanted to make something really simple but really powerful and memorable.
There seemed to be a general consensus among everyone involved with the project that Out of My Head should be the debut song. I think it’s the best representation of what NFS is in just one song and it’s a really good indicator as to what other music is coming soon.
Kat: What do you hope potential new fans take away from the song?
Austin: The whole process of creating this music has been very natural and organic. I wasn’t trying to make it sound like your typical rock radio song or what’s popular in the rock world right now. The music is original and authentic. What I hope listeners take away from this song is added confidence that original rock music is still being made and hopefully they can be excited for more to come.
Kat: What do you find is the most challenging part of your creative process? Was it difficult to execute this recording completely virtually?
Austin: I typically find the earlier stages of song creation the most challenging. I’ll have so many different ideas and pieces but trying to fit them together and see what will work and what won’t can be difficult. It can be frustrating that there are always a lot of riffs or melodies that you don’t end up using. I’ll be really excited about a specific section but sometimes it just doesn’t work for that song.
Out of My Head was the one song we did that was completely remotely recorded and produced. We recorded everything from our own home studios and sent everything to Brian Moncarz the producer. Brian would then take all the pieces and put them together into what eventually became Out of My Head. It was more difficult than being in the studio for sure but since it was a reality that we had to accept, we actually enjoyed the challenge of recording this way especially because it’s not something we’ve ever done before.
Kat: As you’ve embarked on this project, what have you learned along the way?
Austin: I’ve learned so much during the process but there is one thing I’ve learned that I would consider to be the most impactful. Surrounding yourself with good people who know what they are doing is so important. By having other musicians that are better than me and a producer with so much knowledge it makes everything that I do so much better. I’ve learned so much about writing, recording and overall musicianship from the other people involved in the project.
Kat: What’s next for Ninety Foot Stone?
Austin: What’s next is to keep creating more music. I’ve put a lot of time in the last couple of years just trying to figure out what I want Ninety Foot Stone to sound like. I feel like I’ve been able to really dial in the sounds and get the music to sound the way I want it to and now that we have that as a foundation, I’m excited to continue to build on it.
For more on Ninety Foot Stone, visit: www.ninetyfootstone.com