Canuck Spotlight: Stone In

Well, well, well, look at the time! It’s time for another Canuck Spotlight, a showcase for up-and-coming Canadian bands and artists. Today we focus on Stone In, an inventive duo from Vancouver, British Columbia dedicated to exploring heaviness in all its musical forms. The duo consists of Greg Valou on double-neck guitar/bass and flute with Alberto Centurion on drums. The boys have a unique improvisational style that lends itself perfectly to their brand of music, dabbling in psychedelic rock, prog rock, and stoner rock with jazzy flourishes.

Stone In released their album Men in UFOs this past February on vinyl and digital formats. What’s particular about this record is that it was recorded live on a hot summer night in 2011 and it was entirely spontaneous, a long unrehearsed jam session that delivered terrific results. Guitarist Greg Valou played his double-neck by jumping from the guitar to the bass and vice-versa with the help of a loop pedal. The pounding rhythm these guys have is ten shades of awesome; that bass and drum combo is spellbinding at times. And there’s a flute that makes its appearance too, which adds layers to the proceedings and gives the whole affair more oomph. You quickly forget that you’re listening to a duo. It feels more like a trio or a quartet whenever the haunting flute jumps in.

If you enjoy lyric-less heavy/stoner rock, then tune in to Stone In for an instrumental album that’s sure to leave you coming back for more. There are shades of Hendrix’s Band of Gypsys, Al Cisneros’s OM, and even echoes of fusion Jazz à la Miles Davis circa Bitches Brew. Men in UFOs is a spacey musical trip and it will be interesting to see what journey this talented Canuck duo embarks on next.

Stone In’s Official Website: http://stoneinband.com/

Stone In on Bandcamp: https://stonein.bandcamp.com/music

Stone In on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Stone-In-133729933376052