Stone Axe - Extended Play
RxEvolution Records
Release date: September 2009


What was the last song you heard that made you drop everything you were doing and just soak it all in? And after that, you had to track down the nearest person and make them listen to it, without interruption and louder than necessary? I’m not talking about a good tune - I’m talking about a life changer, the kind that’s got so much “Fuck yeah!” in its DNA, those genetically predisposed to being miserable need to wear hazmat suits when in close proximity lest they pass out due to a near-fatal case of feeling awesome.

Stone Axe’s “Ain’t Gonna Miss It” is one such song, and it’s so damn perfect, I might as well tell you to stop reading this nonsense and go out and get Extended Play for it alone. As with the Washington based band’s debut, the three studio tracks dig deep into classic 70’s rock lore, coming closest to Free in execution but hitting up Zeppelin, AC/DC, Deep Purple, and Thin Lizzy as well. If “Ain’t Gonna Miss It” is the undisputable champ of the three, both “King of Everything” and “Those Were the Golden Years” are destined to forever duke it out for close second. I’d say “King of Everything” inches ahead, thanks to the way frontman Dru Brinkerhoff goes into Total Rock God mode on the chorus, but then again, guitarist Tony Reed’s lead vocals on “Those Were the Golden Years” makes that song the soundtrack for driving around on sunny day with the top down, with nothing but good times on the horizon. Reed’s voice makes the song more BTO than Thin Lizzy, but I’m not complaining about that one bit.

As for the live tracks, you get “Black Widow,” “Shine On,” “Skylah Rae,” and “There’d Be Days.” All but “Shine On” are available on both the CD and vinyl versions of Stone Axe (“Shine On“ is vinyl only), and all four show what a powerhouse the band is. Brinkerhoff in particular does an exemplary job, especially on the sci fi epic “Skylah Rae” and The Faces-inspired “There’d Be Days.” Since Reed does all the instrumentation in the studio, it’s worth noting that drummer Mykey Haslip and bassist Mike DuPont make for a solid rhythm section. Hopefully they'll start doing full band recordings going forward.

It’s a shame Extended Play isn’t a full-length studio follow-up, but in terms of songwriting, it’s still a definite step forward. Given how impressive the band’s debut was, that’s no small feat. Highly recommended.

- John Pegoraro

Great stuff carried by the songwriting. Playing etc. are good but you can't "engineer" songs you have to write'm and they have to work to else its just a genre exercise. Everything they're done is worthwhile.