Young Will Stone has followed his passion in music being an understudy of Gold Album awarded engineer Eddie Ashworth (Sublime, Slightly Stoopid) at Ohio University for 4 years. He has gone on to craft his own unique sound and brings a smile and inspiration to people everywhere from huge stages to the streets of USA. Last year he made it to the semi-finals in the biggest battle of the bands contest in the Cincinnati area.
He was also able to successfully fund his Kickstarter campaign for the production of his debut album. YWS’ goal is to become a full-time touring artist and recording engineer. He has already managed to successfully run a recording studio and has been building up a number of friends and contacts within the industry.
Young Will Stone has now released his self-titled 8 track album, and it’s quite a revelation. YWS moves through a variety of styles, from rock to ska and from punk to reggae. The music here is fresh and has a funky vibe mixed with some good grooves. From the opener, you can tell that Young Will Stone has found a vibe in his artistry.
Every once in a while an artist comes along that catches our attention in ways, maybe we haven’t been expecting. We can never really understand the total why’s and how’s of this attraction, but we know that his music has put us in a place we truly enjoy being, no matter how temporary. Young Will Stone’s music achieves just that.
If there is one common thread to YWS’ disparate styles it that he takes inspiration from the 70’s and then puts a post-modern or otherwise unique spin on those primary influences – a totally retro, neo-psychedelic, hard rocking sound with soulful groove-laden riffs, killer solos and strong melodies.
And that’s just part of the story, which you’ll find, in all of its splendor, on tracks like “Sunshine”, “Goodbye”, “24 Karat” and “Flow & Glow”. Now skip two tracks back, and there’s the absolute flip side of the coin with the reggae-infected “Knotty Dreadlocks”. Go back yet another track, and you’ll find “Someplace to Grow”, a blend of punk and upbeat ska.
Now jump six tracks forward to the acoustic alternative rock sound of “680”. It soon becomes clear that Young Will Stone delivers charisma and variety in spades. But those two assets alone won’t be enough to produce an album as stunningly eclectic as this one.
So Young Will Stone brings a whole lot more to the table. For one thing he throws his talent into the vocals, guitar, bass, brass, percussion and just about anything else he can legally get his dirty hands on. Still not satisfied he infuses some seriously scratching turntables into “Goodbye”, just to make sure you’re paying attention.
All-round this album proves to be inventive, progressive, current and modern – highly inspired music, yet it feels absolutely classic at the same time. It is a marvelously dynamic recording that has many peaks and valleys and it actually feels like an experience from start to finish, lyrically, musically and thematically. Do yourself a favor and play this loud!
OFFICIAL LINKS: WEBSITE – REVERBNATION – FACEBOOK
More Stories
Jfons: Authenticity, Groove, and a Legacy in the Making
Tuomikoski Shines with the Captivating Pop-Rock Anthem “Here To Stay”
Sara Diana: A Fresh Voice in Indie Pop with “Filthy Happy” and “all up in my head”