A Chat with Bernie Stone (27.06.2020)
Multi-instrumentalist Bernie Stone is following up his debut solo release with ‘Ancient Waltz’. The influence of World and new-age music is clear in this release. We sat down with Bernie Stone (BS) to talk about ‘Ancient Waltz’, his music and much more!
OSR: What drew you to the music industry?
BS: I’ve loved music from a very young age, influenced by what I would hear around me on the radio and TV in the 90’s, a mix of britpop, dance anthems and classic rock which has shaped my taste over the years. Producing and playing music has been a big part of my life for at least the last 15 years, as I continued to grow as a musician it has become clear to me that this is what I want to do!
OSR: Why was now the right time to release a solo project?
BS: Like many artists over the last few months around the world, having to stay home in ‘lockdown’ has been a useful opportunity to complete many unfinished projects and do what I have been saying I have to do for years, musically, which is to get organised! I started sharing my music on the website SubmitHub and was so encouraged and inspired by the feedback I received from so many talented artists around the world, I decided to release my first 2 singles that I plan to feature on my first solo album As Together So Alone.
OSR: What is your creative process?
BS: It depends on the spark. This could be a drum beat, a chord progression, melody, lyric etc. I am self-taught and have a very limited understanding of music theory, so I really try to feel my way towards something, building tracks up one instrument at a time. Sometimes, a song will develop so naturally before I even have time to think too much about what is happening, other times, I can get stuck in the details.
OSR: What is the inspiration for ‘Ancient Waltz’?
BS: This song came about very spontaneously and is based around a very simple chord progression with some improvised flute and chanting. I was very inspired around the time by a song called ‘Last Of The Mohicans’ by Alexandro Querevalu. I was really gripped by the vocal section and the raw emotion you can feel in this recording, I definitely wanted to try and capture something similar with this song.
OSR: Do you sing in the bath? If so, what songs?
BS: Of course! The best reverb in the house, ‘Moon River’ is a bath time favourite!
OSR: What is your favourite instruments to play?
BS: That is a difficult question to answer! I have so much fun playing lots of different instruments for very different reasons. I love being able to express myself and emote through music and since my first and main instrument is the guitar, I am most comfortable and capable on this instrument. Most of the songs I write will start with it and I often will use the guitar to figure out melodies and progressions to then translate to other instruments.
OSR: Are there any instruments you still want to learn?
BS: Absolutely, there are so many! I could spend a long time listing them all. I would love to learn violin and cello so that I could layer up my own string section in my recordings.
OSR: If it was not for your music career, what would you be doing right now?
BS: This is something I don’t like to think on too much! I certainly could not imagine my life without it.
OSR: Are you a tea or coffee person and why?
BS: Coffee, if you saw me in the morning without one, you would know why!
OSR: What are your ambitions as a musician and songwriter?
BS: I would love to be able to do this professionally, of course, this is the dream! I have begun to collaborate online with artists from all over the world and this is something I definitely want to continue. My aim ultimately is for my music to be used in TV/ Film/ Games. I have produced so many different styles of music over the last 15 years and enjoyed every moment, it would be wonderful to gain some recognition for my ability as a composer and multi-instrumentalist.
PS. My next scheduled release is a collaboration EP between myself and AMUTHA, ‘The Teapot Factory‘, a great example of quarantine collaboration and my loose creative process, 6 tracks between two wildly different artists with mutual respect and admiration for each other’s music, coming together to create something very special.
Thanks to Bernie Stone for chatting with us! You can find more about him on his Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
This is soo cool!!!