A Chat with Bernie Stone (27.06.2020)

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.

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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.

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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.

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Thanks to Bernie Stone for chatting with us! You can find more about him on his Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.