STONE COLD FOX

By Rick Perez

There comes a time in every artists journey when we are unsure of the direction we are heading.  We can sometimes get insecure about what we are creating and wonder if it will take us anywhere.  I have been at this point for a few months now, and I couldn’t decipher if I was truly unsure of my path or if it was just that winter blues getting me down.

On a wonderfully sunny day, I rode my bike to the Brooklyn Roasting Company in D.U.M.B.O., Brooklyn, where I met with the band Stone Cold Fox.  I was greeted by Kevin Henthorn (vocals/guitar), Aaron Hamel (drums), Graham Stone (guitar), and Justin Bright (bass), some of the chillest dudes I have met so far.  We talked a bit to break the little ice that was there, and proceeded with the interview.

During the interview, Kevin shared that Stone Cold Fox’s new single, ‘Change My Mind’ was about “staying on a course no matter what.  We’ve had some ups and downs over the past couple of years and especially with that song we almost gave up on it like 5 times.”  Their persistence as a band and belief in the song really inspired me.  As a writer and photographer I have to constantly grow and progress even though I may feel like I am going no where.  This concept was so fitting for me at the moment.  Stone Cold Fox, a talented and driven group, had re-encouraged me to keep my eye on the prize and to fully believe in what I am doing.

Thanks guys.

Check out Rick’s interview with Stone Cold Fox, where they shared the story behind their new single ‘Change My Mind’, their favorite Brooklyn haunts, and the type of superhero they would be.

INTERVIEW

Who is  STONE COLD FOX and what is your music about? 

Kevin: We have been a band for about 4 years and it started out as a solo thing with me. The music has been consistently about poppy dance elements with indie rock.
If each member had the chance to go back in time for 24 hours, when and where would you go?

Aaron: I would go back to when the Beatles played on the ED SULLIVAN Show.

Graham: I’d like to go back to Woodstock or something. Like a Seminole 60’S rock show.

Kevin: On set of Annie Hall.  I’d like to be a crew member, just to see Woody Allen.

Justin: I’d go back to when Kennedy got shot and stop him from getting shot.

Graham:  I was gonna say Grassy Knoll dude!

Justin:  Even though it’s not a light and fun one, I feel like it’s pretty important

Graham: Well as dark as it sounds, even if you weren’t able to prevent it, with the hindsight that we know now about it, you could observe some things that could have changed the course of history.

If each member was a superhero, which superpower would you have, what would your name be, and what would you wear?

Justin: I would be Invisible Man.  My power would be to turn invisible, and I would wear nothing because I’m invisible.  Why would I need anything?

Kevin: Oh my gosh that’s the creepiest answer.  Haha I would want to fly.  But every Halloween I’m a pirate cowboy so I would want to be that.  So a flying pirate cowboy.

Aaron: What’s your superpower though?

Kevin: I don’t know, I would sail the high seas on a horse.  That’s me, Kevin Henthorne.

Aaron:  Maybe like World Peace Man.  I’d shoot rainbows and peace signs out of my fingers.

Graham:  I’m stuck on time travel.  I just saw Looper.  I don’t know what my name would be.  Time Custodian?

Do you have a story behind your new single. ‘Change My Mind’?

Kevin: It’s a song that we (Ariel, former member) originally wrote while up at a cabin, tripping on acid in the sun room.  We did a couple lines that were the beginning of the song, and it took about a year and a half later to take that somewhere. It was a great idea, we knew we wanted to do something with it.  It wasn’t until we all jammed on it when it all came together as a piece for the band.

The song is about staying on a course no matter what.  We’ve had some ups and downs over the past couple of years and especially with that song we almost gave up on it like 5 times.  We’ve had a tough time carrying it out, probably because it was a half-baked acid idea that went on for two years.

For each member, what is your favorite Stone Cold Fox song?

Kevin: ‘Polyethylene’, it’s a new one on the EP that hasn’t come out yet.  It’s probably my favorite to play, and favorite to record and write.

Justin:  Honestly, I like most of the songs off the new EP, but in terms of older stuff I really like Father Spirit.

Aaron: There’s this song off the new EP called ‘Morning Light’, which even though Graham kinda started, it was probably our most collaborative piece.  It’s just fun to play live too.

Graham: That’s probably my favorite, too, and not because I’m biased.  It was one of the most collaborative, but also one of the most reminiscent of the whole EP: being rewarded for being persistent.  It took a long time and it was an idea that was kicking around for awhile and we didn’t quite know how to approach it.  It really came together when we all started playing as a band

Friday night in Brooklyn, New York: where are you guys hanging out?

Justin: More likely than not we are a bar somewhere hanging with our friends.  I like Skinny Dennis.  I dig some good honky tonk vibes late at night.

Kevin: My roommates and I always go to The Sampler, it’s a really good place.  They have fancy bottles, good taps.

Graham:  I use to live around the corner from The Levy and Skinny Dennis so I have a soft spot for both.

Aaron:  I like a good shit hole, and I like a nicer sit down.  Miloco is like my go-to, right there in Bed-Stuy.  Sometimes I just go to the Abbey and play Buck Hunter.

Where did you buy your shirts from?

Justin: This shirt was a Christmas present from my mother.

Kevin: I go to this graphic tee place a lot, but I always forget the name.  It’s an owl feeding a dead mouse to a baby.

Graham:  I’m a pretentious douche bag and this is a J Brand shirt.

Aaron:  I got this in Nashville for 2 dollars at a thrift store.  My entire wardrobe is whatever is in a thrift store.

If you can pick any band to share the bill with, who would it be?

Aaron: I would like to share a bill with Foals, they’re like my favorite band.

Kevin: I’d probably say Spoon.  Total dream band.

Graham: Spoon would be a good one.  I’d say Grizzly Bear too.

Justin: St. Vincent, I really like her.

What’s next for Stone Cold Fox?

Kevin: We are releasing our EP, Tunnel Vision, on April 29th.  We are spending 3 weeks up in the studio, writing more.  Our 5th member left so we have some work to do.  Our next show at the Knitting Factory will be our first time playing as a 4 piece.  We have our EP release show to look forward to  at Mercury Lounge on May 7th.

In general, we are just recording more and not stopping.  The biggest thing we realized in between Memory Palace and Tunnel Vision is that we have taken all that time to figure out this new sound that really feels like us.  Now it’s so much easier to write because we have a framework built in.  We want to crank things out much faster.

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