The brainchild of Uxbridge guitarist and songwriter Austin Cole packs some serious weight as the prolific rock act known as Ninety-Foot Stone. Exclusively focusing on the art of songwriting, Austin Cole took this devotion and allowed himself to be led to developing a sound that captures the dark energy and foreboding mood of 90s era alt-rock and cutting edge 21st-century heavy rock that is undeniably compelling.
Up and coming on the scene the amplified energy formed in their latest single “Out of My Head,” is courtesy of some of Canada’s most well-known rock bands. The song features Taylor Perkins of Bleeker (vocals/lyrics), The Trews’ own Jeff Heisholt (keyboards), bassist Duncan Coutts and drummer Jason Pierce, both from Our Lady Peace.
Debuting with an ominous edge that overflows from their latest single “Out of My Head,” we get to tour the developed sound that has been waiting to escape pen and paper, and grace our speakers. There’s an electric poise that sizzles from the soundwaves as the polished essence of rock meets metal hues in an energy takeover.
The impeccably timed verses give us the grit we desire, as it takes us into a victorious chorus that has us swaying into the musical foundation of sustaining guitar riffs, a deep below roaring from the resonated bassline, and percussion that carves its own path with how colossal it sounds. We most definitely can’t forget the ambient keys that shape the atmospheric realm in which we spiral towards as the almost ethereal pads and synths lure us into the robust, yet airy prevalence in the mix.
Bolstered by the compelling nature of modern chaos filtering through an organized fashion, we clasp onto the intensified depth that nuzzles itself into our headspace through an alternate state of reality. Ninety-Foot Stone lives up to their name with the weighty talent that comprises this remarkable debut. Heavy with a sound that gives us what we need in the nostalgia department, we can’t deny how “Out of My Head” presently resides in our minds as the modern twist on rock n roll that we need.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Austin Cole. We absolutely love the way that you chose to debut this heavy-hitting track for the first Ninety Foot Stone single. With such a substantial roster of artists that contributed to this track, could you please tell us how you all came together?
It started a couple of years back when I connected with my producer Brian Moncarz. We had some conversations about the direction of the music and the overall sound that I wanted to achieve. Almost right away he was able to bring Duncan and Jason in from OLP to do the rhythm section. When we started having discussions about singers then Taylor from Bleeker was the first person that came to mind for Brian. Brian had worked with Taylor in the past and thought his voice and energy would work with what we were doing. Once Taylor started doing some vocal stuff for us we got a full sample of what Ninety Foot Stone was going to sound like and that was a very exciting time. This whole project really came together because of my producer Brian Moncarz. He’s acted as a quarterback to the entire process and has brought everyone together to create what you hear now.
What inspired you to make “Out of My Head” your debut single to the world? What is the story or moment that inspired the overall concept we hear?
My inspiration behind “Out of My Head” was to make something very simple but very memorable and straight to the point. There were other songs that I had at the time that were ready to go but I wanted something that best represented Ninety Foot Stone in one track, and I think Out of My Head is probably the best song for capturing that.
We can only imagine the creativity that flows when you link up with a group of industry veterans like this! What was the creative process like when bringing this vision to life? Was the track done virtually or in person?
his track was the one song we did that was 100% virtual. It was a challenge but it was also a lot of fun going through the process in a different way from what we would normally do. There are definitely some disadvantages though for sure. When you’re in the studio with everyone it’s a lot easier for everyone to make suggestions or adjustments to sections of the song. In this case, we all tracked our parts from our own home studios, Brian was there of course to guide everyone in the right direction, but it was still more challenging for sure. Overall I’m really happy with how it turned out, it was a unique thing to do at a unique time.
What would you say is the mission statement of Ninety-Foot Stone?
I would say the mission statement is to create original heavy-hitting rock music that continues to evolve with time while staying true to the roots of what Ninety Foot Stone is. I want to always be moving forward, making new music that grows with time so it doesn’t become boring but also doesn’t try to be something it isn’t.
What's next for you?
What’s next is to keep making more music. I feel like we’ve just accomplished a big first step of finding the sound of Ninety Foot Stone. There’s a foundation there now that I can’t wait to continue to build on. I look forward to being able to get back into an actual studio and have that person-to-person contact.