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63 Stone
 63 Stone are a local band who, when introducing themselves to me via e-mail, describe themselves as "being heavier than the rock scene but not as heavy as the heavy guys". "We're probably in that middle ground somewhere," rhythm guitarist and songwriter Chris G affirms, when I sit down for a chat with him and drummer Rob Russo. "We're a double guitar band that's influenced a lot by guitar-based music, from that played by the likes of Pantera right through to death metal. We're also influenced by more rock-based bands such as Soundgarden, Velvet Revolver, and early Van Halen who did a lot of pioneering guitar work. That's where we think we sit: somewhere between those two realms. We're not a speed-oriented band, but we've got some elements that are very heavy; we've also got some that are quite rock-based in a traditional sense."
63 Stone has been going for about two years now, and formed from a now-defunct band called 12 Gauge. Having seen the latter group at a show a few years back, but not heard anything about them since, I'm curious to know how long they lasted.
"I was never part of that group, but I think a good four or five years," Russo answers. "As things were sort of starting to die off with them and their previous couple of drummers, I came a knockin' on the door and sort of re-ignited things. We didn't do any gigs; we just wrote music in a completely different style. Then Chris came a knockin' at the door as well, which pushed us even further and made us the five-piece we are today. We've never looked back."
"I was playing with Steve Adams, the bass player of 12 Gauge, in another little collaboration," G elaborates. "We sort of lost track of each other once he started getting involved in 12 Gauge, but then I got a call from him; he'd rediscovered me somehow. I just dropped in on a jam with him and the rest of the boys - they thought I was OK, and two years later, we're still going."
G tells me the group have done about ten shows since their inception. "Personally, the first show we did was my favourite," he says, "because it was the first show. We went over the top with the organisation and promotion, which really paid off. It was fantastic; it really launched us."
"It was also a bit of a gamble," adds Russo, "because we did it at the Cargo Club - we were one of the first rock bands in Adelaide to do that."
"We converted a dance club into a rock club!" G exclaims.
"And it was a success!" continues Russo.
"Yeah, it was just as good for the venue as it was for us," G recalls. "It was a win/win situation really."
"Another good show we did was at the Cranker last Boxing Day," Russo muses. "It was on a Tuesday night, but the venue was packed!"
"I had one of my arms in a cast that time, so it was a bit hard to play," G admits, "but it was good fun all the same. I'd fallen off my bike and broken my scaphoid, which is a little bone in the wrist. When I went to hospital, I told the plaster-setting guy to set my hand in the position in which I play guitar! He angled things perfectly so I could still play. I had the accident itself when some guy just fell in front of me while I was riding; I ended up flying through the air! I'd broken my collarbone about a year before - again through a bike-related accident - so had to make sure I didn't land on it again! The fracture in my wrist was a little one, but could have caused a lot of problems - the scaphoid's notorious for not healing well. If it doesn't heal properly, you'll know about it for the rest of your life. It's actually quite common for cyclists and motorcyclists to break it."
"Actually, I remember when you did your collarbone," Russo pipes up. "It was just after you'd joined the band. The rest of us were like, 'Geez, the new guy - we have to carry his equipment as well!'"
James Brazel
63 Stone play at the Underground on Sat 11 Aug with CallerDeNight, The Fak and Devonera.
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