Nov 05, 2013 –
STONE DIAMOND, THE ROCK CHAMELEON
Cy, Marc and Peter started out as a teenage garage band with musical influences ranging from glam rock, metal to funk, soul and jazz. Now they have reached a new level: Phoenix!
“We are continually developing our style to create something new. Hence the title Phoenix,” says singer and bassist Cy. “That also applies when you compare it to our last record, which was way more blues rock-oriented. The new sound is different, more vibrant, and the arrangements are very modern. But it’s definitely a Stone Diamond record.”
Cy composed and produced all the songs on the first record, We Stole the Stars from the Black Night, and was the bandleader onstage – a duty he now shares with the band’s guitarist Marc.
Marc, an 80s glam kid, boasts plenty of star potential. He was the rock god singer in countless bands beside Stone Diamond. Completing the ensemble, drummer Pete has taken a much more active part in the songwriting on Phoenix.
Pete is a trained musician and his funky, jazzy style has become the heartbeat of Phoenix: “Our new songs were written very intuitively. We started collecting ideas at rehearsals, which we then elaborated into songs.” Marc adds: “We set ourselves a very tight schedule and the pressure really made the songs come alive. A lot of the album was developed right there in the studio. I mean, we’ve known each other for such a long time that we quickly slip into a mutual groove when we play. To keep the sound raw we wanted to avoid overproducing this record. And we did: it’s become very direct.”