CMW Critical Conclusions for…Stone River (Canadian Music Week 2014 concert review)

On night 3 of Canadian Music Week, Pete Hates Music caught up with Stone River for some rock n’ roll goodness.

Venue: Cherry Cola’s

Stone River at Cherry Cola’s – CMW 2014 (Copyright: PeteHatesMusic and Martin Bazyl Photography)

First Impressions: Although I’ve listened to a fair bit of Stone River, nothing could have prepared me for their live sound. The first song (and each song after that) was a hard rock melody. The stage was a little small for the five piece band but they made it work – as Jay Macedo (bass) said, “brotherly love”.

Stage Presence: The guys have an awesome stage presence. Nothing too showy but they genuinely look like they’re having fun. It looks more like friends jamming in a garage then a band on stage (in a very very good way) and perfect harmony results!

Stone River at Cherry Cola’s – CMW 2014 (Copyright: PeteHatesMusic and Martin Bazyl Photography)

Crowd Reaction: The crowd loved Stone River. When the guys were setting up, the whole venue filled to the brim in a matter of 15 minutes and everyone crowded around the stage to get a better view and listen.

Random Observation: The guy standing next to me ate all the garlic in Toronto for dinner. Also, I don’t know why smells, and awful smells at that, are running rampant this CMW or why I’m subjected to them.

The Last Word: 9/10 – Not only are the members of Stone River genuinely nice, down to earth guys, but their music is really good. You can hear their 70s rock influences throughout their music, but they put their own unique and modern spin on the sound. The harmony created by these five talented artists is something to be seen and heard and it’s a sound definitely made for the big stage. Maybe even Yonge-Dundas Square one day?

Rock out to more photos of the band on our CMW Day 3 Facebook photo album, and look out for a interview with the band coming soon!

Stone River at Cherry Cola’s – CMW 2014 (Copyright: PeteHatesMusic and Martin Bazyl Photography)

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