| Stoney |
Mark
Stoney
|
| Background
information |
| Birth name |
Mark Stoney |
| Also known as |
Stoney |
| Born |
circa 1980 |
| Origin |
Sheffield, England |
| Genre(s) |
Many genres including but not
limited to Indie, Alternative,
Rock |
| Occupation(s) |
Musician, Vocalist, Songwriter |
| Instrument(s) |
Vocals, Keyboards, Guitar, others |
| Years active |
2001 – present |
| Website |
http://www.stoney.mu/ |
Stoney (born Mark Stoney
circa 1980) is a British musician, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.
Career
Stoney first appeared on the UK music scene following the
release of his debut inventive and homegrown-style album Amber
in 2001. A quirky collection of songs written in his teens, and
recorded in his Sheffield basement following his escape from his
hometown of Croydon,
it was independently distributed initially through a few local record
shops on his own Holy Moly label. Stoney played all the instruments on
the record.
In response to the positive public reaction, a full band was
formed to take the songs to the stage, and a three track EP of songs
from the album, enitled Amber EP, was released
nationally the next year gaining Stoney his first national radio
airplay.
Stoney signed to Island Records in 2003, teaming up
with producers Kevin Bacon and Jon Quarmby (Longpigs, Richard
Hawley, Sugarbabes, Finlay
Quaye) to record an album. During this time, Stoney and his band
performed under the name of Stoneylacuna, to
reflect the change from the singer-songwriter feel of Amber
to the bigger, full band sound of the new recordings. However,
political wrangles ensued and Stoney parted company with the label the
following year without a record being released.
A few months later, the limited edition single Constantly
Running was released nationally on the small Transistor
label. Despite positive reviews and some significant champions on UK
radio, momentum had been lost and Stonelylacuna
parted company.
In late 2004, Stoney focused on producing other artists, and
set up Lacuna Productions, a record production company with fellow
Sheffield producer Sam Jones. Lacuna birthed debut singles from several
rising Sheffield indie stars such as Bromheads
Jacket and Little Ze.
Stoney had all but stopped performing until early 2005, when Constantly
Running was hailed as the single of the week on the iTunes music
store, restarting a frenzy of activity . The single achieved over
17,000 downloads in the UK alone in the first week. Stoney followed up
with the Soap In a Bathtub EP, which brought him
further national exposure. After forming a new band, Stoney provided
the support for the Arctic Monkeys first
sell-out UK tour in the Summer of 2005, alongside festival appearances
at Glastonbury
and Leeds.
Stoney became a regular guest on BBC
Radio 2 and BBC
6Music and further shows with high profile acts such as Jamie T,Athlete
& Feeder along with his own
headline shows quickly gained him a reputation as an exhilarating and
charismatic live performer, continuing to win him a steadily growing
underground UK fanbase. A double A-side single featuring fan favourites
Until You Leave and Holds the Stars
was released at the end of 2005.
In 2006, following an acoustic show at the SXSW festival in
Texas, he was flown to Los Angeles by Rick Rubin
for a private showcase. At the time of writing, it is unconfirmed if
the two will be working together on a future record, but emerging
champions of Stoney on US radio such as Nic
Harcourt at KCRW
are quickly developing a strong fanbase over the Atlantic. Stoney
released the 12 track album The Scene and The Unseen
in the summer of 2006 on the independent Manchester
based label Too Nice Recordings and as a download on iTunes. Despite a
typically low-key and organic release, it prompted widespread critical
acclaim from the national UK papers, with rave reviews from The
Independent, The
Sunday Times and The
Daily Express.
Holds The Stars coupled with One
of You was released as the iTunes Single of the Week on 29
November 2006.
Stoney continues to work with other artists on a production
basis, and is currently working on two forthcoming feature film
soundtracks. He is also regularly collaborating with award winning
songwriter Guy Chambers on various side
projects.
Discography
As Mark Stoney:
- Amber. CD Album. 2001. Holy Moly Records.
- Amber EP. CD EP. 2002. Thunderbird
Records.
As Stoneylacuna:
- Constantly Running. CD single. 2004.
Transistor Records.
As Stoney:
- Constantly Running. iTunes single.
January, 2005. Transistor Records.
- Soap in a Bathtub. CD, 7" and iTunes
single. June, 2005. Transistor Records.
- Until You Leave/Holds The Stars. Double
A-side CD, 7" and iTunes single. November, 2005. Too Nice Records.
- The Scene And The Unseen. CD Album.
2006. Too Nice Records.
- Holds The Stars. iTunes Single. November
2006
External links
