Local band Kansas Stone is coming home later this month. After traipsing all over North America perfecting their craft, musicians Brian Vain and Matt Davey hit the stage at Mavricks Music Hall June 23, on the same bill as Blackjack Billy and B.C-born up-and-comer Madeline Merlo.
Vain tells BarrieToday the lure of a local crowd cheering them on is growing louder.
“It’s always nice to come back and play for your hometown. It's been almost a year since we had the full band back in Barrie and played with Aaron Pritchett. We have been really busy back and forth to Nashville writing/recording and working on the new single, it's going to be great to be home and have some fun on stage again.”
Just take one look at a photo of the two of them and you see a couple of guys a little rough around the edges. While Vain chuckles at the analogy of “Sons of Anarchy meets country,” he insists he and Matt are just being themselves.
“We wanted to just stay true to us and who we are. It is the same with writing; we just write what makes us happy or that touches us. We have a lot of influences in country and rock and I think a little of that comes out in every song we write.”
And there’s nothing mamby-pamby about titles like Country 101, Whiskey and Wine and Drink On, songs closer to Johnny Walker and Jim Beam than the latest vintage out of Tuscany.
Kansas Stone is a whole lot of country and more than a little bit of rock-and-roll, only not in the Donny-and-Marie sense. Brian and Matt claim Waylon Jennings, the Allman Brothers, Alabama, Randy Travis and Elvis as influences.
(On learning a couple of weeks ago that ramblin’ man Gregg Allman had passed, the two pulled over to the side somewhere outside of Nashville of the road and played a little tribute to him, later tweeting “Rest Easy Midnight Rider”)
Odd thing is, Brian’s career as a musician was almost cut short – literally – at a young age, by a steel mill mishap at 22. Still, he says the accident was one of the best things to happen to him.
“I was 11-years-old when I started playing music, but I was so shy growing up I couldn't play in front of anyone including my parents. Heck, I was too shy to even talk to girls. Almost losing my hand opened my eyes and made me realize that life is way to short to sit there and be afraid of what people thought. I told myself I was going after my dream and doing what I love.”
And he and Matt are going to love being up there with Blackjack Billy and Madeline.
“We had the honour of playing with them last year at Country Music Week with The James Barker Band and Meghan Patrick. They really put on a great show.
“We had the opportunity to see Madeline at Boots and Hearts last summer but have never had the chance to share the stage. We are excited because not only is she extremely talented, she is very beautiful and we may have a little crush,” he adds with a laugh.
Brian also loudly and proudly endorses Mavricks.
“Not only is it the best place to see live music, but the staff is always so friendly and (management) always makes us feel right at home.”
The show gets underway at 9 p.m. on Friday night, June 23, at Mavricks, at 46 Dunlop Street West. To learn more, click here.
