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Biography
From humble beginnings in Mandeville, Louisiana, 12 Stones, formed of vocalist Paul McCoy, bassist Kevin Door, guitarist Eric Weaver, and drummer Aaron Gainer, was founded in 2000. With most members still in their teenage years, and with fewer than 15 live performances under their belt, 12 Stones recorded a demo and headed to New York City. After performing at a band showcase where multiple labels and industry executives would be, the band signed with Wind-Up Records.
12 Stones’ eponymous debut album was issued by Wind-Up in 2002 and debuted at No. 147 on the Billboard 200. Produced by Jay Baumgardner, the album spawned the singles “Broken”, “The Way I Feel”, and “Crash”, the former of which has been used as the theme song for WWE. Not long after the release, vocalist McCoy contributed vocals to the Evanescence smash hit “Bring Me to Life”, which won the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance.
The band’s sophomore album “Potter’s Field” appeared in 2004 and marked a change in sounds towards a more guitar-driven crunch. Aided by McCoy’s exposure from the Evanescence single, “Potter’s Field” became 12 Stones’ highest charting album, debuted at No. 29 on the Billboard 200. After the release the band took a break to focus on their families, however returned with the 2007 album “Anthems for the Underdog” in response to the deadly Hurricane Katrina that affected their hometown. The album was the first to include new member by Justin Rimer, was produced by Skidd Mills and encompasses feelings of helplessness experienced by victims of the hurricane.
“Beneath the Scars” followed in 2012 once again produced by Skidd Mills. The album earned favourable reviews from the musical press and spawned the singles “Bulletproof”, “Worlds Collide”, and “Infected”.
Live reviews
12 Stones are one of those alternative rock bands that dominated the airwaves from the early 00’s which their drawling grunge sound complete with overdriven guitar riffs creating mammoth walls of sound complete with huge hooks for melodies, that anyone to encounter them would be singing for days. This performance tonight is a force to be reckoned with, which patrons having been queuing for almost three hours just to get the front spot right at the barriers of this gig. “Photography” kicks off their high octane set, which sees the entire audience dancing and throwing their arms around, extremely excited for this even. “The Way I Feel” is an early sing-along that everyone joins in with, the chorus being so very epic and memorable. The only thing that I won’t give to 12 Stones is their darn song titles. We’ve heard them all before. “Far Away” & “Photograph”. Sound familiar?! Even “Broken Road”. Come on 12 Stones, be a little more creative with your writing. I don’t think my opinion affects the audience this evening who see m to be lapping up this amazing atmosphere.
Lannistaar
Louisiana outfit 12 Stones rode the wave of the post-grunge revival in the late 90s/early 00s and found their angsty, relatable lyrics on many of the major radio stations and quickly gaining a fanbase who felt they could relate and empathise with the music and the four musicians onstage.
Paul McCoy was originally featured on the phenomenally successful Evanescence track 'Bring Me To Life' and although there is no surprise cover of that this evening, there is a strong setlist consisting of the very best selection of the band's albums. The fans remain consistently devoted, despite their commercial success having depleted rather dramatically since the first couple of albums they continue to sing every single track with the same level of determination and excitement. Paul thanks them profusely before his band goes about tearing through the punk inspired riffs for the last two tracks 'Lie To Me' and 'Bury Me'. The cheers and feet stomping is momentous in order to bring out the boys for a final performance of 'Broken'.
sean-ward
