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Stonefield (band)

Stonefield are an Australian rock band comprising the four Findlay sisters: Amy, Hannah, Sarah, and Holly. They were formed in 2006 as Iotah in Darraweit Guim, a small town in rural Victoria. They changed their name in 2010 and have released four studio albums, Stonefield (October 2013), As Above, So Below (July 2016) — which peaked at No. 19 on the ARIA Albums Chart — Far from Earth (April 2018), and Bent (June 2019).

Stonefield
A shot of four women on stage in mid-performance. The first woman at right is cradling her guitar without playing it, she stands looking to her left: towards the second woman. She wears over shoulder-length red-brown hair, a white t-shirt with grey and black paisley-styled long pants and black shoes. The second woman is seated at her drum kit with her arms at her lap behind a drum. A microphone in a stand is above her. She wears slightly shorter hair, which is blonde-light brown, her shirt has a white background with a brown and grey design, and jeans. The third woman is partly obscured, she is playing her bass guitar and is turned to her left. She wears longer dark brown hair, a dark red-brown shirt with three-quarter sleeves over dark pants. The fourth woman is behind her keyboard and a microphone on a stand. The keyboard has writing: "nord electro 4". She stands turned to her right, facing the second woman. He arms are crossed with hands clasped at her waist. He legs are almost crossed, too. Her hair is shorter than the previous woman but has a similar colour. Her t-shirt is dark blue with jeans and dark shoes. Surrounding the women is stage equipment including speakers, instruments, electrical cords and a pair of stage lights (in the centre above the second woman).
L to R: Hannah, Amy, Holly, Sarah Findlay
Divan Orange, Montreal, June 2016
Background information
Also known asIotah
OriginDarraweit Guim, Victoria, Australia
Genres
Years active2006 (2006)–present
Labels
Members
  • Amy Cavanagh (née Findlay)
  • Hannah Findlay
  • Holly Findlay
  • Sarah Findlay
Websitestonefieldband.com

History

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Stonefield were formed in late 2006 as Iotah in Darraweit Guim, a hamlet in Victoria's Macedon Ranges, by Amy Lee Findlay (born c. 1990) on drums and lead vocals, and her three younger sisters, Hannah (born c. 1993) on lead guitar and vocals, Sarah (born c. 1994) on keyboards and vocals, and Holly (born c. 1998) on bass guitar.[1][2] The sisters rehearsed in their parents' farm shed "with a '70s-inspired soulful rock sound."[1]

They won the Triple J Unearthed High contest, held for secondary school artists, in June 2010 with their song "Foreign Lover", which was then placed in high rotation on the national radio network.[1][3][4] After the win, the band changed their name to Stonefield due to "discovering there was a cabaret performer called iOTA."[1] They released a five-track extended play, Through the Clover (November 2010), with Greg Wales producing via Shock Records.[5][6] Stonefield were an Unearthed J Award nominee in that year.[7] Amy completed her Bachelor of Australian Popular Music degree in 2010 at Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE (NMIT),[8] which was later renamed as Melbourne Polytechnic.

After the band played at the One Movement Festival in Perth in October 2010, they were approached by a scout for the Glastonbury Festival and were invited to appear at the next year's festival.[9][10] They played the second slot on the John Peel Stage on 26 June 2011.[9][11] The Age's Elizabeth Colman felt "[they] more than held their own at one of the world's biggest music events", adding that "the talented foursome's raw vocal power and polished playing, which climaxed with an inspired cover of Led Zeppelin's 'Whole Lotta Love', got the punters rocking."[9] Hannah told Colman, "It was a bit overwhelming", while Amy admitted, "I almost cried when I got on stage."[9]

Earlier in June 2011, Stonefield had performed at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, providing pre-match entertainment at an Australian Football League match (Geelong vs. Hawthorn), celebrating "Women's Round".[12] The group provided a cover version of Steppenwolf's "Magic Carpet Ride" for Triple J's Like a Version radio segment, which was compiled on the various-artists album Triple J's Like a Version 7 (November 2011). In the following month, Amy appeared on TV celebrity quiz show RocKwiz, performing "Through the Clover", backed by the RocKwiz OrKestra, and then singing a duet with Nick Barker on a cover version of Small Faces' "Itchycoo Park".[13]

Stonefield's second EP, Bad Reality, appeared in May 2012; it reached the top 100 on the ARIA Albums Chart.[14] Alex Rappel of FasterLouder observed, "[they] certainly know how to rock out in the style of old, and Richie Blackmore and Co would no doubt be impressed by Stonefield's offerings... [they] do not try to offer social commentary or sage wisdom in their latest EP Bad Reality, but rather a rock record that will melt your face off!"[15]

The group released their debut self-titled album on 11 October 2013. It peaked at No. 21.[16][17] It was recorded at Sing Sing Studios, Richmond, where it was produced and engineered by Ian Davenport for Illusive Sounds.[18] Beat Magazine's Krissi Weiss opined, "[the group] has definitely progressed. It's more nuanced[;] they've evolved beyond being simply riff-based and their harmonic depth is almost transcendental... you can tell none of that was planned. As the listener you can't help but go searching for the familiar[,] but the band are at all times just being [themselves]."[19] They supported its release with a tour of Victoria and parts of New South Wales.[20]

Stonefield released the album's second single, "Love You Deserve", in October 2013, which Tobias Handke of Indie Shuffle described as "Classic guitar riffs and pounding percussion merge with the sisters' evocative harmonies, making [it] an easy highlight from [the album]. Oh yeah, how good is The Doors-esque organ?"[21] It won the Rock Work of the Year category at the APRA Music Awards of 2015.[22] The band mostly write their own original material but also do occasional cover versions. These include "Whole Lotta Love"[23] and "Magic Carpet Ride".[24] In 2015, they covered Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain" on Katie Noonan's album Songs That Made Me. In 2016, they toured in support of Fleetwood Mac in Australia for three shows.

The group's second album, As Above, So Below, appeared in July 2016 and peaked at No. 19, their highest-charting release to date.[16] Jaymz Clements of Rolling Stone (Australia) rated it at four out of five stars.[25] TheMusic.com.au's Bryget Chrisfield gave it 3.5 stars and explained, "[it] surpasses all preconceived notions of the sonic terrain these rockin' sisters can effortlessly traverse. Don't freak out, though. The band's killer riffs and headbanging opps prevail."[26]

On 11 December 2017, the band signed with the Flightless record label and debuted their new song, "Delusion", on Triple J. In 2018, they toured nationally with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.[27] The quartet's third album, Far from Earth, was issued in April 2018 and reached the top 100.[16] Libby Webster of The Austin Chronicle rated it 2.5 stars and explained, "[the group] trudges along haltingly, a chaos of genre. Hammering prog ('Far from Earth') and blistering doom metal ('Through the Storm'), their momentum wanes with milder moments of psychedelia."[28] Happy Mag placed the album at no.16 on their list of "The 25 best psychedelic rock albums of the 2010s" in 2019.[29]

L.A. Record's Madison Desler, who caught their gig at Los Angeles' The Bootleg club in that same month, opined that "they bashed through cuts off their new album, Far from Earth. 'Delusion', a mix of distorted psych and stormy desert rock[,] had drummer and lead singer Amy Findlay showing off her impressive vocals, while the dark, dance beat of 'Visions' got the packed crowd to shimmy and slide."[30]

In 2019, the Australian band King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard[31] brought along Stonefield and the band Orb as support acts. Stonefield also appears in King Gizzard's concert film Chunky Shrapnel in 2020, playing the song "A Brief History of Planet Earth".

Amy Cavanagh, Stonefield's drummer, is married to Michael Cavanagh, the drummer for King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard.

Members

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Left to right: Amy Findlay, John Harvey Pegg, Sarah Findlay, Hannah Findlay, at the Bristol Psych fest, 2018.
  • Amy Cavanagh (née Findlay)[32] – vocals, drums (2006–present)
  • Hannah Findlay – guitar (2006–present)
  • Holly Findlay – bass guitar (2006–present)
  • Sarah Findlay – keyboards, vocals (2006–present)

Discography

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Studio albums

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Year Title Details Peak chart positions
AUS
[16]
2013 Stonefield 21
2016 As Above, So Below
  • Released: 15 July 2016
  • Label: Illusive Sounds, Wunderkind
  • Formats: CD, LP
 19
2018 Far from Earth
  • Released: 13 April 2018
  • Label: Flightless
  • Formats: CD, LP
 61
2019 Bent
  • Released: 14 June 2019[33]
  • Label: Flightless
  • Formats: CD, LP, digital
 —[A]

Extended plays

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Year Title Details Peak chart positions
AUS
[14]
2010 Through the Clover —
2012 Bad Reality
  • Released: 14 May 2012
  • Label: Wunderkind, Illusive Sounds (ILL063CD)
  • Formats: CD
 71

Singles

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Year Title Album
2011 "Black Water Rising" Bad Reality
2012 "Bad Reality"
2013 "Put Your Curse on Me" Stonefield
"Love You Deserve"
2015 "Golden Dream" —
2016 "Stranger" As Above, So Below
2018 "Delusion"

Far From Earth

"Far From Earth"

Notes

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  1. ^ Bent did not enter the ARIA Albums Chart, but peaked at number 50 on the ARIA Digital Album Chart.[34]

Awards

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AIR Awards

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The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2011[35][36] Through the Clover Best Independent Single/EP Nominated

APRA Awards

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The APRA Awards are presented annually from 1982 by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA), "honouring composers and songwriters". They commenced in 1982.[37]

Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
2013 "Bad Reality" (Amy, Hannah, Sarah and Holly Findlay) Song of the Year Shortlisted [38]

J Award

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The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J. They commenced in 2005.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2010 themselves Unearthed Artist of the Year Nominated

Music Victoria Awards

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The Music Victoria Awards are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music. They commenced in 2006.

Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
2014 Stonefield Best Regional Act Nominated [39][40]
2018 Stonefield Best Regional Act/Outer Suburban Act Nominated
2019 Stonefield Best Regional Act/Outer Suburban Act Nominated
Bent Best Rock/Punk Album Nominated

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Topsfield, Jewel (30 October 2010). "Hannah and Her Sisters Rock Their Field of Dreams". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  2. ^ "Iotah :: Rock Bands". EntertanOz. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012.
  3. ^ "Real Readers". Dolly. 8 September 2010.
  4. ^ Gardener, James (10 June 2010). "NMIT Media Release: Triple J Unearths NMIT Talent". Northern Melbourne Institute of Technology (NMIT). Archived from the original on 17 July 2010. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  5. ^ Deming, Mark. "Stonefield | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  6. ^ "It's a sound win". Sunbury/Macedon Ranges Leader. 29 June 2010.
  7. ^ "Stonefield. Unearthed Nomination". ABC. 2010. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
  8. ^ "Success Stories – Amy Findlay". Northern Melbourne Institute of Technology (NMIT). 25 August 2011. Archived from the original on 11 March 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  9. ^ a b c d Colman, Elizabeth (27 June 2011). "Sisters Star at 'Glasto'". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  10. ^ "Stonefield Invited to Glastonbury 2011". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 11 November 2010. Retrieved 30 June 2011.
  11. ^ "Glastonbury Festivals – 2011 Line-up Times". Glastonbury Festival. Archived from the original on 2 July 2011. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  12. ^ "Stonefield to perform live at the 'G". 6 June 2011. Archived from the original on 9 October 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  13. ^ "Episode 125: Amy Findlay and Nick Barker". RocKwiz. SBS ondemand. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  14. ^ a b Wallace, Ian (28 May 2012). "Week Commencing ~ 28 May 2012 ~ Issue #1161" (PDF). The ARIA Report (1161). Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA): 2, 6, 8, 13, 15, 20. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 June 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  15. ^ Rappel, Alex (2 August 2012). "Stonefield – Bad Reality". FasterLouder. Junkee Media. Archived from the original on 28 May 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  16. ^ a b c d "australian-charts.com – Discography Stonefield". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  17. ^ ARIA Album Chart 19 October 2013 - page 3, [1], ARIA, accessed 3 October 2015.
  18. ^ "Stonefield – Stonefield | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  19. ^ Weiss, Krissi. "Stonefield". Beat Magazine. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  20. ^ Michelle (26 October 2013). "Stonefield announce Lester The Fierce as Support Act". Beauty and Lace. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  21. ^ Handke, Tobias (22 October 2013). "Stonefield – 'Love You Deserve'". Indie Shuffle. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  22. ^ "Rock Work of the Year". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS). 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  23. ^ Ministry of Sound Uncovered Volume 4, "[2]", Ministry of Sound Australia, accessed 10 July 2015.
  24. ^ Like a Version Volume 7, ""Triple j's Like a Version Vol 7 | ABC Music". Archived from the original on 11 April 2015. Retrieved 29 December 2014.", Australian Broadcasting Corporation, accessed 10 July 2015.
  25. ^ Clements, Jaymz (20 July 2016). "Stonefield As Above, So Below". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  26. ^ Chrisfield, Bryget (12 July 2016). "Stonefield – As Above, So Below". theMusic.com.au. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  27. ^ "Black Rebel Motorcycle Club on Instagram: "Melbourne! BRMC has just added a SECOND show on March 25th at @CornerHotel! Tickets go on sale this Wednesday the 14th at 10 AM local time."".
  28. ^ Webster, Libby (27 April 2018). "Levitation 2018 – Review: Stonefield". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  29. ^ "The 25 best psychedelic rock albums of the 2010s". Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  30. ^ Desler, Madison (24 April 2018). "Stonefield + Warbly Jets + Kate Clover + Hoover III @ The Bootleg". L.A. Record. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  31. ^ "King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard + Orb + Stonefield". 24 July 2019.
  32. ^ "Amy Cavanagh (@amy_cavs)". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  33. ^ "Bent by Stonefield". Apple Music. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
  34. ^ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Digital Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. 24 June 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  35. ^ "Independent Music Awards Nominees Announced". tonedeaf. 13 September 2011. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  36. ^ "History Wins". Australian Independent Record Labels Association. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  37. ^ "APRA History". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS). Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  38. ^ "APRA Song Of The Year 2013 Shortlist Revealed". Tone Deaf. 11 April 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  39. ^ "Previous Nominess". Music Victoria. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  40. ^ "Previous Winners". Music Victoria. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
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