Second Stone lands in 'Thick' of it

Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Nov 16, 2001

A spotlight on CDs by local musicians

"Thick" by Second Stone

Style: Mainstream rock

Bands they've been compared to: Collective Soul and Third Day

How "Christian" is Second Stone? "We're Christians but we're not a Christian-rock band," says drummer Garold Smith. "It's not like we're out there Bible thumping."

What are these guys all about? Smith joined the band in June, but the band has been around for eight years and three CDs. "There's definitely some ambition here," Smith says. "We've all been around the block. We all really feel like this is what we're made to do. It just seems like things are really falling into place, so we'll see how far it goes."

Personnel: Adam Hughes (lead vocals and guitar), Dusty Hughes (lead guitar, programming, percussion, vocals), Amanda Schoolfield (keys, organ, vocals), Robert Schoolfield (bass) and Garold Smith (drums and percussion).

CD vitals: 13 songs, 41 minutes; costs $10 at gigs

Available at: Production snafus have pushed back the 1,000-CD run, so check out www.secondstone.com in coming weeks to see which record stores pick it up.

Test drive: Listen to song samples at www.secondstone.com, under the lyrics section. Two complete songs are available at MP3.com.

Radio play: Second Stone can't seem to crack Colorado Springs radio, but 99X in Atlanta, KWIL in Des Moines, WPTS in Pittsburgh and WPRB in Princeton, N.J., have found room for them.

Review: Second Stone's reach exceeds its grasp, which is not a bad thing. The straight-ahead rock band sometimes succeeds ("Welcome Home, Goodbye") and sometimes falls short, but the music definitely is worth listening to. My 2 cents: The band should be more daring next time out. Forge a signature sound from the sometimes schizophrenic elements of "Thick."

What's the live show like? "People usually say, 'You guys are a little more edgy than the CD sounds,'" Smith says. "We take it pretty seriously. We don't take breaks. It's really more like a show."

Catch 'em live: CD release party, 8:30 tonight at Springs Cafe, 2116 Vickers Drive (Vickers and Academy at Hope Chapel). All-ages, no cover.

"Peaceful Now": A few years ago, Second Stone lead guitarist Dusty Hughes wrote a wedding song for a guy named Daniel John Lee. Lee, 34, was working as a carpenter on the Backstreet Boys tour when he boarded American Airlines Flight 11 on Sept. 11, headed from Boston to Los Angeles to spend time with his family. His wife gave birth to their second child Sept. 13, two days after hijackers guided Lee's plane into the World Trade Center. Now the Backstreet Boys pay tribute to Lee at each concert. And Lee's family requested that Hughes write another song, this time for his funeral. "Peaceful Now" can be heard on "Thick."

- If you're dropping a disc soon, let Bill Reed know at reed@gazette.com or call 636-0276.