Hey Guys!! So excited to be chatting with all of you. Can you tell us what you’ve been up to over the past few months?
We wrapped up our record in February and announced our summer tour in March, so we’ve been just gearing up for that! We actually just started our tour and released our album last week, so we’re excited to get back on the road! Last year we played over 120 shows, so it was weird being home for the first 5 months of this year.
What led to you guys forming “The Stolen”?
Mike, Dom, and Rob grew up living next to each other. They started playing music together early on. The band started playing shows in backyards, block parties, etc and performing covers of classic rock songs that their parents always listened to. Fast forward to 2013, I joined the band and we started touring.
How did you guys all meet & become a band?
As we said above, Mike, Dom, and Rob grew up next door to each other, so they knew each other since they were like 3 years old. I grew up in the same town playing in different bands, so I knew the rest of the guys from playing shows. Dom and I also played baseball as kids together, haha.
What’s the meaning of the name “The Stolen”?
To be honest, we’re not totally sure of how it came about. But, we do go by one story that we think happened. The old bass player got his bike stolen, so he suggested calling the band “The Stolen” It stuck from there.
What’s the difference from your band and all bands that are currently doing well?
I think that one thing that sets us apart from other bands is our commitment to being on the road. We’re a small band and like I said last year, we played over 120 shows. In addition, we really enjoy connecting with our fans. Sometimes we’ll go outside after the show and play an acoustic set for people who missed the show or even fans who wanted to hear another song of ours that we didn’t play that night. You don’t really see a lot of bands doing that these days.
Can you tell us a little something about each of you?
Dom – I love coffee. I drink at least 3 cups a day on tour and if I don’t, I get a headache lol
Rob – I also love coffee. More specifically, I drink those super sweet coffees from Dunkin Donuts. Those are the best.
Mike – I start every morning on tour with a coffee. I also drink the most amount of water out of anyone on tour. I’ll drink at least 10 waters per day.
Kevin – I actually can’t stand coffee. I tried it so many times, but I can’t get down with it. When it comes to food, I can definitely eat more than anyone in the band.
What inspired you guys to pursue music?
Our parents are really into music and some of them are musicians themselves, so it was kind of natural for all of us to start playing from a young age.
How would you describe your musical style as a band?
We would definitely categorize our music as alt/pop-rock. Our new album pushes the boundaries a bit of what we always been. For example, we have a pop record like ‘Rooftop’ and then you have a guitar-heavy/raw record like ‘Stuck’ on there. We really enjoyed making a record where we can kind of take all of our influences and mesh them into one.
What artists do you guys look up to right now?
As we mentioned, we have a lot of influences and kind of meshed them into one on our new album. Of course, we love artists like Bruce Springsteen, the Talking Heads, David Bowie, American Football. But we also love contemporary artists like The Maine, The 1975, and much more.
You guys are gearing up for the release of your self-titled album. Can you guys tell us about how this album came about?
This album has been in the making for a bit over a year. It started with Overboard, which we released in February of 2018. At that point, we were planning on putting out another EP. As Fall rolled around, we decided that we wanted to take a leap and make a full length. So the songs came from a lot of different experiences. I mean, if you look at all of what you go through in a year, it is pretty eventful. With the being said, it was really cool to take songs that might have been written 9 months apart and put them together for an album. It was a long process, but we are so happy with how it came out.
What do you hope your supporters will think of the new music?
It’s been a week since the album dropped and we are receiving a lot of great feedback. What is more interesting is that there isn’t just one song that a majority of people connect with. We get mixed answers when we ask what people’s favorite songs are. It’s really cool.
Are there any other projects in the works you can tell us about?
Right now, we are focused on our tour and really getting back into gear. Although, we’re always writing and recording, so we’ll be focusing on that in our downtime from the road.
Why do you think social media is so important for artists today?
It’s extremely important. It’s the way that artists are able to connect with fans. It’s cool being able to get to a show in Denver and see people that you recognize because they were tweeting about your new single. We also like to ask our fans questions about what songs we should play on tour or what type of merch that they want. Just get creative with it and you’ll be able to use it in ways that others don’t.
How do you want your relationship to be with your fans?
We really like to hang with our fans at shows. In the past, we’ve had people follow our tours or fly from different cities to come to see us. They treat us like friends, so we like to reciprocate that. Sometimes, we’ll even go grab food with fans before we leave for the next city. We already have a tradition going in Salt Lake City where we all hit In-N-Out. Like 20 of us will pull up and just hang and eat. It’s rad.
How has this whole music career experience been?
It is truly a crazy ride. There’s always ups and downs. The best thing to do is to stay grounded and always keep your head. If there’s one thing we’ve learned is to stay persistent and love what you’re doing.
Do you have any last things you want to tell your supporters?
We appreciate the support always! Looking forward to hanging with them on this next tour!
Thanks for taking the time to do this interview 🙂
Thanks for having us 🙂
