DEVIL'S ISLAND featuring Stoneside
Welcome to this weeks edition of Devil's Island! Every week we maroon a band or artist on the island and see what they get up to, how they cope with being all alone on a small island in the middle of the ocean. It's not your average desert island and we'll see just how each person copes with the extreme conditions.
This week when we arrived at Devil's Island we found Texan heavy hitters Stoneside sat on the beach. The island is far from their home, but how did he end up here and how did he cope with life on Devil's Island?
Find out now...
Welcome to The Razors'e Edge and our somewhat lovely, warm desert island. Don't worry about it's name I'm sure it's not as bad as that would suggest.
So you're marooned here on this island, but before you ended up shipwrecked you chose one album that you couldn't live without. Which album did you each chose and why?
Wheeler: I suppose I could cheat and pick a compilation album but that seems against the spirit of the question so I’ll pick In Rainbows by Radiohead. It’s got a little bit of everything stylistically and I associate it with good memories. Plus, Videotape is a fitting song to hang myself to in case I can’t get off the island and I’m about to starve to death.
Crane: God. That’s so tough. Do I want to be soothed? Do I want to be pissed off that I’m on an island? I would say Radiohead 'In Rainbows' too but i may need more violence so Tool's 'Aenima'
Just behind that palm tree is a shack for each of you to stay in, with enough space for you to put up a poster on the wall of one album cover. What album cover do you each chose?
Wheeler: Well first off I loathe palm trees so we’re chopping that thing down for firewood immediately. And this is a difficult question. Possibly Brand New’s 'The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me'. It’s such an evocative album cover but at the same time there’s something oddly comforting about it.
Crane: Easy. Deftones 'Diamond Eyes'. It’s a picture of a city at night. if I’m on an island, I need to know, in my heart and mind, where I’m getting back to... I sure as hell wouldn't pick our album cover since it’s called 'The Water', and is a picture of an ocean.
There's also a bar on this here island. But alas each of you only get to choose one drink for the entirety of your stay. What's your tipple of choice?
Wheeler: Easy question. The Negroni. It’s equal parts Gin, Sweet Vermouth, and Campari. My favourite drink by far.
Crane: Same here with an easy answer. Single malt scotch. Smokey. harsh. If it doesn’t hurt, I can’t love that shit.
Your suitcases were lost when your ship sank, but you each managed to salvage one item of band merch. What’s the merch and for what band?
Wheeler: My Joy Division T-Shirt. It’s a classic.
Crane: Alpha Wolf hoodie. its comfy and jet black for those cool island nights. Wheeler can freeze over there in his shanty in his Joy Division Tee.
You’re sat on the island thinking “I’m stuck here on this island with my bandmates for eternity”… who would you rather have been shipwrecked with?
Wheeler: There’s no one I’d rather be stuck with than Crane. He’s endlessly entertaining and good for many an in depth conversation and has enough meat on his bones that I can survive off him for weeks. But actually I’d rather have my girlfriend Raycheal Winters, who is an incredibly talented musician as well. Sorry David, love trumps all.
Crane: Thanks man... but I’m going with Jessica Rabbit. If anyone who reads this doesn’t know, hit that search engine immediately... also yes, Raycheal Winters is super talented.
There's a walkman in your pocket, on the tape inside is the recording of the one live show that stands out for you. It could be any show, from any band, anywhere in the world. What show is on that walkman?
Wheeler: Man, this one’s hard. But I always come back to the time I saw Sigur Ros here in Houston. It was, quite simply, magical. They produce this overwhelming aural tapestry that you can lose yourself in so easily, and live it was incredible. Plus, one of my relatives from Iceland was playing violin in the band at the time so that was great to see.
Crane: Oh, that’s right. I forgot Wheeler's of Viking descent. He'd be decent on the island, seafaring people and whatnot. As for the tape, can’t choose one. Let’s pretend Depeche Mode and Dillinger Escape Plan toured together on the same show in Austin, Texas. I’ve got moody. I’ve got violent. I'm basically set.
You're getting desperate, you decide the only course of action is to put a message in a bottle and hope someone finds it. Your message could be to any member of any band, but should be the most suitable for a rescue attempt. Who is it?
Wheeler: I’m putting a message in a bottle? It’s gotta be Sting then. He has experience with that sort of thing.
Crane: The tide would send it back... so I’d just write to myself saying "Food.Water.Sleep... Jessica Rabbit."
You've been stuck here for a while and food supplies are running low. There's only one thing for it... which fellow band member gets sacrificed to help the others survive?
Wheeler: Well I previously mentioned that Crane is a good source of meat but we’re honestly both self-destructive and dramatic enough that we’d probably fight over who got to sacrifice themselves.
Crane: He could eat me. It's fine. I’m like 190 pounds plus I’ve had a good run here on planet earth. Bon Appetit.
Finally, when the ship sank you each managed to save one person from the wreckage. That person is the one musician that has influenced your career the most, shaped your way of thinking and your outlook on life. Who did you save?
Wheeler: Mark Kozelek for me probably. When I look at all the music I have on my phone there’s probably more of his than of anyone else’s, between Sun Kil Moon, Red House Painters, and his own solo stuff. The man has this prodigious, almost compulsive output and has gone through so many stylistic changes over his career. His new stuff is mostly just him cataloguing whatever goes through his head or just running through the events of a day in his life. In some way it’s taught me to appreciate the minutiae of everyday life and find the poetry and meaning in what might on the surface appear inconsequential or unmemorable, or to just take the time to be present and aware.
Crane: Kurt Cobain. I'd thank him for releasing 'In Utero', tie him to a palm tree, and make him do meditation and yoga to get his damn mind right so he wouldn't off himself.
Thanks for your time. We hope you get back to dry land soon!
Crane: Thank you, my friend... and it’s all good. All we missed on the island was an incurable pandemic. No big deal!
