Rock duo Blue Stones’ album, video turning heads
Windsor duo’s star rising after signing with major label and touring Europe
After years of rocking out, The Blue Stones aren’t Windsor’s secret anymore.
This year has proven to be a breakthrough time for the local duo, with major label support, recognition from Billboard.com, tour dates in Europe and beyond, and international acclaim for their first full-length release. “Feels pretty good,” says Tarek Jafar, the vocalist and guitarist half of the two-man band. “It’s kind of a culmination.” Drummer Justin Tessier agrees. “To me, there’s been a very clear line,” he says. “We’ve just been walking the stairs up to this point.” Last month, The Blue Stones released the official video for Black Holes (Solid Ground) — the title track of their much-anticipated debut studio album, which came out in October to rave reviews. Truth be told, the songs of the album aren’t new: They ’ve been on the band’s set lists and EP releases for the better part of the past decade. For example, the standout track Rolling With the Punches has been a staple for The Blue Stones since 2012.
And since the band started eight years ago, its winning formula hasn’t really changed: Big riffs, sweet melodies, bluesy rhythms, catchy songwriting, and a feel that’s simultaneously raw and refined.
“For us, (Black Holes) doesn’t feel as much as a debut,” says Tessier. “It’s weird. We’ve been playing these songs for so long.” Sure, some of The Blue Stones’ recent attention and success could be attributed to their signing with Entertainment One earlier this year.
But the band also credit factors such as fortunate placement on Spotify playlists, soundtrack appearances on television shows like Suits, Necessary Roughness, and Parks and Recreation, and highlight performances at major festivals like Bonnaroo.
A recurring theme among people who hear The Blue Stones for the first time: How hard they rock and how full they sound with just two players.
“Volume is part of it,” Jafar says with a laugh. “I tend to lean towards heavier musical gear. The strings I use are heavy. The guitar I play with is heavy. The amp is heavy, too ... Also, I have a pretty versatile mix of pedals I use live.” “I think a lot of people see a rock duo, and they have this idea in their head of how you’re going to sound. I feel like we have a lot more dynamics than that.” Success has its complications. Longtime fans of The Blue Stones may be wondering why previous releases — such as the band’s selftitled EP and sophomore EP entitled How’s That Sound — have disappeared from online listening platforms.
“We had to take down all of our older music,” Jafar says. “When you join a record label, they want to make sure everything looks fresh and new.”
That doesn’t mean those tracks are gone forever. The band hopes to make them available in different forms in the future, perhaps via compilations or re-recordings. “We still play a lot of those songs live,” Jafar says. Meanwhile, The Blue Stones are already working on a second full-length studio album. “We’ve got a lot thrown down,” Jafar says. “There are songs in demo form that are basically ready.” With so much to come for the band, Jafar and Tessier aren’t wasting time wondering if there’s still a mainstream audience for straightforward rock music. “We’re definitely rock album guys,” Jafar says. “I think things should evolve over time, but they are cyclical. I think (rock) is coming back stronger.” Tessier points to the sudden fame of Michigan band Greta Van Fleet. “Like them or not for being a carbon copy of Led Zeppelin, I mean, they’re doing it, and there’s nothing you can say. To see them have a meteoric rise — that makes all of us hopeful.”
As for the idea that The Blue Stones might have to move out of Windsor for the next step in their career, Jafar and Tessier are resistant.
“I don’t think you need to,” Tessier says. “I think you should visit bigger markets often and play. But I don’t think you have to live there to be successful.”
Jafar says he makes sure to tell every audience that The Blue Stones are from Windsor. “This is where we’re from. It’s nice to be able to say that.”