Stonefield’s Findlay sisters with Owl Eyes (centre).
THE Stonefield sisters will bring a whole lot more than Led Zeppelin-inspired riffs to Warrnambool tomorrow night.
Hitting The Whalers Hotel, the four-piece’s Winter Road Trip tour, along with Owl Eyes and rockers Kingswood, has found meaning beyond turning up the guitars and cranking out some good old-fashioned rock tunes.
As part of The Line, a social marketing campaign aimed at promoting respectful relationships, each artist will aim to change young people’s attitudes and behaviours.
It might seem like a hard task for a rock band, but Stonefield drummer and lead vocalist Amy Findlay, 22, suggests their music does a lot of the work on its own.
“We’re trying to get the message out there about respect and where to draw the line, just to make people think about that through our music,” she told Offbeat.
“Music in general is a pretty powerful tool to get people to think about things.
“It’s pretty cool to be able to use music to get a good message out there.
“Lyrically everybody has a few songs that cover that theme, whether it’s romantic or relationships with friends, teachers or your family.”
Hailing from Darraweit Guim, near Wallan, in central Victoria, it’s been quite easy for Stonefield to relate to fans on their massive national tour.
“Growing up outside the city and being underage you appreciate it so much when you can go see a show,” Amy said.
“Now we’re seeing it from the other side and being the band in regional areas it’s always amazing.
“There’s always a special vibe in the air and everyone is so appreciative.
“In the city there’s so much going on you don’t even know about everything, there’s just too much happening sometimes.”
The oldest of four sisters comprising Stonefield, Amy said it had been fun touring with Brooke Addamo (Owl Eyes).
“It’s been really fun doing it with Owl Eyes, because we’re pretty much at the same point in our career,” she said.
“It’s nice to not be the only girls on the tour and have someone to talk to.
“We realise we’re not just weirdos for getting freaked out by dirty showers — it’s nice to know we’re just normal girls.
“Playing together makes a great show because audiences can get a taste of both styles.
“I think we’re handling touring really well because both bands have done a few tours and learnt a lot about how to pace ourselves and look after ourselves.”
While Stonefield’s stock skyrocketed after becoming triple J Unearthed High winners in 2010, Amy said there were other challenges for the rockers as they looked to reach the next level.
For one, her sister Hannah, 19, only finished high school last year, while Sarah, 18, and Holly, 14, have continued to study, limiting the band’s touring and recording schedule.
Amy said the sisters were focused on releasing a first record to be proud of.
“As individuals we want to be really proud of what we put out there and we want our first album to represent us as best we can.
“Every band puts pressure on themselves in different ways,” she said.
“We’ve written a bunch of songs but they’re not completely finished and we’re in the process of demo-ing them and realising we want to do them again.
“It feels like the end is really far away but we are getting somewhere.”