Discovering an alternative band co-formed by Stereophonics singer Kelly Jones.
I got into listening to music properly during my time in sixth form, when I fell in with a group of friends who greatly influenced me and brought me out of myself. One friend in particular had a huge cassette collection and introduced me to countless new bands. When CDs became widely available, my own collection began to grow too—more or less in line with what my bank account could tolerate.
When I moved to Switzerland, those CDs came with me but much more exposure to Swiss bands—some of which I like, others less so—meant that my interest in new music tailed off for a few years.
Getting to know Jo in 2004, and especially during the first couple of years we were together, reintroduced me to bands I hadn’t listened to for quite some time, or which hadn’t yet crossed my radar. One of those was Stereophonics: I liked them straight away and as time went on and memories became associated with their music, they became a firm favourite.
Since signing up to Spotify around a decade ago, music for me has largely been about streaming, although I’ve taken to buying CDs again over the past few years. The subscription costs a bit every month, of course, but it gives me the freedom to wander off in completely random directions whenever I feel like it. Because of that, I sometimes discover bands that have been around for years but had somehow passed me by, or new collaborations involving artists I already know.
One band I came across in the past few days is Far From Saints. Stereophonics frontman Kelly Jones has teamed up with Patty Lynn and Dwight Baker from The Wind and The Wave to release music that clearly connects to the Stereophonics sound, but which has a stronger country influence. I particularly like the Americana guitar tones and the addition of a fresh female voice, which blends really well with Kelly’s voice—one I’ve been listening to for so many years now.
