It should come as no surprise that Tedo Stone would find his career on the rise. His music is by turns raucous and earnest, filled with moments of calm reflection and a fiery Southern spirit that’s magnetic and sincere. His upcoming third full length, Summer Sun, is his first release since 2015’s Marshes, and while it promises a similar mix of hazy ’70s rock and roaring riffs, the album’s overall atmosphere is more reserved and introspective.
“Summer Sun is hopefully my wise and thoughtful record,” Stone says via email. “Since the last album I have gotten married, had a son, and my wife and I are expecting our second child in June. Looking back on the recording of the record, there was a lot of mindfulness and extra time put into each song.”
That attention to detail can be heard in the record’s lead single and titular track “Summer Sun,” a wistful slow-burner coated in golden amber hues and breezy Americana grooves. Lyrically and sonically, it’s a song that leans heavily toward feelings of nostalgia and an awareness that our commitments to those we love and cherish are what allow us face the slow march of time with courage and conviction. “Some things get better with time / and I’m not scared of nothing,” Stone sings towards the song’s conclusion, a declaration of fearless optimism that’s reinforced by the accompanying video, which was compiled from old family movies he discovered while recording Summer Sun.
“I’d stumbled across these old home movies around the time we were finishing up the record,” Stone explains. “We’d done most of the preproduction for the album in a cabin close to where these were filmed decades before. The location and song title definitely inspired the pairing. The root of the song is about growing old together, and it seemed appropriate having old home videos be the visual for this one. Family is definitely a theme for the record so it just made sense for this video.”
With Summer Sun out May 25 via Laser Brains, Stone is ready to embark on the next phase of his winding career, which includes being one of the very few local artists selected to play this year’s mammoth Shaky Knees Festival, a distinction that leaves the Athens rocker feeling mystified.
“We got asked to play on Sunday of the fest about a month ago,” Stone says. “We got the opening slot for the Whigs which we were very excited about, but I was floored when we got asked to play on Sunday as well. I don’t really know the specifics of how we got so lucky but we hope we won’t let the festival down.”
You can see Stone’s performance for yourself when he and his band hit the Shaky Knees Criminal Records stage on Sunday, May 6 at 1:15 p.m. In the meantime, check out the cover art and tracklist for Summer Sun below.
Summer Sun Tracklist
1. Summer Sun
2. Before Long
3. Down in Your Ways
4. Glitches
5. Lay it on the Line
6. How Do You Know When It Goes Bad?
7. Right (Again)
8. OTW
9. Wifey
Tedo Stone will perform on Thu., May 3 at Terminal West alongside the Whigs. Doors open at 8 p.m. Admission is $16-19. 18+ to enter.
More Info
Web: tedostone.com
Bandcamp: tedostone.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @tedostone
Instagram: @tedostone
Twitter: @TedoStone