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“Live your life with no regrets
Because the future hasn’t happened yet”
—From “Other Side of Me” by Stone Broken
There was a time when Richard Moss, frontman of the band Stone Broken, had given up on music.
“I’ve been in bands for years and years and years. And the band I was in beforehand, one of the members struggled with alcohol. And nothing moved anywhere. We didn’t grow. We didn’t even play any shows because of his problem. And in the end, he actually died from his addiction,” Moss told me. “It actually put me off and I didn’t want to associate with music at all. In my mind I associated alcohol with music … It actually took me a while to get over that in my own head.”
Moss turned to working full time as a data analyst, but his music continued to call him. And when he founded Stone Broken, he knew that he had to double down on his commitment.
“It was actually out of frustration that I started this band … I had to do something again. So this band was born out of frustration of not being in a band,” Moss said. “I came back to it with more energy and more focus and a more positive outlook because I knew I wanted to that much.
“Because at the end of the day I’m a musician.”
Moss found a like-minded bandmate in Chris Davis, who shared Moss’ commitment to success. “One person will say I just want to play in the evenings and on the weekends and that will make them happy … other guys will want to take it all the way and get as big as they can … Everyone has a different outlook on success,” Davis told me. “I was influenced by big bands like Van Halen, Kiss – the arena-filling bands. I remember my first concert was seeing Iron Maiden. And just seeing them play in that arena, that atmosphere, the spectacle, having that huge stage – that’s what I wanted to do.
“That was the dream for me.”
Moss and Davis have no illusions about what it will take to get them to achieve their rock star dreams. No one will be handing them rock stardom – they are going to have to take it. And for the path they have chosen, there is simply no half measure – they need to be all in.
“So you have to go 100% … The band becomes your life. The band comes first,” Davis explained. “Everything you do is for the band and you have the best interests of the band at heart.”
This means perpetual sacrifice. “Because we are fully invested in the band, every decision we make, everything we say, we have to keep the band in mind. Because we’ve got to make things work,” Moss described. “So if the choice was to go to this family outing or do this press run, you would have to do the press run because it’s essentially our jobs to do it. Also, when you are out in public, you’re representing the band. You’ve got to assume that you are always going to be portrayed as being in this band and you’re representing them 100% of the time.”
Pursuing rock stardom sounds glamorous but in reality it can take a severe toll on family, friends and romantic partners – even with supportive people around you. “I’m lucky personally because my family and other half is really supportive. My other half does stuff in the arts so she does understand that when you work in this type of field you don’t get a lot of money at the start,” Davis said. “But she does find it hard and being away for weeks on end –if anyone spoke to her she would say it’s not glamorous … It’s a lot of nights on your own. It’s a lot of nights talking to your other half on Skype or Facetime.
“And you’ll miss birthdays.”
Moss has a unique set up as his fiancé is Stone Broken drummer Robyn Hitchcock. And this makes it both easier and more difficult at the same time. Specifically, while Davis’ girlfriend has a more “regular job,” and can therefore provide some degree of stable income, Moss and Hitchcock are both tethered to the fortunes of Stone Broken.
“We’re out on the road a lot together,” Moss said. “It does mean that where Chris has a space at home and she does have a stable job, me and my other half don’t have that. So, when we start to reap the benefits we’ll both reap the benefits. It will even itself out in the end.”
To be sure, the support and loyalty of family and friends is not necessarily a given – it’s earned. Moss and Davis are aware that it is their effort and success that embolden their social network to support them.
“I guess if we were not growing the way that we are, then things could possibly be different. They may turn around and say you need to think about getting a real job,” Moss explained. “But at the moment it’s going really well and we’re going from strength to strength so they are supporting us 100%.”
“I’m sure there are other musicians whose families are like, ‘Why don’t you get a real job,’” Davis said.
Accordingly, Moss and Davis feel that it is of the utmost importance that the band’s work ethic be extreme. “A lot of the background is just pure hard work. You’ve got to put the hours in. It’s never ever going to come to you,” Moss explained. “You need to be constantly out doing something that’s going to benefit the band – whether it’s playing shows, getting out and networking with local people, national people, going to different events, going to other people’s shows.
“It literally is a 24-hour job.”
It is perhaps counterintuitive that being willing to work a day job is necessary to achieve rock stardom. But Davis and Moss explain how being willing to work outside the band is just part of the 100% commitment to achieving their goals. “We had to put in extra shifts at work, we had to put the overtime in. We’re always working – whether it’s in the band or making money to invest in the band,” Davis said.
This is not always an easy sell for people who aspire to rock stardom and see day jobs as the enemy. “It’s tough to think when you’re in a band that you’re not going to get some success. Because at the end of the day that’s what you set out to achieve. But also I think you’ve got to be realistic … For the first three and a half years of this band, I still had a full time job. And then when we became busier, I went to a part time position. And then, ultimately, because we were given tours and we had to record the next record … I ended up giving up my job. I only left when I had to,” Moss said. “It’s tough because everyone who’s in a band wants to make that a career and wants to make some money. But I think you’ve got to be in a position where whether you are going to be living on the streets but still be a musician or whether you can still afford things and work a sideline job, I think choose the sideline job for physical and mental health.
“You can’t be in a band if you’re not well.”
But if it’s done correctly, the money earned from side jobs can be invested and help the band stand out. “Don’t be scared to invest. You’re going to have to put some money into the band. You’re going to have to save up. Don’t say, ‘Oh that’s the cheaper option.’ Early on in our career we worked with one of the top producers in the UK. And it wasn’t cheap. And a lot of bands wouldn’t have chosen that move because it’s not a cheap option,” Davis explained. “One of the first times we played on national radio, the DJ commented and said one of the reasons why he chose us out of the 100’s of bands was because of our production … It is scary putting hundreds of pounds into a band. But that’s what you’ve got to do, because there’s millions of bands out there doing the same thing that you’re doing.
“So you need to set yourself apart.”
So far, Stone Broken’s hard work has paid off. And now, in addition to their family and friends believing in them, the music industry has taken notice too. Moss, Davis, Hitchcock, and bassist Kieron Conroy were signed by Universal Records imprint Spinefarm Records (home of bands such as Seether, Godsmack, The Damned and Venom) as well as Collins Long Publishing Company and are releasing their new album Ain’t Always Easy. And they have found that connecting with others who share their passion has been helpful.
“We spent a lot of time talking with them before we signed to make sure they understood us … One thing that they can do which we can’t do so easily is release an album worldwide. We could quietly release an album in the UK – our home country. But when it comes to the rest of the world it’s a very slow process when you try to do it on your own if you don’t have a team doing it for you,” Moss said. “We have a global team of 100’s – and that’s what you can’t do by yourself. It’s not just about putting your records in a store. There is a big marketing and promotional push behind every release.”
For Davis, things are coming full circle. Not only is Stone Broken touring with established bands such as Cheap Trick, Buck Cherry and Ugly Kid Joe, but they also will be playing Graspop Metal Meeting Festival alongside Ozzy Osborne, Guns N Roses and the band that inspired Davis to begin with – Iron Maiden.
And Moss has some advice for bands that, like Stone Broken, are trying to make it: “Don’t give up until you absolutely have to.”
