26 Artists Discuss The Rolling Stones’ Influence

Music Lists The Rolling Stones

These days, you’d be hard-pressed to find an artist who hasn’t been influenced by The Rolling Stones in some way or another. Whether it’s Mick Jagger’s dynamic stage presence or Keith Richards’ too-cool-for-school pirate vibes, nearly every rock band that’s followed the Stones has found something to latch onto. Paste caught up with 26 artists to talk about the group’s legacy and how it’s inspired their own work.

Damian Kulash, OK Go:

1. Do you remember the first time you heard the Rolling Stones? If so, what album/song was it? What was your reaction?

I can’t say I remember the very first time I heard the Stones. It’s a little bit like trying to remember the first time I saw a thunderstorm. I’m sure it was a big deal, but they’re such a part of the fabric of life that it’s hard to imagine what it would be like without them. But I do remember the first time that I discovered that I loved them. I was 12 or 13, and I got a copy of Hot Rocks, as part of one of those tape clubs where you get TEN ALBUMS FOR 10¢!!! and it turned into my Bible pretty quickly. The balance of total ear-candy pop and their rawness and rough edges was super addictive. I’d listen to “Get Off Of My Cloud” and “Ruby Tuesday” over and over again.

2. Have the Rolling Stones influenced your own sound at all? If so, how?

There are a few ways that the Stones have influenced everybody’s sound, and I could try to list them out, but Mick Jagger did a better job of explaining it. I have a friend who’s a musician, and his parents were once on vacation in the Caribbean and found themselves in the same restaurant as Mick Jagger. As they left, they nervously approached his table and introduced themselves and asked if he had any advice they could bring back to their musician son. Mr. Jagger, whom you’ll recall went to the London School of Economics before he turned to the dark arts, took out a pen and drew two graphs on cocktail napkins.

He said, most people write songs like this:
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Tell your son to write songs like this:
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3. What’s your favorite Rolling Stones album/song? Why?

I think Some Girls is my favorite, because it’s so adventurous, and because it’s such an unlikely display of what they were so good at—taking cues from some existing thing, maybe even straight-up copying something, and getting it gloriously wrong, landing somewhere totally different and amazing. Their early records, like every British band from the early ‘60s, were more or less them trying to do American soul and blues, and rock ‘n’ roll as we know it was born. But by the late ‘70s they were way more on their own when they took on disco and punk sort of simultaneously—at least there wasn’t a big wave of older British rock royalty around to be on the same bandwagon with them—and they wound up with a record that is singularly amazing because of it. “Miss You” is one of the most inspired songs they ever wrote.

Daniel Balk, The Postelles:

1. Do you remember the first time you heard the Rolling Stones? If so, what album/song was it? What was your reaction?

This is where The Beatles and The Rolling Stones differ. The first time I heard The Beatles I fell in love. The first time I heard the Stones I wasn’t sure, I was confused, I was young, probably around seven years old. I didn’t understand “Moonlight Mile” as I did “Please Please Me.” The first album I heard was Sticky Fingers and it took a long time to get to me. You start to relate to the Stones after your first drink, first drug experience or the first time you play with a girl’s heart. The Stones get you when you are playing the bad guy. When I first heard “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking,” off of Sticky Fingers, it was long and noisy and didn’t make sense, but now it’s one of the most brilliant recorded tracks I’ve ever heard. Every note has so much emotion and it’s dripping in cocky confidence, that I could only appreciate after knowing what it’s like to have experienced those same feelings. Life on the road can make you feel even more connected to the Stones. The drunken night in which you didn’t use your bed and the bad hangover that follows, that’s when you realize why The Stones are The Stones.

2. Have the Rolling Stones influenced your own sound at all? If so, how?

The Rolling Stones are one of the most important bands to us. Most importantly we’ve learned how to perform live, how to feel the songs live in a different way from the recording. Keith is always in another world when he’s on stage, almost as if he’s in his childhood room playing Robert Johnson tunes alone. Mick is the perfect showman and the band is tight and loose at the same time. In terms of recording, they will never be duplicated when it comes to mixing catchy melodies with old blues soul. Every band that has tried to copy the Stones after sounds corny or like macho riff rock. I could name those bands for days. Cough AC/DC cough. Anyways, we try to borrow the bravado and genuine feeling they had in all their songs. They always paid homage to their idols like Elmore James and Little Richard, and they never tried to hide it. They were so genuine and passionate about it that it became themselves, and we try to carry that passion with us as well with respect to the bands that came before us.

3. What’s your favorite Rolling Stones album/song? Why?

This is an impossible question to answer. The two albums that come to mind are Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main St. They perfected soul and mixed rock ‘n’ roll and blues together perfectly, in a way that can never be matched with those records. My favorite song changes every week, but I’ll pick two that come to mind right now: “Wild Horses” and “Stray Cat Blues.” “Wild Horses” is possibly the most beautiful country ballad ever written. Keith seemed too stoned to play it fast and Mick was too hip to sing it country, so it became another Stones classic that just floats around with beautiful playing by all the members. “Stray Cat Blues” on the other hand is the sexiest track ever put down. Mick sings about being with two underage girls, saying, “I bet your Momma never saw you scratch my back.” The band is in such a pocket, such a groove that can’t be stopped. They were and are the unstoppable force. All hail The Rolling Stones.

Dr. Matt Destruction, The Hives:

1. Do you remember the first time you heard the Rolling Stones? If so, what album/song was it? What was your reaction?

I was 12 and it was the song “Satisfaction” on a mixtape my cousin had, and his band had done a demo cover version. My reaction was “hey, this sounds cool and simple, maybe I could learn this on guitar” and I did.

2. Have the Rolling Stones influenced your own sound at all? If so, how?

The Rolling Stones were maybe our biggest influence. Most of our favorite punk bands sound like faster Rolling Stones. They also have a pretty glorious sense of humor and fun that we were influenced by.

3. What’s your favorite Rolling Stones album/song? Why?

My favorite song is “Street Fighting Man.” It has the best intro of all time—the build up is so good! At the start of the song I want to be a guitarist, then I want to be a drummer, then a guitarist again, then a singer but for me, of course, the sugar on top of the whole song is the bass line.

Matthew “Murph” Murphy, The Wombats:

1. Do you remember the first time you heard the Rolling Stones? If so, what album/song was it? What was your reaction?

I can’t really remember, but I do have a memory of my father and me listening to “Sympathy for the Devil” in his car on the way to school. I was probably about 11 years old, and the station would’ve undoubtedly been BBC Radio 2. I have no idea what my reaction was, enjoying the samba feel I assume.

2. Have the Rolling Stones influenced your own sound at all? If so, how?

I’m not sure if they have influenced us consciously, but at the same time I doubt ourselves and many of our peers would exist if it wasn’t for what they did for popular music, and to a further extent popular culture. They seemed to give hope, an idea that anybody could do this, white guys can play blues too. I’d say there approach to recording has been important to us, especially on our debut album. Not everything had to be musically precise, it was about capturing something true and believable and that the roughness around the edges can be quite intriguing too.

3. What’s your favorite Rolling Stones album/song? Why?

“Wild Horses.” It’s beautiful, simple, perhaps detailing a break-up, but with an extremely positive undercurrent. A masterclass.

Chris Senseney, Big Harp:

1. Do you remember the first time you heard the Rolling Stones? If so, what album/song was it? What was your reaction?

The first time I remember, I must have been around five or six. I was on a road trip with my family, and my older sister played me “Beast of Burden” off of Some Girls. I thought it was awesome, especially when it got to the falsetto, “pretty-pretty-pretty-pretty-pretty girls” part. She must have been listening to that album a lot, because she made me a mixtape later with that song and “Far Away Eyes” on it.

2. Have the Rolling Stones influenced your own sound at all? If so, how?

Definitely. They were probably the first rock band I listened to that incorporated a certain amount of chaos and chance. Especially on that run of albums from the late-’60s to the mid-’70s. You could hear that they weren’t concerned with getting every little hair in place, but somehow everything lands just where it should. I guess it opened me up to the idea that if you attack something with the right attitude, the intent will validate the result. It doesn’t have to be perfect to be perfect. And lyrically, I don’t think Mick gets nearly his due. He can be really brutal, but there’s an underlying sense of humor there too.

3. What’s your favorite Rolling Stones album/song? Why?

Hard to say. I suppose it’s universally acknowledged at this point, but it’s hard to argue with Exile on Main St. I mean, it’s twice as long as the rest, right? And the fucking thing is stacked. I used to listen to it on headphones over and over, and after a while you start to really wear it, like a blanket. Or armor. It’s heavy, and you can’t move too good with it on, but it keeps the world at a comfortable remove.

Morgan Nagler, Whispertown:
1. Do you remember the first time you heard the Rolling Stones? If so, what album/song was it? What was your reaction?

When I first heard Exile on Main St., which is by far my favorite album, I remember asking what it was, thinking I must already know it. It made me feel like myself, and I thought, “OOOH. The Rolling Stones. I get it.” Because the general vibe it embodies, was and is where I want to be. I was pretty young, and until that point I had heard of the Rolling Stones, and knew it involved red lips. But when you actually HEAR the Rolling Stones, you realize they embody a lifestyle. A good one. One you want. I think you be hard-pressed to find any kind of rock band that they haven’t influenced. I believe Exile was recorded in some kind of mobile recording truck all over France…sounds like dream. Literally.

Dave Munro, Air Traffic Controller:

1. Do you remember the first time you heard the Rolling Stones? If so, what album/song was it? What was your reaction?

I don’t remember the first time I heard the Stones, but I remember the first time I heard “Satisfaction.” I was watching the movie Satisfaction with Justine Bateman and Julia Roberts and thinking, “this great song was not made for this terrible movie!”

2. Have the Rolling Stones influenced your own sound at all? If so, how?

The Rolling Stones influenced me by changing things up drastically, song to song and throughout their career. You know a Stones song when you hear it, but it’s not because it all sounds the same. They are explorers, and they showed many bands we should approach music like them, there’s too much ground to cover in rock ‘n’ roll to just put one vibe out there.

3. What’s your favorite Rolling Stones album/song? Why?

“Waiting On a Friend”—simple and unforgettable, structurally unique, there’s a hook, but is it the chorus, a tag line? Whatever it is, it’s stuck in your head for days! The riff is strummed so carelessly, I wonder if Keith Richards really had to put any thought into it, yet, again, it’s contageous! Every verse feels like a bridge. It’s just not a common way to lay out a hit song, but it’s a real stand-out for me. I’ve never been a big fan of the saxophone either, but on this track, I can’t wait to hear it. This song makes me so happy and nostalgic I could cry. And the video, so terrible, but great. It looks like a music video you might make with your friends. I love how Mick Jagger is ignored while singing ridiculously on the stairs. How did those guys not join in, or at least laugh at him? I also love that the band is playing in the corner of a bar at the end, c’mon, they’re THE Stones! I’m sure it’s something they had been wanting to do again for some time.

Howe Gelb, Giant Sand

1. Do you remember the first time you heard the Rolling Stones? If so, what album/song was it? What was your reaction?

“Brown Sugar.” And everything else from Sticky Fingers. I was 14 and learning to smoke Marlboros. We’d gamble our quarters on a pinball machine that would pay off in the back of a greasy pizza parlor in Wilkes-Barre, Penn. It became our anthem there and then. But I only saw them live once, in 1976 in Philadelphia, with The Commodores opening for ‘em.

2. Have the Rolling Stones influenced your own sound at all? If so, how?

I hold Sticky Fingers to be the template of the finest production of any album ever, especially where the drums sit in correlation to the guitars. I tried to make my albums sound like that when I first started making them…but the engineers involved were instead trying to save us from ourselves.

3. What’s your favorite Rolling Stones album/song? Why?

Um, see question 1.

Daniel Ellsworth, Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes
1. Do you remember the first time you heard the Rolling Stones? If so, what album/song was it? What was your reaction?

The first Stones song I ever heard was “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”—I was probably 13 or 14, I think I heard it on a local radio station in the Twin Cities. It hit me in a big way; it was my gateway drug to The Rolling Stones.

2. Have the Rolling Stones influenced your own sound at all? If so, how?

I wouldn’t cite the Stones as a direct influence on our music—but, just like the Beatles, The Stones’ influence on pop and rock music as we now know it is undeniable. They influence every rock band making music, whether we know it or not.

3. What’s your favorite Rolling Stones album/song? Why?

My favorite Stones album is easily Let It Bleed. After I heard “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” I had to have it. The whole album is magic.

Tommy Evans, Secret Colours
1. Do you remember the first time you heard the Rolling Stones? If so, what album/song was it? What was your reaction?

First time I heard them would probably be when I was a freshman in high school. At first I just dismissed them cause I was a little ignorant and was only committed to the Beatles. But as soon as I gave them a good listen I realized it was stupid to dismiss music because of media influence. First song I heard was on the radio, which was “Sympathy for the Devil.”

2. Have the Rolling Stones influenced your own sound at all? If so, how?

They have influenced my songwriting greatly; they set a blueprint, influencing how I arrange songs and influencing more blues-based songwriting.

3. What’s your favorite Rolling Stones album/song? Why?

My favorite song would have to be “The Last Time” just because the E, D, A chord progression has always been one of my favorites and the simple guitar hook seems to be quite infectious.

Craig Wedren
1. Do you remember the first time you heard the Rolling Stones? If so, what album/song was it? What was your reaction?

Probably the first Stones song I heard, and knew, was “Satisfaction,” but I was aware of Rolling Stones from memory. They were always there, at every age, and I always loved them. My mom had Hot Rocks, which I listened to as a kid, and still have in my vinyl crates. When I was nine I seriously rehearsed a lip-synch to “Honky Tonk Women” in the mirror for a contest that was happening at an honest-to-goodness biker bar in The Flats of Cleveland (I never made it down there, but rehearsals were INTENSE). When The Stones came to Cleveland in ‘81 on the Tattoo You tour, I took down every poster in my room and literally wallpapered every inch with Stones photos, articles, Xeroxes, lyrics, tongues, you-name-it. In 10th grade, I got my first four track cassette recorder; the first song I recorded was “Sway.” I stole my friend’s parents’ original copy of Sticky Fingers (with the real zipper). Nathan Larson (Shudder To Think gtr pardner) and I played “Star Star” at acoustic shows.

2. Have the Rolling Stones influenced your own sound at all? If so, how?

The Rolling Stones have influenced literally everything I’ve ever done, sung, written, or sung. In 2000, I recorded a cover of “Miss You” that became the cornerstone for my subsequent dark-dance-pop band, BABY. We played it at every show, on runways for fashion shows, and it still pops up on dance comps to this day. I recently released all BABY material from the vaults, including my original “Miss You” demo, which can be heard here.

3. What’s your favorite Rolling Stones album/song? Why?

My favorite Stones song changes monthly. Recently, I’ve been digging “Let Me Go” from Emotional Rescue, mainly for the lyrics and general vibe, but my all-time favorite is probably “Honky Tonk Women,” because it’s perfect. Without question, the best Stones record is Sticky Fingers, although I’ve been listening to the Some Girls through Undercover era lately more than the ‘60s or ‘70s stuff. I think Undercover is underrated—the political dance-punk on there is a respectable (heh) stab at Sandinista!-era Clash, hard, catchy and effective. I agree with Mick that Exile is weak, song-wise.

Aaron Ellingson, Young Empires

1. Do you remember the first time you heard the Rolling Stones? If so, what album/song was it? What was your reaction?

I remember getting into my parents’ old vinyl collection when I was a kid, and the album Sticky Fingers was my favorite. I always liked how it was kind of chill and loose and had a relaxed vibe, but was really badass and cool rock and roll all at the same time.

2. Have the Rolling Stones influenced your own sound at all? If so, how?

As a guitar player, the Keith Richards, Mick Taylor guitar style is a big influence. I’ve always played telecasters, and loved their kind of blues tone but played in a rock style. And they were the first band I heard that could really jam out and have those moments, but also deliver a solid pop song as well.

3. What’s your favorite Rolling Stones album/song? Why?

Love the album Sticky Fingers, and the track combo 3-4 of “Wild Horses” and “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” is probably my two favorite back-to-back songs on any album ever. Such a great example of being able to have two totally different songs, but both clearly Stones and both work so good together. Not a lot of bands can do that so well.

Total Slacker

1. Do you remember the first time you heard the Rolling Stones? If so, what album/song was it? What was your reaction?

Yeah I definitely remember the first time I heard ‘em…was at my uncle Jeff’s house in Salt Lake City, and he played “Satisfaction” on vinyl. That was pretty amazing. I think I was eight. I just felt elated over the fuzzed-out intro guitar riff and how much attitude was embodied in that sound. My uncle saw them play bunch back in the ‘70s and ‘80s, and he always talked about Mick Jagger’s live performance and how much energy the man had on stage.

2. Have the Rolling Stones influenced your own sound at all? If so, how?

I would think on a guitar player level, YES!! Between the ages of eight and 12, I listened a lot to Keith Richards’ chordal work, the way he executes simple yet elegant rhythm guitar passages always blew me away. Strangely enough, the Stones drummer, Charlie Watts, shares my same birthday!

3. What’s your favorite Rolling Stones album/song? Why?
Album : Some Girls, song: “Shattered.”

Ben Taylor:

1. Do you remember the first time you heard the Rolling Stones? If so, what album/song was it? What was your reaction?

My mother [Carly Simon] has had Sticky Fingers on such heavy rotation from the time I was in the womb, that I may have thought that was just what life sounded like for everyone. Perhaps it should be.

2. Have the Rolling Stones influenced your own sound at all? If so, how?

Not consciously. Not really, but when I do need to muster extra confidence for the purpose of impressing some unattainable woman, I tried my best to adopt Mick’s body language. So far I haven’t had much in the way of satisfaction, but you can’t always get what you want.

3. What’s your favorite Rolling Stones album/song? Why?

“Moonlight Mile.” The dynamic diversity is masterful, from the sparse verses to the powerful chorus, all the way to the perverse string arrangement. Top shelf song. Top shelf production and performance. Viva la Sticky Fingers!

Carl Carlton (Robert Palmer, Eric Burdon and the Animals, The Songdogs)

1. Do you remember the first time you heard the Rolling Stones? If so, what album/song was it? What was your reaction?

First time I actually saw the Stones! Summer holidays 1965, and my Mum had put me to bed due to a sore inflamed big toe. My comfort was a bundle of new Mickey Mouse issues. In those days they had a centerfold entertainment section, with Hit Charts, Boy Scout Deed of the day, and…an incredible picture of the Stones. That photo totally thrilled me…mainly Keith. Love at first sight I guess. That afternoon I listened to one of those pirate North Sea radio stations and just as it was staged, on came “Little Red Rooster” and “Satisfaction.” Hit that way by Picture and Sound, I was sold, baby! Infested so to speak!

2. Have the Rolling Stones influenced your own sound at all? If so, how?

Yes, they absolutely had an influence on my sound and writing. Big time! Don’t forget, genius borrows and talent steals! But the most important influence was, that by carefully reading their credits and liner notes, the Stones introduced me to the world of blues and their entrepreneurs, Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, Jimmy Reed, Robert Johnson and the lot. Plus of course pickers like Ry Cooder, the Meters, Little Feat and Taj Mahal….all these acts that they featured one way or the other! The Stones were and are my fuel to keep doing what I’m doing and beyond.

3. What’s your favorite Rolling Stones album/song? Why?

In August 1968 “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” premiered on the legendary German Beat Club. The band looked frightening, mystical, rocking, embodying the incarnation of cool and savage! Whilst the sound was pounding and Jagger swaying, my bystander in person of my Granny lost it. Shock! She ran into the kitchen screaming for my Dad, “the devil is in the flimmer box!!!!” Dad and Granny teamed up, entered the living room like excorsists, switched the tele off and told me to go to my room. Now I reckon, yes indeed, I was possessed with the greatest song and band I’d ever heard. Off I dashed into the kitchen, grabbed the biggest fuck-off butcher knife I could find, back to the TV, switched it on, at the same time keeping my Dad and Granny at bay, hissing a mortal warning through my teeth, if they’d only dare to come near and switch off “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” I couldn’t guarantee for anything! I certainly made it to the end of the song, enjoying every beat. After that, indeed, the inevitable consequences were dreadful! 🙂 Yes, “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” is my favorite Stones tune of all time!

Matt McDonald, Perpetual Groove:

1. Do you remember the first time you heard the Rolling Stones? If so, what album/song was it? What was your reaction?

The first time I heard them was sometime in 1982 in Peoria, Ill., riding with my Dad in his Caprice Classic that still sported an 8-track, to “Satisfaction.” I was ready to sing along by the time the second chorus came around. Probably my first rock lesson in a hook for a chorus and a riff for the guitar.

2. Have the Rolling Stones influenced your own sound at all? If so, how?

I think the Rolling Stones have influenced any band’s sound that claim to be a rock band. They’ve also influenced my stage moves, for sure.

3. What’s your favorite Rolling Stones album/song? Why?

Sticky Fingers has it all. Just in the first four tracks you have “Brown Sugar,” “Wild Horses” and “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking.” You don’t hear songs that raw anymore that are inherently different, but both “Brown Sugar” and “Wild Horses” make you sing along on the first listen. Showing they weren’t afraid to jam on “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking.” I was recently reminded of how great the album is start to finish on this year’s jamcruise where Karl Denson and Anders Osborne covered it. I was lucky enough to be there.

Jimmy “Cobra” Carbonetti, Caveman
1. Do you remember the first time you heard the Rolling Stones? If so, what album/song was it? What was your reaction?

The first time I heard about the Rolling Stones was when I was a kid and I found a cassette tape of Tattoo You in a thrift store and bought it because the cover was so great, and I had no idea what to think about it. The first jam I got into was “Start Me Up,” and I felt the vibe and was hooked.

2. Have the Rolling Stones influenced your own sound at all? If so, how?

The Stones have definitely influenced my playing and our sound with just the vibe they were creating—so much freedom in their playing and being open to experimenting with different sounds. Ronnie Wood is the most influential to me, from the art he makes to just his overall vibe and musicianship. He brought a huge vibe playing intertwined guitar with Keith and making two guitars sound like one, which is awesome.

3. What’s your favorite Rolling Stones album/song? Why?

One of my favorite Stones songs is “Emotional Rescue.” It has a very strong, old-school NYC vibe to me and also my dude Ronnie Wood is on the bass bringing a different feel, and Bill Wyman was on synth, so it just had a really great vibe.

Jonas Stein, Turbo Fruits
1. Do you remember the first time you heard the Rolling Stones? If so, what album/song was it? What was your reaction?

I don’t remember the first time I heard them but I do remember the first/only time I saw them. It must have been around 1998. I was 11 years old, and the concert was at the Vanderbilt football stadium in Nashville. I remember being amazed that these old dudes could rock so hard. I specifically remember Keith wearing a long coat and when he would do his spin around move his coat would open up like an umbrella. I was in awe.

2. Have the Rolling Stones influenced your own sound at all? If so, how?

Not directly, but I think every good modern rock ‘n’ roll band has some Stones in ‘em. It’s impossible not to like the Stones…I feel like everyone grew up with them so, maybe subconsciously, they have influenced our sound.

3. What’s your favorite Rolling Stones album/song? Why?
Sticky Fingers is my favorite. When I was 17, I had this really cool vintage Stones shirt. I was illegally playing at a bar and the bartender was really into my shirt. He asked if I was a “real Rolling Stones fan.” I told him yes because I knew a few of their songs and had seen them play. I got the vibe that this dude was really, really into the Stones. So later that night he comes up to me and asks, “what’s your favorite Stones album?” I froze up because the honest truth is that I didn’t know the names of any Stones albums. I couldn’t answer the question and he just smiled and walked away. I felt much shame. The next day I went out and bought a Rolling Stones record as it was obviously time for me to carry the weight of this sweet shirt. I bought Sticky Fingers…and eventually all the others. “Wild Horses” is my favorite song. It’s the most fucking beautiful Rolling Stones song ever.

Julian Fader, Ava Luna

1. Do you remember the first time you heard the Rolling Stones? If so, what album/song was it? What was your reaction?

My dad was always a Beatles guy but I explicitly remember him playing me “Monkey Man” from Let It Bleed to me at a very young age. I thought that piano intro was so sinister that it actually scared me. Later on, I had Sticky Fingers on cassette and listened to that a ton in middle school.

2. Have the Rolling Stones influenced your own sound at all? If so, how?

Ava Luna is more obliquely influenced by the Rolling Stones—they were a part of our lives as we grew up for sure. You could also say that there’s some parallel in the way they took the music that they loved and twisted it for their own good.

3. What’s your favorite Rolling Stones album/song? Why?
Definitely “Jigsaw Puzzle” off of Beggars Banquet. It’s their Dylan rip-off.

Erick Eiser, The Dig

1. Do you remember the first time you heard the Rolling Stones? If so, what album/song was it? What was your reaction?

It was inevitable I think that the first Rolling Stones song I ever heard was “Satisfaction.” I remember really hearing for the first time when I was in fourth or fifth grade and thinking at the time “this is my new favorite band along with The Dead and Nirvana.”

2. Have the Rolling Stones influenced your own sound at all? If so, how?

I think the Stones have probably influenced the sound of our band indirectly or subconsciously. I don’t think it’s that apparent in our music though. I definitely think they’ve influenced in the sense that we try to maintain a rock ‘n’ roll spirit in our music.

3. What’s your favorite Rolling Stones album/song? Why?

My favorite Rolling Stones album has got to be Beggars Banquet because every song is amazing and it never feels old to me. It’s really impossible to pick one song. If I had to choose it would probably be “Street Fighting Man” or “Sympathy for The Devil.”

Steve Adams, ALO

_1. Do you remember the first time you heard the Rolling Stones? If so, what
album/song was it? What was your reaction?_

The first time I heard the Stones (and knew that’s what I was listening to) was probably sometime around the age of 10. My stepdad had a great record collection and I got really into digging through it and pulling out ones that looked interesting. I remember stumbling upon Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out! one day with its funny album cover, putting it on and thinking “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”, “Midnight Rambler” and “Street Fighting Man” were just
awesome. It quickly became one of my favorites. I loved the guitar playing and the beat and the undeniable live rock n’ roll energy.

2. Have the Rolling Stones influenced your own sound at all? If so, how?

For me personally, I’ve more and more over the years become a huge fan of Bill Wyman’s bass playing. I love how supportive he plays, totally in the groove with Charlie Watts but simultaneously very loose and free. His tone is perfect and some of his basslines are the hookiest around. What he came up with for “Paint It Black” still amazes me every time I hear it. Surely the Stones had a significant influence on all of us in ALO—as instrumentalists, songwriters and performers.

3. What’s your favorite Rolling Stones album/song? Why?

I’ve really been digging that run of late-’70s records—Black & Blue, Some Girls, Emotional Rescue. Songs like “Shattered,” “Hand of Fate” and “She’s So Cold” get me all stoked. That rock steady beat under the loose guitars and vocals might actually be my favorite thing The Stones do. They’re the masters of that.

Shout Out Out Out Out

1. Do you remember the first time you heard the Rolling Stones? If so, what album/song was it? What was your reaction?

I don’t really remember the first time I heard the Rolling Stones, but I do remember seeing the album Through The Past, Darkly around the house all the time when I was growing up, and I used to stare at it all the time. Weird die cut sleeve, weird squished faces, I found it fascinating. I also remember my dad traveling to Vancouver to see the Stones on their Steel Wheels tour, and he brought me back a t-shirt, which I thought was entirely awesome all around.

2. Have the Rolling Stones influenced your own sound at all? If so, how?

To be honest, I don’t really feel that the Stones have influenced our sound actually, ha ha! Really though, with a band that is so important to rock music and modern music in general, I think it’s unavoidable that their influence has crept into what we do in some way; there might just be a few degrees of separation. A few interesting connections between us and the Rolling Stones have come up though: Brett Miles, who plays saxophone on one of the songs on our new album (Never The Same Way Twice), apparently once played sax on a Mick Jagger solo single, and next month we are doing an “artist in residency” stint at the National Music Centre in Calgary, which houses the Rolling Stones mobile recording truck as part of their collection! We are going to get to record using some of the input modules from the console from the Stones truck, which of course means that we will sound exactly like them!

3. What’s your favorite Rolling Stones album/song? Why?

“Sympathy For The Devil” is my fave Rolling Stones song. I love all the percussion, the piano, the backing vocal “oo-ooos,” and in general I just think it’s a really interesting and somewhat odd tune, that to me stands out as a unique classic.

Sam Bush

1. Do you remember the first time you heard the Rolling Stones? If so, what album/song was it? What was your reaction?

“Satisfaction” on the Ed Sullivan Show. Loved the song then, love it now. And the way those guys looked, super cool. Not dressing alike, uber cool.

2. Have the Rolling Stones influenced your own sound at all? If so, how?

Rolling Stones an influence on me? Oh heck yeah. They’ve always used a blend of acoustic and electric instruments. I picked up on that straight-away.

3. What’s your favorite Rolling Stones album/song? Why?

Let it Bleed (album) and “Gimme Shelter” (song). When the Charlie Watts’ beat enters “Gimme Shelter” it “frames” the lyrics and guitar—sheer perfection. One of the most majestic sounds in rock…EVER. Personal favorite.

A Lull

1. Do you remember the first time you heard the Rolling Stones? If so, what album/song was it? What was your reaction?

I remember being really young and my dad gave me all his vinyl records and I’d just sit in my room by myself for hours listening to them while playing with records. I used to listen to The Rolling Stones album Their Satanic Majesties Request all the time. I think it was because I loved the album cover. Looking back on it, that’s a pretty far-out record for a 5- or 6-year-old kid to get behind.

2. Have the Rolling Stones influenced your own sound at all? If so, how?

Yes, at least to me they have. I grew up on them, and still listen to the Stones probably on a daily basis. I love the way Keith Richards plays guitar, all his little riffs, I’m inspired to be a player like him.

3. What’s your favorite Rolling Stones album/song? Why?
Exile on Main St. I think it’s the best rock and roll record ever made, and the whole story behind writing and recording that record is great.

John-Angus MacDonald, The Trews:

1. Do you remember the first time you heard the Rolling Stones? If so, what album/song was it? What was your reaction?

I remember listening to my Dad’s vinyl copy of Hot Rocks all the time when I was young. I must have worn out “Ruby Tuesday” on that record.

2. Have the Rolling Stones influenced your own sound at all? If so, how?

Absolutely. They are the ultimate rock band, and if you wanna be in a good rock band I feel you have to pass through the Stones. I think the thing we carry with us most is the integrity in their groove. That and I really admire and respect their longevity.

3. What’s your favorite Rolling Stones album/song? Why?

Exile on Main St. “Tumbling Dice.” When I got into that record I think it was the only thing I listened to for about a year! Again, it’s the groove that got me and the magic in the performance—the Stones are a surprisingly hard band to cover for this very reason.

Snow Keim, The Blakes:
1. Do you remember the first time you heard the Rolling Stones? If so, what album/song was it? What was your reaction?

The first time hearing the Rolling Stones for me was when I was seven years old and “Paint It Black” came through the speakers. I remember sitting up and listening very intently. It was cool and it didn’t sound like the Beach Boys. So, that made me think “what else is out there?” This music did not come from anything I’d seen or heard yet and I wanted it.

2. Have the Rolling Stones influenced your own sound at all? If so, how?

The Rolling Stones were very influential on us. When writing and recording the The Blakes’ self-titled album we were watching Gimme Shelter over and over and over again. That was when I wrote the bass guitar line for “Two Times” which then I didn’t realize how Stonesy it was but I had never written any 12-bar blues in my life so I can only imagine that it must have unconsciously crept into my head. That song ended up as track 1 on the album.

3. What’s your favorite Rolling Stones album/song? Why?

Their Satanic Majesties Request. I LOVE that record!

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