The announcement of SF's The Stone Foxes tour earlier this year was that much sweeter since it had been on hold since 2021.
Cleverly named after their sixth album, 2022's The Other Side, The Other Side of the Road tour got underway at SoHo Restaurant & Music Club in Santa Barbara, CA and before making their way back to the Bay Area for a show at home they had a show at Venice West in Venice, CA on Febraury 10th.
The show couldn't have been curated any better as their blues infused rock n' roll was a perfect fit for the Venice venue with it's hip industrial asthetic and moody lighting. Offering a full bar and food menu, people were scattered around the spaceous room but as show time neared, lingering fans made their way closer to the stage.
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| The Stone Foxes @ Venice West 2/10/2023 photo by Nikki DeMartini |
Everyone's attention was hailed as The Stone Foxes got mosied to stage just before 9:30.
Front man Shannon Koehler was all smiles under a balck and orange SF Giants hat as he and the band quickly got situated before getting down to business with new ones from the new album, "Man's Red Fire" and "Norah Jones". Before continuing on with "Passenger Train" from 2010's Bears & Bulls and "Everybody Knows" from 2013's Small Fires, Koehler graciously greeted the enthused hoots and hollers, introducing the band from The Bay to SoCal showgoers.
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| The Stone Foxes @ Venice West 2/10/2023 photo by Nikki DeMartini |
As the show rolled on The Stone Foxes collectively picked up steam. They brough it from the get go but as more and more of the crowd came around and started getting down it ignited an even bigger spark in The Stone Foxes. They teetered between mid to low tempos then without notice, they slathered us with full-on rock jams complete with guitar solos, harmonica solos and bursts of drum solos.
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| The Stone Foxes @ Venice West 2/10/2023 photo by Nikki DeMartini |
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| The Stone Foxes @ Venice West 2/10/2023 photo by Nikki DeMartini |
A few songs deep we saw them start to shift in positions as Shannon Koehler traded places with the drummer, the drummer became the basist and the basist took over lead vocals. Without missing a beat The Stone Foxes gave us solid harmonies from start to finish, no matter who was on lead vocals. Backup vocals from the female keyboardist lends a delicate touch to the tunes heavy with blues. She's a piece I never noticed was missing at previous Stone Foxes shows I've covered over the years but the little bit of estrogen is a great addition. By the time they played a cover of The Grateful Dead's "Truckin'" everyone in the place was on their feet and most of them were singing along. The Stone Foxes at Venice West was one of the most lively shows, on and off of the stage, that I have been to in a while. It was easy to see that the band and their fans were truly enjoying themseleves and there's something about witnessing that, that just makes you feel good on the inside.
After headlining 18 shows, the show at Ophelia's Electric Soapbox in Denver, CO was their final one off show of The Other Side of the Road tour but that's not all they have in store for us.
In less than two months The Stone Foxes will be at BottleRock Napa Valley!
They hit one of the stages there on Friday May 26th!
