“Shélhôm's passionate voice, his rhythmical technique on a western guitar, the colorful and rich variations conferred by the band and the stunning self-made wordplays have no reason to be envious of what Ben Harper or young Terry Reid recorded.” -Tip Berlin

TWO WOODEN STONES first began their journey in December 2008 when French singer-songwriter Shélhôm moved to Leipzig with nothing more than an old guitar and a handful of his compositions. If he was searching for proof that this was the right musical path, it wasn’t long until he found it one balmy summer’s night. After a concert, a four-year old audience member approached him to ask where he came from, on hearing “France” the child paused for thought and defiantly replied: “No, you are the music man! You must come from music!”

With his spirits high, it wasn’t long until Shélhôm met fellow musicians Jeau Champ (drums), Tiny Dawson (keyboards) and Monsieur Simon (double bass) and made a name for the band in Leipzig. In the summer of 2010, Shélhôm poured seven years of introspection into their first self-produced live album ‘A Genesis’, and in the same year, TWO WOODEN STONES et al. played at the famous concert halls ‘Schokoladen’ (Berlin), ‘La Bellevilloise’ (Paris) and ‘WERK II’ (Leipzig).

Three years later and after countless gigs, TWO WOODEN STONES made their first trip to the Middle East. Staying true to their motto, “play acoustic, stay authentic and be passionate”, the TWO WOODEN STONES played their sensational live set to audiences of more than 2000 people in Istanbul, Beirut, Amman and Dubai. They also attracted attention from the likes of Spin Radio and Rolling Stone Magazine.

Other highlights of their Middle Eastern tour included working with the video collective Beirut Jam Session, as well as their concert in The Music Room, Dubai. It was here that they met the Indian band Point of View and rock sensation Jay Wud. From the latter collaboration a live jam session gave rise to an alternative version of ‘Sold my Soul’, with the original track set to feature on their second album ‘Looking for the Light’, due for release in the spring of 2014 via newfound label Kick the Flame.

BIOGRAPHY

On ‘Looking for the Light’ TWO WOODEN STONES once again set their passions for ‘Acoustic-Freak-Folk-Rock’ free with even more virtuosity. Influenced by artists such as Ben Harper, Eddie Vedder, Jeff Buckley, Nick Drake, Bill Withers and Woven Hand, they experimented with various styles—folk, rock and world music—merging them into a uniquely immersive sound built around the effusive compositions of lead singer Shélhôm. Expressive, polyphonic vocals ride above energetic acoustic guitar with moments of blues-inspired rock intertwined with sensitive pickings. As the double bass burns bright below the blend, melodic percussion rhythms complete the velvety carpet of sound.

The four musicians comment on how they find themselves most connected to this recent work; not only on a musical level, as their sound has significantly matured, but also in relation to the themes that inspired it. As on their first album 'A Genesis', 'Looking for the Light' is also brimming with metaphors for life, it even feels as though these have evolved yet further and taken on a new universal perspective.

Shélhôm’s intent behind „Looking for the Light":
“It became a conceptual album. I was thinking a lot about the concept and the idea of light as we go through such dark times. I wanted to explore the spectrum of darkness and light from a philosophical, mystical and political point of view.”
With his own fantasy language he transports the audience not only under his spell, but also into other, undiscovered worlds. More intuitive than in normal lyrics, he connects with his audience at each concert individually: “The words of a song may have been written at a certain time or in a certain place, but that may be long since gone when I finally perform the song on stage. It’s normal that if someone tells the same very personal story a hundred times it begins to feel different from when it really happened. The emotions and feelings will still be shared of course, but the true meaning can evaporate from concert to concert. By using my own language of expression I have found a way to anchor the songs in my current mood. This way I feel more free, and am able to experience every concert anew in the here and now.”

It is exactly this which anchors TWO WOODEN STONES amidst the raging sea and allows their unique sound to reach new heights; rousing both nostalgia and wanderlust in equal measure.