Born in the small town of Covington, GA and now based in Atlanta, GA, Tedo Stone grew up in an extremely musical family. His father and his brothers were musicians and as a result, the members of the family handed down instruments like old clothing. Stone also grew up listening to old Patsy Cline and Otis Redding records, which he has publicly claimed were profoundly important on his growth as a musician, and he started performing in bands in and around his hometown when he was 12 – although he has also admitted that it took him some time to find his own unique voice. Stone’s debut effort, Good Go Bad which was released in 2013 was reportedly comprised of glam rock and country rock songs but at the time, Stone felt that he hadn’t quite gotten his sound down yet. 

As the story goes, Stone was hanging out and playing with a number of musicians in Athens, GA when he realized that his material was sounding very different live – and he actually really liked the sonic direction his material was taking. So last year, Stone recorded the material that would wind up comprising his forthcoming sophomore effort, Marshes with a core group of friends. The album’s first single “To The Marshes” is earnest, straightforward rock ‘n’ roll that channels Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere-era Neil Young as the song consists of densely layered, towering guitar chords, a simple yet propulsive rhythm and Stone’s wailing vocals and infectious, anthemic hooks. And as a result, the song sounds as though it could have been released in 1970 as easily as it sounds like it was released today – but personally, it’s the song’s earnestness and huge sound won me over.