HAGSTONE: POWERFUL VOICES AND DEFIANT RIFFS
When you think of metal, you might picture intense riffs and fierce vocals, but Hagstone is more than just a sound—it’s a social statement wrapped in heavy grooves. From creating makeshift recording gear in the backwoods of Virginia to reclaiming the power of the «hag» in a male-dominated music industry, this band is unapologetically themselves. In this interview, we dive into how Hagstone turned informal jam sessions into a sonic force, the DIY ethos that fuels them, and their commitment to inclusivity—both within the band and in their local scene. AND FREE PALESTINE!
Music and Sound
- The Genesis of Hagstone: Hagstone began from informal jam sessions and evolved into a band with a recorded demo. How did this transition shape your sound and songwriting approach? What were the key moments that influenced your development as a band?
Starting off more casually allowed the band to develop its sound organically rather than immediately pigeon-holing into a particular genre. During the early jam sessions, there was more of a psych rock and Hawkwind influence, but the addition of Joe added more structure and heavier riffs to the mix. When Forrest and Joe both showed up with Les Pauls, the guitar sound really started to click. We jammed and toyed with song structures for a long time with no vocals. After Alison joined, adding vocals, the structure of the songs really started falling into place. Once we got a sense for how we sounded together I think that got us excited and we started to write more as a group.
- Influences and Sound: Your music blends hard rock, psych-rock, proto-metal, and NWOBHM. How do you merge these diverse influences to create your unique sound? Are there specific elements or themes you prioritize in your music?
We listen to and are influenced by all that and more. However, our main influences all have a common root and evoke a similar feeling. It’s music to listen to while riding a motorcycle through the mountains or while setting off on an epic road trip. So, when we are blending various elements it’s really more about finding what feels right for a particular song than any conscious decision to invoke a particular style. If you had to boil it down you could say, we prioritize rocking out and having a steady groove.
- The Role of Alison: Alison stepped up as both bassist and vocalist. How has her dual role impacted the band’s dynamics and creative process? Do you see her role as a representation of broader gender dynamics in the music industry?
There’s a feeling you have when you hear playback on a recording or show up to a gig and know you’ve got the right lineup for the band. When Alison joined, her input on vocals and songwriting really started to solidify the songs. Our creative process typically starts with guitar riffs. Then we add the rest of the instrumentation, then vocals, then any final touches. Overall, the writing process is very collaborative with each member contributing ideas and parts.
The music industry has historically been very male dominated, but we are encouraged by an increasing number of women playing in hard rock and metal bands. We are lucky to come out of a local punk scene that is, on the whole, very supportive of women in music. While we can’t really control the music industry on a macro level, we can be supportive of each other in our local scenes, and over time that can build to more widespread changes.
- Crafting Your Demo: Recording a demo is a crucial milestone. What were some of the challenges and highlights you experienced during this process? How did you aim to capture the essence of your live performances in the demo?
Our recording experience was highly enjoyable. We worked with our good friend Russell Lacy who has a studio out in the woods, here in Virginia called The Virginia Moonwalker. He’s got the right setup to get an old-school sound, and an excellent pitbull named Studley.
Joe’s extensive experience with sound engineering and recording was also crucial to capturing that vintage 1970s feeling that we were going for. These days, the cost to access old cool-sounding audio equipment has gotten totally out of hand for the regular musician. We are beyond fortunate that Joe has electronics skills and an interest in creating replicas and approximations of the old, rare, expensive, or otherwise unattainable gear.
In anticipation of our session he built a copy of a cooper time cube, which is a sort of primitive electromechanical delay device that blasts sound through a garden hose with a speaker on one side and a microphone on the other. It was popular in the 70’s. The patent for it makes some pretty bold claims, but basically the finite speed of sound in the fixed length of garden hose makes a short delay effects that’s sort of phasey sounding or like the source is in a small room. We used it on some of the guitar solos.
The sound effect on the opening track is old electronics lab signal generator and backwards guitar through a homemade ring modulator. The Dr. Who fans may know… a ring modulator is used to make the «exterminate!» dalek voice. That day we forgot the power supply for it and had to improvise with a drill battery with coins shoved into the terminals and attached with clip leads. That setup got pretty gnarly… like something out of an action movie. «Somebody call the bomb tech!»
Most of the mic preamps used on the session are custom and homemade. They are copies of the line amp from a popular 70’s limiter without the gain reduction circuitry. Some parts of these were new and some were scrapped from other equipment. What should be a very utilitarian audio device [they’re used to boost a microphone’s weak signal up to a standard level], has a huge influence on the character of a recording when driven into the red.
One of the biggest challenges to any recording is knowing when you are done. It can be extremely difficult to fight those perfectionistic tendencies that want to continue to tweak and refine, but at some point, you have to let it go if you want to get all that hard work out into the world.
At the time of our recording, we hadn’t played a show yet, but we definitely wanted to capture that sort of live performance energy. Russel let us record live and loud and wasn’t on our case about volume or bleed or click tracks or all that other stuff that makes the recording process miserable. Many of the solos are live. Some are double tracked. A handful are straight overdubs. We laid down the rhythm tracks one day. Alison sang the next.
Musical Chemistry: The band members seem to have strong chemistry and enjoy playing together. How does this chemistry affect your songwriting and overall creative process? Can you share an example of how this dynamic has influenced a specific song or aspect of your demo?
Joe and Nathan didn’t know each other before this band, but everyone else has known each other for over a decade and have played in other bands together in various combinations. Forrest and Nathan have been friends since high school. There is a lot of trust between us, and we are all in it because we love playing music. This degree of comfort allows us to experiment and take risks in songwriting. Some in-the-moment experimentation that made it onto the demo include the flute in Don’t Knock and the vibraslap in New Life.
Band Dynamics and Evolution
- From Jams to Demo: We’ve read that your sessions started as informal jams before evolving into a more structured process. How did your objectives change as you began focusing on writing and rehearsing full songs? Did this evolution in your process affect how you approach social themes or inclusivity within your music?
There was always a tentative plan that the jams would turn into songs. The jams were a low- key, informal way of finding the style and process for the sort of songs that this band writes. We still often jam for a few minutes at the beginning of practice to get warmed up. Sometimes it can help with finding a part that’s been missing from a song or to spark an idea for something new. The more we write together, the quicker the songs seem to come together.
While we haven’t consciously tried to write songs with a political message, we write from within a particular culture. It’s impossible for the social themes impacting us, our community and the world at large to not end up in our songs.
Objectives: Have fun. Write killer riffs. Make cool recordings. Play shows for the people. Repeat.
- Band Name Significance: The name «Hagstone» incorporates the term «hag», which has a variety of historical and mystical connotations. How do you view the use of this term in the context of your band? Do you see it as a reclamation of historically negative labels associated with powerful women, and how does this influence your band’s identity and the themes you explore in your music?
Thanks for asking this one. Nathan came across the idea for the name while watching The Wicker Man. A hagstone is a type of rock with a naturally occurring hole that is often ascribed magical properties. However, initially, Alison was resistant to the name and was worried about the mental health ramifications of being referred to as a “stoned hag”. Haha.
After some reflection, she decided to embrace the “hag”. Our late-stage capitalist society tries to tell us that, as women, our value is in our youth and appearance so that it can continue to sell us remedies to the inevitable ravishes of time. Older women are, to a large extent, excluded from the cultural narrative. I think that this is really detrimental, not just to the women affected by this silencing of older women, but also to society at large which could benefit from exposure to their diverse experiences. A hag is not just a wizened old woman but is powerful and in control of her own destiny. She is a fearful force of nature. Up the crones!!!
- Adjustments and Growth: With changes in the lineup, including Spazzy’s departure and Alison’s addition, how did the band adapt? What were the major adjustments and how did they impact your music and dynamics? Did these changes also influence your approach to creating an inclusive and supportive band environment?
Integrating Alison was a fairly easy process. We had bits and pieces of around 10 songs recorded as voice memos which Alison had been hearing for months. Actually, one of the main impetuses for her to join the band was wanting to add her ideas to what she’d been hearing. The main challenge was figuring out what to focus on first as we quickly learned that trying to work on that many songs simultaneously was not very productive. We broke it down into groups of 2-3 songs to work on at a time which was much more manageable.
- Involvement of Family: Alison’s role as both a family member and band member is unique. How does having a family member in the band affect your dynamics and decision-making? How does it impact your creative process, and do you think it contributes to a more equitable and collaborative band culture?
Forrest and Alison are legally family, but playing music with people is a very intimate and bonding experience. Sometimes bands feel more like family than your own blood relations. It’s a chosen family. That said, Forrest and Alison try to operate as independently as possible within the band to keep the power dynamics relatively stable and equitable. They typically work out their parts either independently at home, at a “string section” meet-up with Joe, or with the whole group at practice. We are a very collaborative group generally so it’s hard to say if Alison and Forrest’s dynamic contributes to that. So far, it doesn’t seem to hurt.
Broader Themes and Perspectives
- Creative Process and Fun: Maintaining enjoyment in the creative process is important. How do you ensure that fun remains a central part of your music-making while working on new material? Do you find that this positive atmosphere supports a broader sense of community and mutual respect within your band and with your audience?
We are all still so excited to work on new material that we haven’t really had to do anything to keep it fun. It’s what we all want to be doing. On the rare occasion when someone had a rough day or needs some time for themselves, everyone is very supportive. We’ll take a week or two off and get back to it when we are ready. It’s always more fun to watch a band that is really excited to be playing, so we hope our enthusiasm rubs off on the audience. We’ve only had two shows so far, but they have both been really fun.
- DIY Spirit: Your demo reflects a DIY ethos. How important is the DIY approach to your band? What challenges and rewards have you encountered while managing your recording and release independently? Does the DIY approach also align with any broader values of self-reliance and community support?
The DIY approach is great because it gives us a lot of creative freedom. We can write our songs, record them, distribute them, and market ourselves how we want. As evidenced by all that went into the demo, this can be a lot of work, but it’s work that we want to be doing. So far, recording and releasing independently has been going really well. When we were recording the demo, we were mainly thinking that it would get our name out there and help us start booking some shows. We’ve been really pleased with the amount of traction it’s gotten so far.
DYI doesn’t mean we are doing this all on our own. We rely on a wide network of other creatives to help us turn our songs into recordings that we can release to the world and to put on live shows. We also rely on our networks of friends and family to watch our pets, share a practice space, and push us to keep going when we are having a rough day.
- Future Directions: With your debut demo out, what are your plans for the future? Are there specific goals or directions you’re excited to explore moving forward?
We are looking into releasing a limited run of the demo on cassette. Per your previous question, look for it to be released on Stoned Hag Records. Haha. We are also working on new material and are shooting to record an EP this fall. We are playing in Norfolk, Virginia on October 19th and are hoping to get some more shows on the books soon!
- Community and Scene: As a new band, how do you see your role in the broader rock and metal community? What are your thoughts on interacting with other bands and engaging with fans in the scene? How do you think you can contribute to fostering a more inclusive and supportive music community?
Since we have somewhat diverse influences, we are hoping that we will be playing with lots of different types of bands and like playing mixed genre shows. No matter the genre, we feel it’s important to support the other musicians and artists in our community. A strong scene benefits everyone and we like seeing other bands do their own thing no matter what they call it.
Interacting with other bands and fans at shows is a great way to gain new perspectives. Someone might introduce you to your new favorite band or tell you stories about that time they saw Bowie in the 80s. And, of course, it’s always fascinating to get some insight into how people are receiving our music.
- Musical Evolution: Given your diverse influences, how do you envision your sound evolving over time? Are there new styles or elements you’re interested in incorporating into your music?
We’ve been talking about incorporating some of the elements from certain Black Sabbath songs that we refer to as “Jazzy Sabbath”. Haha. Songs like Planet Caravan, Solitude or even The Wizard. Who knows maybe we’ll add some dungeon synth interludes or incorporate something influenced by Pentangle or Fairport Convention.
- Message and Impact: Music can convey powerful messages. What do you hope listeners take away from your demo? Is there a particular message or feeling you aim to communicate through your songs, even if indirectly related to social or political themes?
Alison has been trying a different approach to lyric writing with this band. She has been using a tarot card as a writing prompt for each song. This doesn’t mean that the song ends up having anything to do with the card itself. The archetypes and symbols are just a jumping off point. The lyrics are not usually explicitly political but do tend towards anti-authoritarianism and personal and collective empowerment.
-That’s all from our side, thanks for taking the time. If you’d like to add some final words, it’s your turn.
Thanks so much for your thoughtful questions and for helping to get the word out about us.
Free Palestine!
