Stones

New Zealand band Stones are best known for appearing on the influential 1982 Flying Nun release Dunedin Double, which also featured songs by the Chills, Sneaky Feelings, and the Verlaines. Formed by vocalist/guitarist Wayne Elsey, who had just left his band Bored Games in search of a band that sounded like the Clean, bassist/vocalist Jeff Batts, and drummer Graeme Anderson, the trio played their first show in 1981. Though slightly scruffier and rougher around the edges than most New Zealand bands at the time, they found themselves playing with the Chills, Verlaines, and the Clean, but shows were few and far between. In July of 1982, the Dunedin Double EP was released and the band’s profile was raised considerably. The finished out the year with a steady stream of shows around New Zealand and recorded their first EP just before Christmas. The five-song Another Disc Another Dollar was released by Flying Nun in July of 1983 and made it all the way to number 33 on New Zealand’s pop charts. The fun didn’t last for the band and they went their separate ways by the end of that winter, playing their last show in August. Batts went on to play with the Pterodactyls, and Anderson with the Adult Mayflies before dropping out of music. Elsey reteamed with former Bored Games bandmate (and future member of Straitjacket Fits) Shayne Carter to form Doublehappys. He tragically lost his life in a train accident in 1985 while on tour. In 2015, Flying Nun released a Stones retrospective, Three Blind Mice, that compiled all their studio tracks and added a batch of live tracks as well. ~ Tim Sendra