By Eli Coyote Mandel (Writer For Saturday Night Live)

From their youthful days of quad-lead-singer-rock-n-roll to their indie-roots-rock-tour-mania all the way to their brief stint as a Swedish synth-pop collective, the Brothers Koehler (Shannon and Spence) have remained the creative anchors of San Francisco's The Stone Foxes. 

And now, with Spence pulling a full-on Brian Wilson, writing songs in his sand-filled Malibu beach mansion, Shannon has taken on the role of "full-time microphone boy," leading the charge in the studio and on the road. In this new set-up, the dudes still pull from a hot pool of talented collaborators, both familiar and new.

With the release of their latest EP "Gold", it's clear that the hill-folk turned flat landers have evolved their studio technique from "point the horn at the gut bucket" to a fuller and more sophisticated sound. They've managed to capture and even elevate the unadulterated joy of seeing them live. Even so, one thing remains eternally true of the Stone Foxes; If you die without seeing them live, it will have been a wasted life.

"A distinct joy."- Consequence of Sound "Irresistible."- USA Today "thunderous electric guitar riffs."- NPR

In a dark kitchen in the middle of a sweaty night in Las Vegas, all 6’4” of Dan Reynolds is hunched over a laptop, slapping beats on the table and crooning lyrics into a tiny microphone. Before long, he and the other three members of indie rock band Imagine Dragons would be playing “It’s Time,” that same laptop-demo-turned-supersized-anthem, from the roof of a parking garage to a wave of thousands of screaming fans. This song title to the single from their 2012 debut KidInaKorner/Interscope release “Continued Silence EP” is an all too apt descriptor of the band’s hard-earned success—but it’s also emblematic of the deep-seated anxiety Reynolds and the rest of the band experienced leaving behind any realistic expectation of a normal job to do the thing they love most.

A third-generation Las Vegas native, Reynolds is no stranger to the adage “the house always wins,” choosing to pave his musical career with a near obsessive work ethic and hundreds of unused demos rather than roll the dice with the first songs that sprung from his mouth. It’s no surprise, then, that he was drawn to guitarist Wayne Sermon, another founding member of Imagine Dragons. Having practically grown up in a recording studio and graduated Berklee College of Music, Wayne had been practicing his guitar through meals and other socially inappropriate situations as long as he could remember; he challenged Dan in a way that was both uncomfortable and exactly what they both needed. When they began writing songs together and recognized something special was happening, Wayne called up his Berklee friend Ben McKee, who promptly dropped out of school with only a few credits left, moving across the country to play bass for the band. This sort of reckless/genius behavior is typical for Ben, who has an uncanny penchant for spicy food and a suitcase full of unbelievable road stories. More recently, the band was joined by drummer Daniel Platzman, another Bostonian schoolmate who seems way too nice to be playing rock and roll until you actually see him in action.

Several tours and three self-released EPs later, Imagine Dragons had made a serious name for itself, particularly in the west coast circuit. Although their songs vary from nearly whimsical and light to brooding and powerful, listeners are drawn to the inherent honesty in the music. The only rule of thumb for the band, it seems, is to write from a true place; the result is songs that literally run the spectrum of human emotion. Attend a concert, and it becomes clear that the live performance of deeply personal songs has a real effect on people. And the band itself is not immune, as demonstrated when Dan literally passed out into the drum set during a finale song, sending cymbals and drum stands crashing while the rest of the band played on until the close.

Great songwriting is bound to be noticed eventually. As proof that the harder you work, the luckier you get, one of those people who noticed was Grammy winning producer Alex da Kid (Eminem, Rihanna). Alex and Dan began collaborating on projects, and soon the band had developed a relationship with Alex and his team. The alchemy resulting from Alex’s hip hop sensibilities and Imagine Dragons’ anthemic rock is nothing short of explosive. The byproduct of this creative collision is “Continued Silence,” a six song in-your-face sonic grenade that breaks musical boundaries and yet is strangely relatable by its improbably diverse audience.

Despite it all, on any given day when they aren’t on the road playing shows, you can still find Imagine Dragons huddled away in a rehearsal room somewhere, banging out song after song in search of the next perfect track. Like most things in Vegas, the band is angled at going big or going bust. For the sake of those who love great music, we hope it’s the former.

we make music, listen to it

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inquires : jvbmgmt@gmail.com

Slowly bringing back my catalogue....

Producer, Remixer, DJ, Performer, Music Guru. AKA The Melker Project & Gelt Group.

Booking - greg@datatouring.com

Scott Melker has played alongside legends from nearly every musical genre, including Enrique Iglesias, Future, Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, Crosby Stills & Nash, Neyo, Sheryl Crow, T.I., Jason Derulo, Public Enemy, Kanye West, DJ AM, Justin Timberlake, Rihanna, Steve Aoki, A-Trak, Lupe Fiasco, Prince Royce, J Balvin, Joey Montana and more. With over 30 million streams on soundcloud alone (before being forced to remove the music for copyright issues), his genre busting production has captured the attention of the music industry as a whole, including some of the largest online platforms including Dancing Astronaut, Billboard, VH1, Pigeons And Planes, Fuse TV, Prefix Magazine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Paper Magazine (to name a few). He has played huge venues, events and festivals around the world, including a 30 stadium tour in Japan with Toshi Kubota, Camp BIsco, The Summer Haze Tour (with Slightly Stooped and G Love), The Keep Calm & Twerk Tour (with Ying Yang Twins & FKI), Estadio Felix Capriles with Enrique Iglesias and countless college headline concerts. Scott has also performed at private events around the globe for celebrities and public figures including Billy Joel, Donna Summer, Britney Spears, Mariah Carey, Bette Midler and even President Barack Obama.  He was the official DJ for both Target and The Food & Wine Network.

A trusted troubadour for hot summer nights and cold beers, Owen is now in his forties, tangling with separations from lost lovers, raising kids, and growing out of the fresh-faced kid that headed down to Nashville 20 years back with a six-string and a dream.  Case in point: Dreams to Dream, Owen’s long-awaited, Shooter Jennings-co-produced foray into classic, honky-tonk country, out November 7 via Good Company Entertainment. Dreams to Dream, Owen’s first independent studio album, featuring 10 original tracks and two stellar covers, tells the tale of a man at a crossroads — and what it takes to set out a new path. 

Owen wasn’t expecting much when he commented on one of Shooter Jennings’ Instagram posts, half-jokingly suggesting that they make a honky-tonk record, but the producer called his bluff. Two days later, Owen’s manager had Jennings on the line and, soon, Owen was on his way to L.A. and Jennings’ Sunset Sound. It was a cozy yet electric scene: Jennings and Owen cracking jokes in the sepia-toned studio, creativity crackling as they collaborated with the likes of songwriters Ben Chapman and Kendell Marvel, as well as long-time shooter pal, guitarist/harmonic player Leroy Powell. 

“All my friends who have heard my stuff have gone, ‘Dude, Jake, this is you man. This is who you've always tried to be,’” Owen says. “Sometimes you need to get outside what's comfortable, what people think you are, or think you should be, and take a risk.”

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