The bio on their webpage says it all:
“Stolen Babies are as crunchy as they are curious, glamorous as they are gothic and diabolical as they are transcendentally dynamic.”
Crunchy, curious, gothic, glamorous, diabolical, and dynamic! The combination of those words just grabs your attention and says, “Look at me!” just as the musical style and sound of Stolen Babies screams, “HEAR ME!” With Dominique Lenore Persi on vocals and accordion, and brothers Gil and Rani Sharone (drums and bass), Stolen Babies are creating a niche for you to crawl into and stay for a while. RockRevolt’s very own Dr. Scarlet had a very engaging conversation with the one and only Gil (not to be confused with twin Rani) Sharone.
INTERVIEW WITH GIL SHARONE:
Are there any experiences that stand out in your musical career, for either good or bad reasons?
There’s so many that stand out for different reasons. Off the top of my head, I’d say getting to play with Fishbone was definitely one of them. I was just out of high school and stoked to at least meet them at the audition. They were a massive influence on me and my brother and that experience opened a lot of doors for me. Playing with Dillinger Escape Plan and +44 (filling in for Travis Barker) was killer too.
Is it ever awkward working with your brother? Does any type of sibling rivalry exist, or do you both push each other into becoming better musicians?
It’s bad ass being a twin brother rhythm section. From day one we’ve had a natural connection – not only being identical twins, but we started our instruments at the same time and were always jamming. We didn’t need to push each other because we were both so committed from the start. Every now and then there’d be a chair thrown across room but that’s normal with brothers, right?
I suppose so! You mentioned filling in for Travis Barker. How do you feel when you fill-in for someone in an already established band? Is it more of a challenge, or is the challenge what you crave?
Both, I always like to challenge myself and I get a rush from it. It’s good to get out of your comfort zone. There are so many other factors that go into filling in for someone besides learning the music, especially if it’s an established artist – you have to be on your shit! Also, when I’m in a situation like that, I don’t try to become the person that I’m filling in for. I maintain who I am and do what I do within the parameters of the gig.
Are there any bands (alive or dead) that you would love to play with?
Guns’n’Roses, The Specials, Primus, Roots Radics, Depeche Mode, Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, Fantomas, Funkadelic, I can go on and on…
How do you feel about being classified as an “experimental rock” band? Do you think there is another phrase that describes your music better?
We like “experimental rock.” It’s what we say when people ask us what kind of music we are. It’s better than a lot of the other labels we’ve heard and we’ve never put a label on our sound. We’ve always just thrown around a bunch of adjectives that describes us.
Since Stolen Babies is not considered your run-of-the-mill band, how do you feel about the mash-up of outlier instruments with more mainstream ones?
I love it. It’s part of who we are. Our music is inspired by a lot of different styles that use all kind of different instruments outside of the typical rock band set up. If there’s a specific instrument that has the sound we hear in a song that’s what gets used. We don’t go out of our way to throw something different in just because.
What path do you see Stolen Babies walking down next?
Staying busy…whether it’s touring, recording, videos, etc. we’ll be working on something. It feels great to have this momentum building up. As I’m writing this, I just found out we got the Stone Sour tour in Jan/Feb 2014. That’s badass!
Watch Stolen Babies’ “Second Sleep” video
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What inspired you to create an instructional/documentary DVD about different drumming styles? Would you of appreciated this type of DVD when you first discovered your love of the drums, or was the passion just born within you?
I would have loved to see anything instructional on these styles when I was coming up. The idea to do Wicked Beats came after I hung out with No Doubt’s drummer Adrian Young and showed him a bunch of different Reggae beats. As I was driving home I realized how cool it would be to do a DVD on the Jamaican drumming styles (Ska, Rocksteady, Reggae). There was a total void in the drumming world of anything that teaches them correctly and those styles have been a huge influence on me since I started playing. I wanted to pay tribute to them. I was able to get some Jamaican legends including the Lloyd Knibb of the Skatalites (who invented the style) and other special guests in it which made it even more special for me.
You have been referred to as a “drumming ninja” in the past – how do you feel about this title?
I’m fine with that!
You are clearly beyond talented at what you do, and are recognized many times over for your drumming abilities, but have you ever pictured yourself doing something else? Do you ever wish you life had taken a slightly different turn?
I wouldn’t change a thing but If I wasn’t a musician I’d be a vigilante.
Reach deep down inside yourself for this one – what does creating music really bring to you personally? How does it make you feel? How do you hope it makes others feel? Shed some light on the passion you possess for the drums.
It’s my life. It’s all I’ve wanted to do ever since I started playing and I know it’s what I was meant to do. I’ve never tried to pursue a career in music for any kind of superficial reasons. It’s always been a true calling and the fact that I get to inspire and share what I do with fans all over the world is a blessing.
We all know practice makes perfect – but what is that one piece of advice you could give an up and coming musician, or maybe even just a beginning student, that would make all the difference in how they view music. Think “words to live by” here!
It’s hard to just give one piece of advice but an important one to me is to be yourself. Too many people try to “make it” just copying something that’s already been done or they don’t have the energy to see what they can come up with on their own. It’s the easy way. Don’t be afraid to be different. There’s enough of the same shit out there. Good luck!
STOLEN BABIES Announce Upcoming U.S. Tour with STONE SOUR and POP EVIL – Coming This January/February
STOLEN BABIES
ON TOUR W/ STONE SOUR, POP EVIL
14-Jan Orlando, FL @ House of Blues
15-Jan Charlotte, NC @ Fillmore
17-Jan Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live
18-Jan New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
19-Jan Philadelphia, PA @ TLA
21-Jan Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
22-Jan Boston, MA @ House of Blues
24-Jan Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
25-Jan Ft. Wayne, IN @ Piere’s
26-Jan Cincinnati, OH @ Bogarts
28-Jan Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
31-Jan Minneapolis, MN @ Skyway Theatre
1-Feb Sioux Falls, SD @ The District
3-Feb Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
5-Feb West Hollywood, CA @ House of Blues
6-Feb Anaheim, CA @ House Of Blues
8-Feb Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
9-Feb Tempe, AZ @ The Marquee
11-Feb El Paso, TX @ Tricky Falls
13-Feb Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
14-Feb Houston, TX @ House of Blues
15-Feb San Antonio, TX @ Backstage Live
CONNECT WITH STOLEN BABIES at the links below:
FACEBOOK | WEBSITE | TWITTER | YOUTUBE
