Stones N' Roses are the most unique and ridiculous UK-centric musical act to come from America since Spinal Tap. The one-of-a-kind group plays the Stone Roses catalogue perfectly while dressed as Guns n Roses, then mixes their songs with bits of classics by the Rolling Stones, GnR and more. With a twin-guitar attack, the Roses' songs have never rocked harder onstage but it's the silly, seamless mashups and medleys that make it revolutionary and hilarious enough to warrant crossing the pond for. By asking them to reunite in 2021, the Shiiine On Weekender made them one of the only American acts to ever play their annual festival.
Despite the joke being completely lost on their fellow Americans, their debut video, "Mersey Paradise City/Water n' Fall", was shared by popular music site Slicing Up Eyeballs and 30,000 sets of eyes worldwide gazed upon them on its very first day. An untested UK-indie music comedy act specifically made for a British audience but hailing from the USA is simply unheard of but the Manchester Fringe Festival took a chance on them in 2017. Thanks to a glowing Louder Than War feature story, a false rumor involving all-midget Smiths tribute band Morrissette and a polarizing promotional video with 80,000 views, the California band packed UK clubs from London to Glasgow for one single, glorious tour and then disappeared for four years.
The reunited band stepped onstage at Butlin's Minehead in 2021 as complete unknowns and walked away the most acclaimed rookie festival band of all-time. With one single surprise set for over two thousand curious onlookers with no idea what to expect, the band has become one of the most talked about festival bands in the United Kingdom. Whether it was slipping in bits of Shiiine favorites like Adorable, Ride and Ned's Atomic Dustbin, playing Stone Roses songs better than anyone ever has or screaming about Johnny Marr to the tune of "Sabotage", everything was a massive hit.
Within minutes, Shiiine On's Facegroup lit up with hundreds of people raving that the band was the most refreshing, unique, hilarious thing they'd ever seen. When one single dissenting voice posted that they were actually the WORST act ever, she was drowned out by 120 comments declaring her drunk and/or mentally unstable.
In addition to wowing club goers from London to Scotland, the Roses became the first band to play Spinal Tap's "Stonehenge" near Stonehenge, started multiple rumours about fictional all-midget Smiths tribute band Morrissette and recorded a red hot version of the Beatles' "Revolution 9"(!?) at famed Abbey Road Studios.
SnR is the latest act in the ever-changing, long-running San Diego project Cover Me Badd, fronted by Adam Gimbel. Past CMB projects have included such UK-centric bands as the Oasis parody the Fookin' Wankers, Smiths/Cure/Depeche Mode metal mashuppers Blasphemous Guitars, the ska-tastic .38 Specials Education and the modestly-named Beatles U.S. before aging gracefully into the elderly musical comedy act Geezer. Their collective videos have been watched less than a million times on Youtube.
Given their tongue-in-cheek history, the Manchester sections that make up most of the Stones n' Roses set are shockingly reverent. Singer Ian Brownstone gets as close to Ian Brown as any of the top Stone Roses tribute bands in the UK but the dueling guitars of his San Diego allstars puts them beyond any Roses covers ever played. Longtime Britrock fans Brent Jackson (Magical Animals) and Pete Bayard (Super Buffet) are treading familiar territory but drummer Trevor Levieux (Miss New Buddha) and former teen School of Rock all-star guitarist Josh Smith (the Havnauts) became eager students of northern English musical history. Smith is actually four years younger than the Roses' classic debut LP.
The band has had the strange pleasure of playing in front of more British audiences than in their own country. The combined moves of Jagger, Brown and Rose are currently on hiatus until their next European festival appearance....if there is one.
Stomp in crying "BLASPHEMY", stumble away gasping "Brilliant."
"The best thing I've seen in ten years.....maybe ever."
-Kelly Davis, San Diego City Beat Weekly
"What an amazing concept, taking the whole cover band concept to an all new and rather thrilling level. Blows your mind hearing those classic tunes forged so tightly together."
-Louder Than War Magazine
"The Stone Roses meet Guns 'N Roses meet the Rolling Stones. This may well be just what the world is waiting for."
-Slicing Up Eyeballs
"Gobsmacked."
-Stone Roses producer John Leckie
"An unreasonably thrilling, hilarious and altogether genius affair. A gutsy re-imagining of rock and roll history played with verve, nerve and heart."
-Alex Green, author of 33 1/3, The Stone Roses & StereoEmbersMagazine.com