All Our Exes was never really meant to be a band.
It was fun. It was a chance to dress up and sing 4-part indie harmony with three of your favourite people in the world. For Elana Stone, the accordion queen, playing with Hannah Crofts, Georgia Mooney and Katie Wighton has been nothing short of brilliant. Probably why this badass folk foursome’s star seems to be on a meteoric rise.
‘We genuinely love each other and respect each other as musicians,’ says Stone of her fellow Exes.
‘It was something we were doing for fun so in some ways it was surprising and some ways it wasn’t. As with all side projects that are meant to be fun, they have this freedom about them that people relate to and I knew I wanted to focus on my solo work, but I have been in the entertainment industry long enough to know when to follow!’
The girls leave for a three-month tour through Ireland, Amsterdam and the UK this week.
‘We are slowly introducing new material,’ says Stone. ‘We are still very much playing the tracks from our When We Fall album; we are adding songs and they have a little more contemporary feel, although, still in the folk genre. The girls are wanting to move onto guitars, we want to change the landscape of the sound; the music we listen to tends to be a bit heavier and we are moving into that direction. Although I am not saying we are going to do metal…’ laughs Stone.
I say she couldn’t really, not on an accordion.
‘I could if I wanted to,’ says Stone. ‘I play a Jimmy Hendrix song.’ I guess she could. Stone has some impressive licks on the accordion. Hendrix would have been blown away. I assure her it’s not an instrument he would have ever envisaged his work being played on.
In fact, I wonder how Stone found her way to the accordion. Surely her parents didn’t force her as a child; that would be reportable to child protection!
‘I was just a piano player and I did this tour called Broad with Deborah Conway; it was five different women from different genres and backgrounds and she needed an accordion for one of her tracks. So I put it on and something in my eastern European roots flared up and I felt connected.’
She’s been playing the accordion ever since.
‘You have to be able to move in lots of different directions at the same time,’ laughs Stone. ‘I play tambourine with my foot and I sing and I play accordion. I am using all the hemispheres in my brain. It’s fun and it looks stupid but it’s good for the neuroplasticity!’
All our Exes Live in Texas are looking forward to coming back to Mullum Music Festival.
‘The thing I love about Mullum is that it doesn’t just get those bands the bigger festivals get; it gets the bands that have been around for a long time. They are loyal to their artists and they bring the music they love to a new fan base. I have always really liked Glenn and I think he does a really good job and I hope it stays the boutique festival that it is. I particularly like the side of Mullum Music Festival where the artists get billeted out and you end up among the audience members; there is a really connective thing that happens with the audience.’
Proving small isn’t just beautiful, it’s sustainable. Mullum Music Festival turns 10 this year and to celebrate they’re adding more artists to their already impressive lineup. Husky, Caiti Baker, Strange Daddy and Stella Donnelly are just some of the acts making their way to Mullumbimby 16–19 November.
Tickets to the 10th Anniversary Mullum Music Festival are selling fast with record earlybird and quick take up for general release. With limited numbers available for opening night, get online now and get your tix at www.mullummusicfestival.com.
