Stone Horses, based in Frederick, Maryland, deliver guitar-centric rock rooted in a long lineage of blues and classic rock acts from the prior century. Frontman John Allen draws on extensive firsthand knowledge of that lineage, acquired through his work in 21st-century rock outfits whose influence surfaces on tracks such as “Reckless Ways,” “Good Ol’ Days,” and “Free.”
Allen formed Stone Horses in 2017 after spending nearly a decade as drummer, singer, and co-writer in alt-rock band SR-71, which disbanded in 2010. Alongside SR-71 frontman Mitch Allen, he co-wrote the retro pop-punk song “1985,” which reached an unexpected Top 40 audience when Bowling for Soup covered it in 2004. He next assembled the hard rock quintet Charm City Devils, placing several singles on Billboard’s active rock charts in the early and mid-2010s. During a Charm City Devils tour supporting Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash, Allen met teenage guitarist Teddy Merrill, whose command of vintage rock and blues prompted Allen to recruit him for the new project.
Although Stone Horses began as an attempt to replicate the lean format of duos such as the White Stripes, with Allen singing from behind the drum kit while Merrill handled guitar, Allen ultimately expanded the group into a full band and assumed lead vocal and rhythm guitar duties. The 2018 self-titled debut EP included several Charm City Devils alumni: Victor Karrera on guitar riffs plus bassist Anthony Arambula and drummer Jason Heiser. Lead single “Reckless Ways” reached Billboard’s mainstream rock chart. Subsequent releases included the 2020 Good Ol’ Days EP (now featuring Rick Reynolds on bass) and the singles “Broken Hearts Broken Bones” (2021), “When I Get Paid” (2022), and “FAFO” (2023), the last introducing bassist Dylan Howes. Selected material from these projects was remixed and remastered for the band’s first full-length album, 2024’s Redemption Chronicles, which Stone Horses promoted on tour with glam rock ironists Steel Panther.
