August 2008 - One of the true gems of the early 80s Bay Area thrash scene, metal legends STONE VENGEANCE were around long before James Hetfield figured out how to plug in his guitar. Their blend of crushing riffs and catchy soul has helped them score a rabid cult following over the years. Unlike much of the other participants of the thrash movement, though, STONE VENGEANCE opted to stay in the underground, where their cassette demos are still worth a pretty penny. However, with the remastered CD release of their demos ("To Kill Evil"), their 2000 release of new and never-before-heard material ("The Angel") and the unexpected resurgence of the thrash metal scene, STONE VENGEANCE are ready to show the next generation of headbangers how it's really done! We sat down with vocalist/guitarist Michael Coffey to get some insight into the formation of the band and the scene, some of the band's stand-out moments and what's next for these thrash titans!

Cardona: You guys are currently celebrating your 30th year together. What has kept you guys going for so long?

Michael Coffey: People always ask me, "How did you guys stay together so long?" I would answer with this: It's not easy, but play the music you really enjoy! When we got into this music, believe me, it was by no means trendy. It was very underground. When you play the music you enjoy, you won't have a problem performing it in all of the changing situations that come about over the years. If just a handful of people are watching you, you can still get thru the good times and bad times if you like the music you are playing. If you play trendy music, you may lose interest when the trends change. That's why so many metalheads cut their hair and dropped out of the scene when metal was not the "flavor of the month" anymore. We lasted because we didn't jump on a bandwagon; we were here at the beginning of metal in the USA. It felt natural for us to continue what we were doing, despite the changing trends.

Cardona: What kind of music did you listen to growing up, and how did you get into metal?

Michael: Growing up, I listened to a lot of music! It was always a mix of rock 'n roll, R&B, gospel, blues, folk music, orchestral, country and more. There was always music in the house. I would hear a lot of the Motown groups like THE FOUR TOPS, DIANA ROSS & THE SUPREMES, THE JACKSON 5. Also, there was SAM COOKE, JAMES BROWN, and much more. I can still remember seeing the ROLLING STONES on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and hearing the BEATLES' "A Day in the Life" on the radio in 1967. I got into metal listening first to groups like; JIMI HENDRIX, BOSTON, AC/DC, TED NUGENT, VAN HALEN, BLACK SABBATH, RUSH, JUDAS PRIEST, SCORPIONS, THIN LIZZY, LED ZEPPELIN and hardcore punk music. I had already written songs like "Malice," "The Pill" and if you listen to those songs, you can hear the punk influence. Then, I heard IRON MAIDEN! That band convinced me that we were on the right path. I didn't know any rockers or metalheads in the early days, but, I would go to Guitar Center in San Francisco back then, and asked people questions about which groups they liked the best. That's when I started hearing names like SAXON, RAVEN, MOTORHEAD and VENOM. For me, RAVEN, MOTORHEAD and VENOM are among the first "TRUE" thrash bands. The influence of these bands, coupled with hardcore punk, was to become San Francisco Bay Area THRASH METAL! STONE VENGEANCE, METALLICA, EXODUS, SLAYER… all of us were listening to the same shit, the NWOBHM!!!

Cardona: How did STONE VENGEANCE form?

Michael: I started the band in 1977, with some High School friends. My bass player Anthony Starks was 4 years younger than all of us. When he asked to join, I had some reservations, but let him in anyway. I changed the bands name to STONE VENGEANCE in 1978. My drummer Darren Tompkins was hired by me in 1983 after five previous drummers.

Cardona: What does the name STONE VENGEANCE mean?

Michael: That name is deep science and has a lot of meaning. The "STONE" is ancient of days, it is a stone of stumbling and if you fall on it, it will break you into pieces. If it falls on you, it grinds you to powder. The stone is hated, rejected, despised and unloved by all the civilized nations of the earth. We have indeed, endured this rejection, both in our private and professional lives. We are the band in shadow, a whisper in the dark, a rumor, an ugly secret, an urban legend, the black sheep and the boogeyman. Yes, my friend, a 30 year uphill climb has made us stronger and those who see without sight, can look deep into me now, and discern that…."I DON'T GIVE A FUCK!" What I mean is…. I have a deep ambivalence now, you know, a love / hate relationship toward the music business. I can walk away from it tomorrow, or continue for another 10 years.

Cardona: Obviously STONE VENGEANCE was around long before the thrash metal thing became so big. How did you guys get involved with that scene?

Michael: I got the band into metal because that's the direction I was headed. I bought all the music, and then turned my guys onto it. I remember being on the 19 Polk St. bus and seeing a record store with MOTORHEAD posters in the window. Me and Anthony decided to stop by one day… this was the place we were looking for! The store was called "The Record Vault". They were a little further south of North Beach at the time (they moved the store further north later). We met METALLICA and EXCITER there. I remember talking to Lars Ulrich and I told him that I had bought their demo from there, he asked, "How much did you pay for it?" I said, "$8.98." He then looked at the Record Vault guys very suspiciously, as if he didn't get his cut of the $8.98! That's Lars, always on top of it! Lars also had an arm full of vinyl he was buying; THIN LIZZY and MOTORHEAD were among his picks. Anyway, the Vault was the place where you would hear all the metal news. They told me a story they had heard about Tom Araya of SLAYER being drunk and pissing on Cronos from VENOM. They said, "Cronos kicked Tom Araya's ass!" And the guys from SLAYER and VENOM had to pull Cronos off of him! If you look on the "Ultimate Revenge" video, you will see Tom has a dark ring around his eye, so that made the story seem a lot more credible. I met Ron Quintana of METAL MANIA magazine and who was also a DJ at KUSF Rampage Radio. Pam, Zary and Greg at the Vault convinced him to play us on the radio. They were selling a rehearsal demo of ours, and it was #1 in their top 10 demo sells at one time. I believe that I might have been the first to use the term "rehearsal demo" because it was recorded on a boom box, and I didn't intend for it to be made public, but the guys at the Vault felt it could sell. I came in one day and told them thanks for getting us the exposure. They said, "No, thank you!" I guess it was selling pretty good. Wes Robinson of Ruthie's Inn had heard about us and called me to play a show. That's how we got into the metal scene.

Cardona: For clarification's sake, what's the difference between the material from the self-titled cassette demo (what would later become "To Kill Evil") and what comprises the "Here Lies…STONE VENGEANCE" vinyl? Is the vinyl ever going to be re-released?

Michael: Rob Preston of Doomed Planet Records would have to answer any questions about a re-release. "To Kill Evil" was recorded later around 1990. "Here Lies…" was recorded in 1986, on 2-inch analog tape by David Denny of THE STEVE MILLER BAND, when he had a studio in San Francisco. Side-B was one of our rehearsal demo tapes from 1985.

Cardona: It's amazing how good the material on "To Kill Evil" still sounds today… even better than the classic Metal Blade stuff! Tell us about the re-mastering of that material and how much work you had to put into the original material to get such a great sound.

Cardona: Speaking of the "To Kill Evil" release, where did the four bonus tracks come from? Were they recorded specifically for the release, or were they left over from something else?

Michael: "The Pill" and "Chase" are songs that I wanted on the cassette, but didn't have enough tape or time left to include them. They were recorded by Happy Sanchez on ADAT machines, and added years later by Jeff Risdon especially for the CD.

Cardona: Was there ever a time when STONE VENGEANCE was in negotiations with the major record labels?

Michael: NO, NEVER! At one time though, we were connected to a multimillion dollar corporation in Hayward, CA around 1992. Smaller labels were interested, but the company was trying to get a production deal for all of the acts in their stable, from a major label. They were using us as the vanguard act, yet, not taking seriously the interest from indie labels. After years of nothing happening, I quietly took my band away and never looked back. I didn't care about how much money a company had, rather, they had to believe in the band and this genre of music.

Cardona: In a lot of ways, STONE VENGEANCE is ahead of its time for being in such control of its material. Did you have any sort of guide to follow, or was this more out of necessity?

Michael: Yes, my friend, this was out of necessity! No, we had no guide to follow. We had to walk this lonely road alone, for many years. When the San Francisco Bay Area thrash scene exploded, we were left in the underground. It was frustrating to put so much into helping to support and build the scene, then being ignored for the most part. Yet, we stayed true!

Cardona: How have you guys stayed busy through the band's downtime?

Michael: Well, over the years we have always continued to work in the underground, watching the trends come and go. Staying focused on what we do. These days, I like to stay home and read a lot, or catch up on my movies. Anthony and Darren are more outgoing than myself.

Cardona: Let's fast forward to 2000 and your most recent album "The Angel". First off, it has a killer amount of song variety, from funk to blues to even a bit of country! How come it took so long to branch out so radically?

Michael: The music on that CD is actually very old… a lot of it anyway. I wrote the title track back in 1985 as a continuation to the song "The Great Controversy". The music you are hearing is just influences we have been always listening to. I like ragtime guitar like BLIND BLAKE and the piano of SCOTT JOPLIN. I also love the blues! Especially SON HOUSE! I like BOB DYLAN, NEIL YOUNG, CAT STEVENS, T-BONE WALKER, SKIP JAMES, MUDDY WATERS, CHUCK BERRY all that good shit. So, that was always the kind of music I intended to put out years ago. What's inside of my subconscious mind comes out, and I just go with it.

Cardona: One of my favorite tracks from that one is the 11+ minute "Stone Vengeance Blues". That one's just crazy! Was it totally improv?

Michael: You are right, again! Yes, I was at home, and Anthony was over visiting me. He grabbed my acoustic guitar, started playing the riff, and singing about his bad relationship at the time, in which he referred to "MY TRAMP ASS BITCH." It was funny, but true. So, I asked him, "Remember that riff, we can record it." In the studio, I told the guys to just tell their story, no need to write anything down, and we just went for it. It's not traditional blues, but the lyrics are the same subject matter. That's what I was thinking of, when I came up with the title. It's a song of lament.

Cardona: With the material from "The Angel" and what preceded it, it's clear you guys aren't just a straight-forward thrash band. Are you guys still comfortable being tagged as a thrash band, and if not, is there some other classification that better describes STONE VENGEANCE?

Michael: As you know, we were around before the thrash genre existed, so our influences were not thrash bands. The thrash in our music came from the thrashing sound of hardcore punk and the NWOBHM. The term "heavy metal" was not being used in the States either at that time. Back then, we were described as "HIGH ENERGY ROCK!" We later started to be described as "power metal," "speed metal" and "thrash" when those terms became more popular. When we wanted to play fast, we would just say, "Let's play the fast song!" There was no genre for playing an up-tempo song that I had heard of at the time. I guess hard rock / metal is a good description of what we do.

Cardona: Over the past few years, you guys have played a bunch of festivals. Do you prefer the festival setting, and how do you decide which gigs to take?

Michael: I like it all! Festivals, clubs or whatever. I will get a call for a show to perform, and then ask the guys if they want to do it. For shows outside of the Bay Area, Rob Grohl of RG Concert Promotionz books those.

Cardona: I got to see you guys at the Classic Metalfest in Chicago in 2005, and you guys blew all the other bands out of the fucking water! What are some of the shows or venues over the years that really stand out?

Michael: Well, of course there's Ruthie's Inn with EXODUS and POSSESSED in 1984. Then there was the "Ruthie's Inn Reunion" with FANG, MDC and VERBAL ABUSE in 2006, Mabuhay Gardens in the 1980s, Day on the Dirt Metalfest with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, BLUE CHEER, EXODUS, SLAYER, LAAZ ROCKIT in Berkeley, CA in 1984, the Sun 'n Steel Metalfest in Florida in 2004 with Dennis Stratton formerly of IRON MAIDEN, Al Atkins formerly of JUDAS PRIEST, RAVEN, ICE-T & BODY COUNT, M.O.D. and TESTAMENT, Milwaukee Metalfest with DEATH ANGEL and The Stone in 1984 with SLAYER and TROUBLE. Classic Metalfest in Chicago was great, but I had the flu at that performance.

Cardona: Well, it certainly didn't show! What are some of your favorite songs to play live?

Michael: These days it's "To Kill Evil", "Babylon Gwan Down", "Touched and Paralyzed" OZZY's "I Don't Know", VENOM's "Black Metal" and "Brains, Balls and Blood".

Cardona: What's been the No. 1 thing you've wanted to accomplish with STONE VENGEANCE, and do you feel you've accomplished it?

Michael: Yes and no. Yes, I wanted a name for this band that would last! A name that I wouldn't feel sounded silly for us at 40 or 50 years old. A band that survived the trends. Also, to play the music we enjoyed, and to give the fans the same excitement we had watching our favorite bands. No, I have not reached the success I really desire, because I can't afford to go to the massage parlor as often as I like… yet!

Cardona: You've had a lot of positive feedback from the younger generation of metal fans, which just goes to show how timeless this stuff is. Do more of the younger fans come to your shows than older ones?

Michael: Yes, there are a lot of younger people showing up and it really surprises me to see these teenagers, some of them, who were not even born when we were 10 years old as a band! From coast to coast, I have been seeing this over the last few years and we love it. When they asked for an autograph or picture with us, I asked them how old they are and how did they get into this music? These young people are serious about this music! We still get a lot of the vintage metal people showing up also (my friend Huge at realitychecktv.com gave me the term "vintage" for us metal people age 40 and up).

Cardona: What do you think of the current thrash metal revival? Are there any stand-outs from the new crop of bands you've gotten an opportunity to check out and/or meet?

Michael: The thrash metal revival is still a surprise to me. I think it's great! I always knew this music was a good and important art form. A lot of the young bands are very serious. They listen, and can play really well. I can't remember all of them, and some of the bands I like, are not young, but stand out, like WOLFBRIGADE, CHEAPSKATE, WATCH THEM DIE, HELLHUNTER, ARNOCORPS, NIHILIST, ANNIHILATION TIME and many more.

Cardona: What advice do you have for the up-and-coming artists out there?

Michael: Have respect for your art! Don't feel that other bands are your competition, they are fellow artists; show them respect. If there are a million bands out there, the world needs your band too! This earth has billions of people on it that need to be entertained! Take your music to them. This planet is far and wide, so if you can't make it where you are, go some place else. You will find people to appreciate you somewhere. Express yourself! People want to know who you are, and you are telling them thru your art. There can be no real competition when one is expressing themselves with their own music or art. It's an individual thing.

Cardona: I understand you're working on a new album. What can you tell us about it? Is it going to have a similar amount of song variety as "The Angel", and when is it going to be completed?

Michael: Yes, there will be some variety, but you will have to tell me if it's similar or not. I will say this: It will NOT be trendy! This next recording will be for the old-school metal people for sure! Think bell-bottoms, Gibson Les Pauls and Marshall Stacks! This is going to be 70s and early 80s Metal. We have been very busy trying to get it done, because it's long overdue. All of the songs are written and now we have to get into the pre-production phase. It should be ready later this year or early next year.

Cardona: Are there any touring plans for STONE VENGEANCE?

Michael: That is the priority right now! We are planning to perform everywhere we can, before I decide to retire the band. We have many fans that have been waiting a very long time to see us, and a lot of new fans, both young and older, just discovering the band.

Cardona: How much life is left in STONE VENGEANCE?

Michael: Well, our vital signs look pretty good. I think we have a few good years left in us. The audiences are still having a good time, let's see what happens.

Cardona: Thanks for your time! Any last words for our readers?

Michael: We will be coming to see all of you real soon. KEEP ROCKIN' HARD!

STONE VENGEANCE is Michael Coffey (vocals, guitar), Anthony Starks (bass, vocals) and Darren Tompkins (drums, vocals). Their albums "To Kill Evil" and "The Angel" are available through cdbaby.com. Visit them online at stonevengeance.com and myspace.com/stonevengeancemusic.

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Photos by Brandi Valenza.