STONEHOCKER RELEASES CD

Diana Rinne
For Encore!
Local musician Mark Stonehocker is spinning his own destiny with the release of his first CD, Star Flake, this week.
A Student of the Interactive Digital Design Program at Grande Prairie Regional College, Stonehocker wrote, performed, produced, and mastered the compact disc which will be released in Grande Prairie April 9.
"It's all brand new stuff that I began writing around the end of last year," he said. The sound on the CD is a little different than what was heard on Stonehocker's first foray into the music industry, last year's cassette "None of Us Can Fly".
"I think I've gone a little more alternative and stretched myself a bit more. I experimented with some different instruments on this CD and had a lot more live musicians in the studio," he explained. "It's a little different sound, but it's still my sound in the end ... just new and improved after a year of studying music."
The CD was recorded at the college studio over a period of about two months. "I produced it and with some help from Rob Cole, mastered it as well. Then we took it to Calgary to have it mass produced," Stonehocker said.
Star Flake will hit the shelves here in Grande Prairie April 9. "It will be available at AV, Kelly's, Soundwaves, and Shepherd's Fold and the college bookstore in Grande Prairie and at Movietown and the IDA in Beaverlodge," he said.
Stonehocker is working with a distributor to have his CD in music stores throughout Alberta and the rest of Canada sometime in mid May. "It'll be right out there," he laughed.
Here in Grande Prairie, a CD release party will be held at Howler's Lounge at the college, Friday, April 9. Local band Red Se7en will open for Stonehocker who will be playing all of the tunes off the new CD. "There's going to be lots of sound," he said.
With the release of the CD things are beginning to roll for Stonehocker, who finishes his IDD program in a few weeks. From here he's off to Calgary to pursue his dream. "I'm moving down there to play music," he said, "But, I'll be back."