Hi-Stone Social – Weighted (Single Review)

Hi-Stone Social returns with a brand-new single “Weighted.” The project is led by Don Kushon. The band plays a smattering of genres—everything from rock, pop, blues, and spoken word. What makes this project stand out from all the others is the great vintage vibe the band infuses into their sound. With Kushon on lead vocals, guitar, harmonica, and ukulele, the rest of the crew includes Paul Shannon on lead guitar and backing vocals, Frank Innamorato on drums and JT on bass. Together, the band makes the sort of music that will recall in your bands like Cage the Elephant and The Rolling Stones.

With their latest single, they pull out all the stops with a great bluesy finish. The rollicking guitars on this track were definitely something to behold. The guitar solo toward the 1:49-minute mark soars, and I was impressed by the stellar musicianship.

Lyrically, the song was about a protagonist who eventually finds himself disgusted with love and life. Kushon sings with feeling: “I was weighted/I was weighted/I was weighted to my knees…Can’t stop thinking about all the times/And I can’t stop reading between the lines/Disgusted with love is still in my head/Disgusted with love is what I said/Disgusted is I tell you why.” Lyrics-wise, this seemed to be a heavier song than the usual stuff the band comes out with. However, I felt that the bluesy backdrop complemented the lyrics very nicely.

As we walk with the protagonist through his “weighted” journey, the catchy melody definitely felt like an earworm. I found myself moving around in my seat to this number and tapping my feet. The tune is so infectious, you can’t help but move around.

I think this was a solid track that is highly indicative of the band’s live sound. It might have to do with the acoustics, but there was a rawness to this track that pointed to a great live sound. I look forward to one day hearing the band perform this live. In the meantime, the studio recording will have to do for now.

SCORE/Excellent: Hi-Stone Social’s “Weighted” is different from the usual songs the band makes. The lyrics depart from their usual light-hearted fare. We see the band moving in a new direction here. In this track, they’re branching off and exploring new creative territory in their storytelling. Going for something with a little more depth and introspection this time. In a nutshell, this song has dark themes as it talks about a protagonist, who breaks things off with a partner because “he is weighted to his knees” with disgust for life and love. Yet I think the band’s attempt here works. The storytelling is solid, the guitar riffs and percussion energized, the beat vibrant…what more can you want?

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