Doomed Confessionary: Jon Cosky (Stone Nomads)
From the heavy heart of Houston, Texas, Stone Nomads charts a monolithic path through the darker realms of doom and sludge. The power trio – conceived in 2021 by Jon Cosky (guitar/vocals) and Jude Sisk (bass/vocals) – explores the weighty concepts of life and death through a lens of pummeling riffs and progressive sludge sensibility.
Their sound is a tectonic blend, drawing equally from the classic doom of Sabbath or Trouble and the savage, sludge-laden attack of High On Fire, Crowbar and Obituary. This evolving vision has been captured on two Doom Charts-approved monoliths »Fields Of Doom« (2022) and »…At The Gates Of Solitude« (2023), building towards the imminent release of their crushingly heavy third album, »Empires Of Stone« on international heavy powerhouse Ripple Music.
Known for a live show that is both energetic and utterly immersive, Stone Nomads have carved their name across the Texas scene and southern US on stages shared with the likes of Crowbar, Soulfly, The Obsessed, EyeHateGod, Elder, Khemmis, as well as on three multi-region headline and co-headline tours, establishing themselves as a formidable and essential live force within the heavy underground scene.
Stone Nomads are Jon Cosky (guitar, vocals), Jude Sisk (bass, vocals) and Ben Wozniak (drums).
Can you please say a few words about your band?
We have been super busy in the Stone Nomads camp, really kind of non-stop for the past 5 years with recording, touring and everything else that comes with it. We’re super pumped to have our 3rd album »Empires Of Stone« about to drop on Nov 21st, and our first with Ripple Music. Exciting times indeed…
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
I’d say the biggest challenge is really the time and dedication it takes to do this to the scale that we have been while still having families and working full time jobs and all. It’s basically a second full time job and leaves really no time for anything else. Sleep apparently is not a necessity lol… No rest for the wicked as they say.
What can you be most proud of so far?
I’d say we can all probably agree we our most proud of this new album and the music itself. The songwriting and execution on performances in particular really are taking things to the next level.
What was your biggest regret?
We don’t really believe in regrets we just face our mistakes and obstacles and trudge forward trying our best to not repeat ’em… That said if I could turn the clock back I’d probably have left our truck home (which broke down a few days into the tour) for the fall 2024 tour and taken the van instead lol.
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
Tough to pick, there have been so many great ones. Our last US Southeast/Atlantic tour this year had a lot of great shows. Specific concerts I’d have to say 1) Getting to open for Soulfly, Crowbar, EyeHateGod and a bunch of other great bands on a big fest type show on election day and 2) playing with Conan recently was awesome and seeing how young of a crowd they brought in, a new generation of kids are just starting to dig heavier music now which is really great to be a part of.
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
Alluding to what I said previously, you hear so much in our heavy underground circles that the kids aren’t getting into our music, but that’s just not true. The Stoner Rock scene maybe struggling to grow to a younger fanbase but I can see clearly and first hand that the metal scene in general on the contrary is alive and well and growing especially with the new generation. That carries over to doomier and sludgier bands like us as well… I tend to think if you’re trying to do something new and original with your music, it will continue to find an audience. If you’re rehashing the same old stoner rock type sound that a million other bands are doing, it will probably fade with time and I think that’s more of what we’re seeing. There’s a big problem of unoriginality and rehashing in the more rock side of the scene. All of the new territory seems to be either on the metal side of things or the psych side.
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
I’m still really digging last year’s High On Fire album »Cometh The Storm« and Duel’s »Breakfast with Death«. I jammed the first half of Paradise Lost’s new album yesterday which sounded pretty good. I tuned out of a lot of what was released this past year to stay focused on recording. I’m just starting to catch up with a lot of it.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
Ignore the gatekeepers and just keep doing what you do. The fans dictate what they want to hear at the end of the day.
What are your guilty pleasures?
Journey’s greatest hits.
Can you say something more about the current music scene in Houston?
The heavy underground music scene in Texas is unrivaled in my opinion. And although I’m admittedly biased, I think Houston has the strongest bands in that scene. If you haven’t heard Stone Nomads yet of course you need to go check us out, but right there with us are so many killer and diverse heavy bands. Some worth checking out immediately – Will To Live, Bong Wizard, Warlung, Fostermother, Khepera, Oceans of Slumber, Necrofier, Thunderhorse, Direlands, Haserot, Wretched Kingdom, all favorites of mine. Within the bigger Texas scene some of my other personal favs – Duel, Creeping Death, Frozen Soul, Slumbering Sun, Temptress, Throat Locust, and so many more…
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
With us approaching the end of year here we only have a handful more dates in 2025 – Nov 1st @ Tampa Doom & Gloom fest (Tampa), Nov 15th @Gasa Gasa (New Orleans) and Nov 21st @1810 Ojeman (Houston). We’re already planning a 2026 US Tour, stay tuned for announcements on that.
What are your plans for the future as a band?
Keep on doing what we love doing – writing, recording, touring. Until the wheels fall off…
How can people best support your band?
There are a bunch of ways to support us – buy a shirt, download a song, buy an album, go to a show, or just find your favorite platform and give us a listen and tell a friend.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Thank you and we really appreciate you! It means the world to us that people dig what we do and however you choose to support that, we sincerely appreciate it. Stay tuned, the best is yet to come! Stay heavy
Links:
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Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well