Things Of Stone And Wood ProfileIt's been a long time between releases for Things Of Stone And Wood, the folk rock outfit that maintained a sturdy presence, hailing from Naarm/Melbourne, in the early 1990s to 2000s.
Renowned for their poetic and story-filled lyricism, a craft so delicately handled by lead vocalist and guitarist Greg Arnold, their early music captivated audiences from the northern suburbs and beyond.
With releases like The Yearning claiming ARIA Gold, and The Man With The Perfect Hair finessing a sound that braided mandolin, layered harmonies, and an incredibly creative turn of phrase, the band had established themselves in the contemporary folk tradition of modern Australia.
But life ran its course, and from raising children to inevitably relocating with his family to Geneva, Arnold emerged into 2026 with a suite of songs written over an extended period finding their form in structured songs.
The releases thus far lean into the quintessence of the band, but also honours the change and time that has distanced their earlier releases with what's come of late.
Rae Street, released in March this year, is a ten-track journey through time that speaks to the loss of a parent, navigating a yearning for sharing experiences with a loved one, the nostalgia of reflecting on a childhood, and so much more.
It's an obfuscation of the notion of linear time errs away from the expectation of such. Rather the songs, having been written at various stages establish a different understanding of time, a more true representation of how it is our relationships inform our tethering to the temporal.
Merely seven months later, and with much anticipation after Rae Street came forth earlier this year and after 23 years without an album, Things Of Stone And Wood are preparing to release The Final Forest, an LP that came through the immersion of a three-day studio commitment.
This process was particularly stirring for Arnold, who hasn't engaged in such a means of recording for some time.
"We recorded The Final Forest across three days, which was just such a lovely process to do as the band," recalls Arnold. "The three of us found it to be a challenge for all of us, as much as it was fun too. I like being a band that's heading to its 40th year and still up for a challenge, that was a great experience."
There is certainly a sense of appreciation and gratitude for the freedom the band has at the stage they're at, that allowed for the opportunity to record The Final Forest in this way.
"Being a truly independent band now, we can do whatever we feel is the right thing to do," he acknowledges. "There's no external pressure, like where there's a hit single or any of those kinds of things that used to hover around in our earlier days.
"We'd always try to resist those kinds of things when we were in that world, but now we really have the freedom to just approach it by discussing what are these songs telling us we should do as the band?
"What can we do to take that challenge as a band to do something new and this year we really have leant into that and allowed ourselves to make whatever feels true," he adds, "rather than succumbing to what we think we should make based on the legacy of the band or what our other music sounds like."
The result is something that speaks to the history of the band so far, but steps into new sonic terrain, the latter namely incorporating more piano as the skeleton of each song. An aspect and process that has been both humbling and empowering for Arnold.
"The album is a bit different to how we've written music in the past, there's a lot more piano, which is really scary for me," he admits. "I've been doing this thing for so many years and I noticed that sometimes when I played our songs on piano instead of guitar it would come really easily, but other times if I've got a capo and I'd lose myself playing the chord that is on the guitar, it might just be completely wrong on the piano.
"It's funny because not everyone can tell when you've stuffed up a note on the guitar, but with the piano it's obvious, it keeps me alert.
"For example Mikey [Allen, bassist] used to say to me 'You never make mistakes', but I would just say 'You just never heard all those mistakes, I made millions of mistakes', it's just easier to mould them into songs when you're playing guitar."
In line with the inclusion of more piano, the band were heavily inspired by the era of the '60s and '70s, endeavouring to capture some of that in The Final Forest.
"I was really keen to unlock something in the band that had always been there," he adds. "We've always had a real affinity with the late '60s and early '70s, that was what we really aspired to recreate with our earlier music, but The Final Forest is the retro record we've always wanted to make from those very early days."
"We wanted to create more room for the singing, backing vocals and the layering of harmonies on this album too. The singing and harmonies has actually been a big part of the band's life and this album honours that in many ways."
And then there is also the band's willingness to discuss the troubles of our times, something that the folk tradition of the '60s and '70s was devoted to, but something we desperately need now too.
"It is a tumultuous time and I am singing about that," Arnold notes. "Lyrically the band has never shied away from talking about those things and there is quite a lot of discussions across this record about the issues of the moment."
In a way, Things Of Stone And Wood, through their commitment to speaking to the polycrises of our time, as well as the varied experiences of grieving for a dying parent, raising children and the mystical wonder synonymous with that and all that they cover in their music are assuming the role of elderhood through a musical standpoint.
Arnold jokes about his senior's card coming in the mail, but there's a lot to learn and integrate through connecting with the music of Things Of Stone And Wood, something that many of us and our communities could benefit from.
Things Of Stone And Wood's The Final Forest is out now, with tickets to their upcoming tour on sale now.
Things Of Stone And Wood – The Final Forest Album Launch Tour
Tuesday, November 3rd – Brunswick Ballroom, Melbourne, VIC
Friday, November 13th – Lefty’s Music Hall, Brisbane, QLD
Sat November 14th – Belconnen Arts Centre, Canberra, ACT
Sunday, November 15th – Avoca Beach Theatre, Avoca Beach, NSW
Thursday, November 19th – Camelot Lounge, Sydney, NSW
Friday, November 20th – Ellington Jazz Club, Perth, WA
Saturday, November 21st – Freo Folk Festival, Fremantle, WA
This piece of content has been assisted by the Australian Government through Music Australia and Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body
