"When I was in the 7th grade I wrote my first song," says Ben Montgomery, lead singer, guitarist and songwriter for Crying Stones. "It was horrible, but it had potential." And potential seemed to be the word that followed Ben for the next few years.
Shortly following his first song he joined with High School buddies Shaun Russell and Kent Barnett to form a band. After many ideas, the name Crying Stones prevailed, and the three began to write songs together taking such influences as Relient K, MXPX, and Gametime. After a couple months, Shaun had to take on new horizons and Crying Stones were in need of a drummer. Ben's brother Sam, a 7th grader at the time, had a couple of years of experience playing drums, and they looked to him to fill the void. It was at this point that the three had their first opportunity to perform: The Mound City Talent Show. "I'd say that show was a learning experience for the band," says Sam. "We definitely weren't all that great that night, but it opened doors and eyes of the Northern Missouri area that a new band was on the move."
And on the move they were. The next few years would determine the shape of the group. Playing all over Northern Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska, the band began to expand. A fan base began to grow. Chris Hendrix joined Ben, Sam, and Kent to make the trio a quartet and at that point the group included Ben--guitar and vocals, Chris--guitar and vocals , Kent Barnett playin' the bass, and Sam on the beats with the drums. But soon after the group began to really expand, Kent Barnett made the difficult decision to step out on his own and focus on school and college. Bradley Wilson, a member of the worship team that Ben, Chris and Sam were on opted to join Crying Stones because he had filled in a few times for Kent before Kent had to leave. Ben adds, "It was a really interesting time for the band. Our music was getting better and the shows were getting more and more numerous, and it just felt as if we were on the edge of a huge explosion."
And explode they did. Just six months following the addition of Bradley to the band, Crying Stones released their first full-length album "Ode to Your Mother." Sales boomed for the first two months of release and the boys knew that they had "potential" all over again. That same summer following Brad's addition the band played an average of 2-3 shows a week and even traveled as far as Washington State to embark on a two week tour. They even took the act coast to coast when they traveled to Washington D.C. just 9 days after returning from Washington State. But the Hendrix family soon moved, and Chris, although a High School graduate, regretfully faced priorities and joined his family in Washington.
And the three would be three for one whole year while searching for a guitar player to play rhythm until the search ended. In the fall of 2004, Ben and Sam's cousin, Jordan Goldsmith, wholeheartedly took on the role of rhythm guitar and background vocals for Crying Stones. Since then Dan and Tim Montgomery have joined the band on guitar/vocals and keys.
Now the thing Crying Stones look forward to is the release of their next full-length album "Crying Stones--Punky Soup" set to be released in June of 2009, and the road to rock stardom that God is leading them down which Ben originally dreamed of nearly 10 years ago. And this dream seems to be a reality which rather noticeably is fast approaching.
As they strive to take you (the audience) to that place where God is, they promise that all of their talent is given by God for the Glory of His Son and their goal and focus is to see Him lifted up.
Crying Stones Management
