Hannah Stone
The presence of music was always there for Hannah Stone, and she has continuously made it more her own. From growing up singing with her church for years to attending the Los Angeles School of Music and touring with original songs, she harnessed the courage and ambition to carve her path in the music world.
Between her uncle’s affinity for rock and roll and her brother and father being avid guitarists, she had no shortage of musical exposure. Those years of performing in church with her father and brother exercised her musical muscle and prepared her for future live performances. Without any other experience in performing, she had her first gig at Cape May Winery when she was 18—her brother Ben Stone eventually played guitar alongside her.
Hannah has grown up as a local Cape May County resident, but her inner adventurer was nourished by many international voyages from a young age with trips to Hong Kong to visit her aunt, who had done years of missionary work there. Hannah followed in these footsteps right out of high school with the Christian organization Youth with a Mission. With this same organization she also traveled to Australia, Papua New Guinea, and New Zealand at only 18 years old, then Switzerland and Israel the following year.
After thoroughly fulfilling the travel bug, she came back fully motivated to follow her dreams and pursue music beyond covering songs. Her desire to go back to school paired with her admiration for modern singer-songwriter icons like Regina Spektor, Sufjan Stevens, and Elliot Smith brought her to the songwriting program offered by the Los Angeles School of Music. So, she packed up and moved across the country to immerse herself in the depths of the music industry.
“What I came away with was experience and knowledge. I learned a lot about the business, recording, production, and met a lot of cool people,” Hannah said. The stimulating environment of countless accomplished musicians and unconventional schooling methods of grades based on musical performance helped Hannah prepare for what was next.
A significant benefit of this experience beyond what you can find in a textbook is the contacts. While still in school Hannah decided that she wanted to test the waters of the industry in a real way, outside of the classroom walls. She was connected with someone in the industry who makes music primarily to sell to film and TV. Through teaming up with this artist, her music was featured in shows like Search Party, Vanderpump Rules, and Emily in Paris, all under the pseudonym Painted Pale.
This lucrative avenue resulted in legitimate exposure and musical application for Hannah, but she was intent to continue pursuing her independent work. The band she formed in school progressed together after graduation and put out their indie/alt-pop EP God’s Against This in 2021, with songs like “It’s Raining” and “Hit or Miss” along with carefully crafted and creative music videos. She then toured her original work with her band from West to East Coast until she made it home to Cape May, in the summer of 2022, where she decided that it was time to plant herself.
As Hannah’s L.A. era came to a close, she acclimated back to the East Coast by picking up local gigs and finding her place in Cape May’s musical sphere. The industry-to-independent work pipeline has allowed Hannah to sink her teeth into the self-recording process and have full control over her vision. “I want to produce my work and eventually take it on tour,” she says.
When she isn’t channeling raw creativity in her home studio, she is playing local gigs at places like The Cricket Club and Rusty Nail or making vocal appearances on the packed porch of the Howard Street Ramble. These performances promote pure pleasure rather than pressure—a refreshing reminder of why she plays music in the first place. As Hannah pointed out, “there’s a lot of camaraderie and support between the musicians here, whereas L.A. is more competitive.”
Full-length music videos enhance the experience of a song and can serve as an extension of the artist’s vision, which Hannah does. One, released just last year, utilized the resources available to her in Cape May County. The music video for her single “Youth and Crime” was shot in Wildwood Catholic High School starring a local cast, and was filmed by a local videographer, Luda Ronke. This exciting and nostalgic work followed a rebellious female teenage skateboarder skipping out on school for a slice of pizza on the Wildwood boardwalk.
Shifting tone, Hannah’s soft ballad-like single “Two Feathers” also was paired with a video shot by Luda Ronke, featuring clips of scenic Cape May. There is nothing static about Hannah’s musical style or projects; she is constantly evolving her sound and practice. “I just want to make something that inspires people the way I’ve been inspired by music” said Hannah, “I am constantly in awe of music and every day I get excited to think about what I’ll listen to today.”
Hannah’s newest single is out. “Don’t Say I Love You” is her most special and sentimental music video to date. It is composed of digitized super 8 footage her grandfather took capturing moments from Hannah’s mother’s childhood and of their family. “The reels are something precious,” she said. “I owe a lot to my family.”
You can see Hannah play every Saturday night at Mayer’s Tavern accompanied by a different musical guest each week, and every Monday with a band at the Whitebrier in Avalon. Her full gig schedule is live on hannahstonemusic.com, and all of her music is available across streaming platforms.
