Boss Crowley – Interview – Thanks for Asking!
Written by Staff on May 30, 2024
Boss Crowley – Interview – Thanks for Asking! – by Liam Sweeny.
RRX: Music genres are difficult for some artists. Some strictly adhere; others not so much. What is your perspective on the genre you play, or the genres you hover around?
BC: After a gig, someone told Tom (bass/vocals) that our sound had a little bit of post punk and a little bit of hoedown. We also often tell people our sound sits somewhere between The Band and The Talking Heads.
RRX: Artists, musicians, we immortalize. We set it in stone. Is there anyone who has passed that you feel you have immortalized in your work? If so, can you tell us a little about them?”
BC: Listening to Lou Reed songs has helped Ben Gorman (banjo/vocals) feel comfortable as a singer and writer. There’s an amateurish sound to his music and lyrics that inspires you to go for it and try new things.
Nate (drums/keys/vocals) is a big Levon Helm stan, as the resident Crowley singing drummer.
Tom (bass/vocals) is inspired by Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek. He’s loved The Doors from a very early age. Jim’s raw vocals and the driving, psychedelic blues sound creates a chaos that has inspired his writing style.
Ben Shurina (guitar) is influenced by the finger style playing of R. L. Burnside and the fellow Indianapolis native Wes Montgomery.
The band also shouts out Jerry Garcia, the ultimate Dead Guy.
RRX: We have to play somewhere, and sometimes those places have more going for them than a stage and a power outlet. What is a memorable place you played, and bonus points if it’s not a well-known place.
BC: John and Peters in New Hope, PA where the band Ween played a lot of gigs in their earlier days. It’s very divey, the stage sits underneath a low hanging ceiling and the microphones are falling apart – but it’s awesome.
Desperate Annies as well, just an awesome vibe – drunk college kids who take their shirts off, plus their crowd of regulars and the usual dive bar heads.
RRX: In the musical world, there are many supporting players. Recording engineers, sound techs, cover art designers. Who are three people that support the craft that you would like to shine a spotlight on?
BC:
- Alec Lewis – the sound engineer for Lark Hall and the Jive Hive and bandleader for The Alec Lewis Group. Alec’s been involved in recording most of our music at this point.
- Russel the Leaf – generally a great musician and influence in the scene. Ben G. bought his mixing board, which we’ve used on some recordings and Ben has used on his solo endeavors.
- Shane Sanchez – one of the brains behind the Super Dark Collective and No Fun. Shane’s, another stalwart on the scene who has been super supportive and is an all around great dude – respect.
RRX: Let’s talk about your next project, your next few. Just not the ones you’re working on now. The ones you have your eyes on for the future. What’s coming to us?
BC: We have a few shows coming up – June 1st at Singlecut North in Clifton Park with The Pine Boys and August 3rd at the Whiskey Pickle.
The Whiskey Pickle show is going to be special and is the next iteration of an annual concert we’ve been throwing called “Backyard Bash”. For the past couple of years we’ve held this summer party in Ben G’s (banjo/vocals) backyard, but this year The Whiskey Pickle will be hosting. Keep your eyes and ears open for an expansive lineup and details announcement shortly.
We are gigging less this summer to focus on writing a bunch of songs for our next record. We are teaming back up with Alec Lewis to record out of a house in the woods in the Berkshires this fall. We are generally diving deeper into the sound from our latest EP “Capitaland”.
RRX: How does practice go? Is the road practice enough, or do you have a practice shack? If so, how does it look? What’s on the walls? What cool sh*t is in there?
BC: Shout out to the 344 2nd St storefront and the proprietors of it, Matt and Jean. Jean is a wonderful artist who runs the space with her partner, Matt. They curate a sweet music, art, community, performance, etc. space in South Troy. Nate was gifted one of Jean’s paintings depicting a forest fire that he works out and plays synths next to. We’ve been practicing there for over 2 years now and it’s our weekly ritual to meet up, drink some beers, talk about upcoming gigs and work on songs new and old.
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