FEBRUARY 10, 2020
ROCKWiRED NOTES: SPENCER KRASCH

f someone else makes another stupid remark about rock n roll being dead, I'm gonna shoot 'em! If anyone deserves a hyberbolic opening in their ROCKWIRED write up, it is SPENCER KRASCH. So you didn't recognize a name of one single artist at this year's GRAMMYS and the appeal of this BILLIE EILISH has you scratching your head until it bleeds. That doesn't mean that the only music out there that you can bang your head to has vanished. Although it has taken a few hits with the passing of NEIL PEART, WHITNEY HOUSTON making it into the ROCK N ROLL HALL OF FAME and not PAT BENATAR and one of my favorite bands out there, BOBAFLEX, not being a band anymore. Back to Mr. KRASCH, the former front man of DELTA ROSE. In my line of work I'm used to strapping young lads telling me that they are all about keeping rock alive, but coming from KRASCH, it sounds like more than mere lip service. I first noticed the guy's stage presence and chops when his band DELTA ROSE came to my nick of the woods along with the band DIAMOND LANE five years ago. It was a rare night out for me and I looked forward to getting in touch with the band. Regrettably it didn't happen. Five years later, KRASCH has stepped away from DELTA ROSE and has gone solo with his debut album, the curiously titled WOOLLY MAMMOTH.  Released weeks ago, KRASCH's ambitious debut release was preceded by the album's first single GOLDEN LEGS along with a music video where KRASCH proves to be both a rock n roll lothario and an equestrian. The video and the single provide a taste of the theatricality that KRASCH hopes to bring to a live stage in the months to come. ROCKWIRED had a chance to speak with SPENCER KRASCH regarding his debut album. Here is how the interview went. 

The last time I saw you, you were the lead singer of DELTA ROSE and you were doing a show here in Albuquerque and I always meant to get back in touch with you guys but it never happened. And now you're a solo artist and your new album WOOLLY MAMMOTH is out there for everybody to listen to. What's all going through your head about the release? How do you feel about the finished work?
Oh I'm pumped up! I can't wait to play it live. That is where all of my attention is focused at the moment. I'm putting together a really cool touring band at the moment. I actually think you are one of the first people that I've told this to. On April 24 I'm playing my first live solo show at a club called the CIA in North Hollywood. It's a really unique venue and it's perfect for a rock show. I'm looking to make this thing like a Gotham City circus - like a freakshow rock n roll fest. If you can imagine ALICE COOPER, KISS or a ROB ZOMBIE  inspired  affair with PINK FLOYD-like theatrics and kick ass rock n roll. Rock n roll is a must. If this thing is inspired by ALICE COOPER you better have the chops to back it up and I think I have that. It's going to be me and the band that I've put together. It's going to be the SPENCER KRASCH BAND and I'm gonna have some entertainers open up the show like sword swallowers and fire breathers. The venue we have really fits the vibe I'm going for. I'm looking to make  this not just about music but I want people to experience the music and not just hear it.

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The album sounds great. Who all did work with in putting the album together. Who sat behind the recording console?
There is one man who has really come through for me and I put all of my confidence into to get this album done and his name is TOM CHANDLER. He is the unsung hero of so many fantastic rock n roll albums that are coming out of the Hollywood underground rock n roll scene. He is like the God of the Producer's Chair. That guy is the man. He deserves a hundred times more credit than he's gotten so far. If you look him up he's done nothing but amazing work. His name is TOM CHANDLER. I couldn't have done it without him.

What led to you taking the solo route. DELTA ROSE was quite a band! What made you decide to go solo?
You know what? I was kind of forced into that decision if I can be completely candid with you. I loved that band as much as I've loved anything in my life. It was really hard to see that band crumble right in front of my eyes. I was shocked when it all happened to be honest with you. When you're in a band for that long a time it's strange how just one thing can unravel a situation like that. I like to joke around and say that the lead guitarist in that band wanted to be the lead singer and that is a tale as old as time. So that band wanted to try something else and they're doing something that is outside of the box of rock n roll and that's good on them. It took me while to figure out if I wanted to continue or not. I was such a band oriented guy and being in a band was part of my identity. Having to put the weight of the world on my shoulders and try to knock one out of the park by myself was kind of daunting. I wasn't going to get into the ring by myself unless I was fully committed to knock someone's teeth out. I feel like I'm there now and I'm putting all of my chips in the center of the table and I'm all in.

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What inspired the songs on this album?
You know? If I told you that, it would take all of the mystery out of it. There is some stuff behind it, but I don't want to ruin it for people. I've had several people come back to me with different interpretations and I loved all of their interpretations. I haven't heard an interpretation yet that I didn't like. But I will tell you that after the fact I look at rock n roll as the woolly mammoth coming back from the dead. You've got people getting a hold of its DNA and bringing it back to life and I feel like I'm this mad scientist who is going to make this monster come back into power and takeover the world.

And has the songwriting process changed for you from the time that you were DELTA ROSE? I can imagine the process being less restrictive, but what is your perspective?
I wrote a majority of our songs for sure.  When I'm writing a song I always start with a riff. That is how I get the whole process going. Everyone starts it off a little differently, but I've always been a riff oriented guy. I need to hear a killer riff and then I get inspired from there. If I start banging my head to it then I know that I've got something. From there I start putting the music together first and I will sit on it and I will listen and figure out what comes through to me and what the song is trying to tell me. I don't know what the song is about until I hear come to me through the music that has been put together.

CHECK OUT THE MUSIC ViDEO FOR GOLDEN LEGS!!!

What songs off of WOOLLY MAMMOTH stand out for you the most and why?
WOOLLY MAMMOTH because that is what I want rock n roll to sound like. That song makes me want to get on a motorcycle, get into fifth gear and drive it as far and as fast as I can until I fall off of it. That is what that song makes me feel like. That is how I think rock n roll should make you feel. It should make you feel a little bit wild. It should make you feel like you want to do something crazy. It should make you wake up the next day and go, "What the hell did I just do?" That is how a good rock n roll song should make you feel. It should be difficult to not get into trouble when you listen to a good rock n roll song.

Any plans for a music video for any of the songs? They sound like they could lend themselves well to some sort of visual accompaniment.
Before I released the album I released a music video for the song GOLDEN LEGS.

My bad!
No worries. I'll send you a link to it. It's done pretty well. Like I said, I'm putting all of my chips at the center of the table and I paid for the whole thing myself. I'm pretty proud of it. It was a lot of work. It was a big production. We had like six horse riders on this production. I had to learn how to ride a horse and take lessons and it was serious business. I have a whole new respect for people who ride horses. I had girls in this video riding horses and they were experts. That video has like 115,000 views right now and that is bigger than anything I was ever able to accomplish in DELTA ROSE so that is pretty satisfying.  I would love to do another music video but right now I'm putting all of my resources into this show. Want to do something spectacular that has people talking for months afterwards.

Back to the album WOOLLY MAMMOTH. What is the big idea? What do you want people to come away with after they hear it?
That there are a lot of different personalities within this guy who made this album. This album represents a very eclectic mix of my personality. I  really wanted to experiment more on this album When you're in a band you kind of get stuck in a box and you can only write songs that fit that band's mouth. With this album, I felt so liberated that as I was writing these songs, I kind of let them tell me where to go with them and I didn't have to say , "No! This is not a this or that kind of song!" No matter what the song was, it was mine because I wrote it. Getting rid of that shackle felt really awesome. Every song is a little bit different. I tried to use a little piece of everything on there. 

RELATED LiNKS:
https://spencerkrasch.com/

rian Lush is a music industry professional and entrepreneur. In 2005 he launched the online music site Rockwired.com to help promote new music artists in conjunction with the weekly radio show Rockwired Live which aired on KTSTFM.COM from 2005 - 2009. In 2010 He launched the daily podcast series Rockwired Radio Profiles which features exclusive interviews and music. He has also developed and produced the online radio shows Jazzed and Blue - Profiles in Blues and Jazz, Aboriginal Sounds - A Celebration of American Indian and First Nations Music, The Rockwired Rock N Roll Mixtape Show and The Rockwired Artist of the Month Showcase. In 2012, Brian Lush and his company Rockwired Media LLC launched the monthly digital online publication Rockwired Magazine. The magazine attracts over 75,000 readers a month and shows no signs of stopping. Rockwired Magazine also bares the distinction of being the first American Indian-owned rock magazine. Brian Lush is an enrolled member of the Yankton Sioux Tribe. Brian Lush's background in music journalism, radio and podcast hosting, podcast production, web design, publicity, advertising sales, social media and online marketing, strategic editorial planning and branding have all made Rockwired a name that is trusted and respected throughout the independent music industry.

CONTACT BRiAN LUSH AT: djlush@rockwired.com