Crush. Kill. Destroy your preconceived notions. Forget what you may have heard, erase your memory. The past does not matter, it never has. Welcome to the debut of Crushkill Recordings, a seven person cooperative of artists ready to tear down stereotypes and predetermined designs. Welcome to Kristoff Krane's world, Abzorbr, and Micheal Larsen's world, Carbon Carousel.
For the original collective of musicians which released the 2006 Face Candy release "This Is Where We Were," several important things happened at the 7th Street Entry on March 30th.
For former Rhymesayers artist Eyedea (real name Micheal Larsen) it was the official transition of a career, a switch from his former rap group Eyedea and Abilities, to his new rock project, Carbon Carousel. The show also marked the release of the group's debut album "The Some of All Things or: The Healing Power of Scab Picking." For Larsen, who toured nationally as a rap act, the transition hasn't been particularly easy, as some fans have written off his new efforts without even listening to the music.
"We started posting songs [on Myspace], and instead of people openly finding something and going 'Oh that's cool' or 'Oh that sucks' they were like 'Fuck. Eyedea's doing that. Fuck you. Fuck him.' And that's what I got. I got 'fuck you,'" said Larsen.
Carbon Carousel guitarist Jeremy Ylvisaker also noted that early performances were also slightly more difficult.
"It was really fuckin' stressful, because people were like 'Red guitar? Where's [DJ] Abilities?'"
Confident that people will catch on to his group's new sound, Larsen added a rather frank comment to former Eyedea and Abilities fans. "Before you make a stupid statement," he said, "check out how much we don't give a shit about your little world."
For Kristoff Krane the release party marked the official birth of his three piece group, Abzorbr, and their debut, "Capable of Teetering." Krane, who also makes up one fourth of the experimental rap group Saturday Morning Soundtrack, sees the debut through a mixed lens.
"Whatever that thing was, that project, that catharsis, or how it started, for me it was an actual response to a breakdown of identity and religion. It was a means of releasing, instead of going around and hitting stop signs, which is what I did when I was fourteen...But then a part of me is like 'There are people that going through that.' And if they can feel like they are not alone in that process, then it's serving a function," said Krane. As for the new label, Krane views Crushkill as a crew type thing, something right along the lines of and early 90's Dr. Dre. "We do drive-bys, gang bang. Smoke blunts," Krane added, sarcastically. While musical comparisons between Krane and Eyedea might have some genuineness to them, according to Krane, they wouldn't be justified. "He [Eyedea] was a big influence, but personally I think somebody would be ignorant to say 'He sounds like Eyedea.'"
"You go to your friends' house, and there's always the same group of people there, they're all on the same wavelength...Within those seven people [in the two bands] there's a commonality between the way that everybody views everything," said Krane regarding the Crushkill Recordings label.
Though it would be ignorant to consider the two musically alike, their similar approaches to music may have brought Krane and Larsen together, providing the basis for Crushkill and a series of split EPs. The first CD EP, featuring three tracks from each group, was also released at their show. The EPs will serve as wiggle room for the groups to find their own sounds, to allow for exploration without the restraints that releasing an entire album entails.
"There's going to be a couple of those before there's another album.We're getting into the same sort of template, but exploring different things," said Krane. Carbon Carousel guitarist
Ylvisaker went further, stating that each recording should feel organic and intimate, even if somewhat imperfect. "The first time everybody makes it to the end without big mistakes, that's how it's supposed to go. And then you're sort of reenacting it for the rest of your life." Currently the label isn't looking to add new artists, but rather deeper explore musical relationships within the two existing groups.
As for why Larsen did not pursue a relationship with his former label, Rhymesayers, he simply stated, "They're really busy, and stuff got to the point where we were just developing as a band, and we still are, and I think we wanted to move faster, put out records really fast." This drive for a brisk process musically may translate to delays in building a fan base. "Ultimately it's my responsibility to explain, if I'm to assume that people that liked my music in the past are supposed to like the new stuff I'm doing, it takes a pretty good amount of explanation. And I just came to the realization that I'm going to have to do that myself. It's almost going to have to be me doing it hand-to-hand, person to person," said Larsen. He went on to further his explanation, adding, "Person by person, day by day you start to weed through and find people that are open to whatever you're doing."
As for Crushkill, the seven man label will continue to build, maybe even adding an internal structure, as currently it is the band members who all act out different roles. "It's not even as much of a record label as it is a collective intention," said Krane.
"We don't have an infrastructure built," he continued. "It's self-built with no funds" "You should print this to all my fans," interrupted Larsen. "It's paying for itself by my fans paying attention." Larsen slowly turned my way, soberly inquiring, "Is this for VH1?"
www.crushkillrecordings.com |
