Recently Crucial Change released their brand new "So It Begins" and already a new EP, "Mourning In America", is coming up! Old N Grumpy thought it was time to have a chat with Tyler and Ryan about the past, present and future and it turned out into a very in-depth and awesome to read interview! Enjoy.
Interview by Old N Grumpy (ONG).
ONG: I'm here with Tyler and Ryan of the seasoned American Oi! Band "Crucial Change" from Seattle, Washington.
Before we get too serious, would you describe what's going on with the band to our readers?
Tyler: The last year has been one of the busiest and most exciting for the band to date. We released a re-issue on vinyl of our 2009 LP "33" in 2013 and the response was awesome. It was great to see that after all these years, folks were really hungry for new music from CC and our fan base had grown substantially since during the 5 or so years since the last release. We recently dropped the LP "So it Begins" on This Means WAR in Spain to a really great reception. In the works there is an EP entitled "Mourning in America" being released in Europe on WAR and here in the states on Crowd Control Media. After 5 long years, we are back and it feels great! We have some great shows in the works and can't wait to have good times and meet new people. The following year is looking bright for CC!
ONG: You’re first release “American Made”, and second release “33” were originally released on Dim Records in Germany. What made you decide to re-release 33 on Vinyl on WAR (2009) and your most recent release “So it Begins”?
Tyler: Toni from WAR actually sought us out and asked to release "33" on vinyl. At that time the band was in kind of a state of limbo. We had a wealth of material we planned on recording, but things were just a little stagnant. I will forever credit Toni from WAR with breathing new life into Crucial Change. Dim Records always did well by us, so it was for no real reason except Toni backed us 100% and we all became good friends. I had been 5 years since we released anything with Dim and it was time for us just do something new and I was really impressed with how WAR marketed their stuff and the image they put out. WAR and CC are very similar in what we represent and how we deal we’ve got love for Dim and WAR haha.
ONG: Fair enough. So is it fair to say Toni made your future less Dim?
Tyler: Haha I suppose you could say that. I want people to know CC was never on "hiatus" or not a band anymore, we were still writing, jamming together etc, but the Seattle scene we came up in was no longer there and we had made our exit from it much earlier. CC was like an army waiting for its orders and now they've arrived. Toni gave us that extra push like, "hey get back out there, you're a lot of people's favorite band." It was inspiring to say the least.
ONG: What musical influences do crucial Change draw from both past to present?
Ryan: My musical influence comes from a lot of different corner. I got into Oi! from hardcore, so I have always really liked bands like Minor Threat, Sick of it All, and Cro-Mags. Now i get a lot of musical influence from Rock n roll, like Tom Petty, Rose Tattoo, and Slade. When it comes to the bands i would like to be like though, The Clash and Bohse Onkelz rank up at the top. I like how both those bands did their own thing despite what was popular to do. Im also a big fan of the more recent hardcore bands as well. Like Terror, Have Heart, and Trapped Under Ice. All three of those bands have one liners that always make you think the big picture. I remember when I first heard Have Heart's Armed with a Mind, I was blown away on how legitthose lyric were, and how right they were.
Tyler: My influences started with old school hardcore, that was my first love. Before that I was and still am, a huge fan of thrash, like Slayer and Sepultura. The NYHC scene was my first introduction to skinhead music like Agnostic Front and the Cro-Mags. That was basically the start of Crucial Change. It was layer we got into British and European Oi! My favorite acts that remain with me to this day are 4-Skins, Combat 84, Evil Skins and Bohse Onkelz. Those were some of the acts that really made an impact on me. There are lots of bands we've liked through the years, but I can still remember the first time I heard these bands. They blew me away and the rest is history.
ONG: What is it about Pro-American Oi! Bands that causes them to be released on foreign labels more so than home grown American labels? Do you feel it’s because they aren’t safe enough or marketable enough?
Tyler: That's a very good question man. To me, it always seemed that folks in Europe had an ear for better Oi! Music, whether it was patriotic or not and possibly a lot of it has to do with our sound and probably the sound of the older acts you eluded to. Most our Oi!/Punk/Street Rock influences came mostly from Europe and our sound reflected that. We had a patriotic edge for our homeland, but a powerful edge that seems to resonate more with Europeans, especially Germans I might add. CC has always had a more distorted, chunky vibe than most OI! Punk and that's due to the fact Ryan and I both came up on thrash and New York Hardcore. To put it frankly, Germans love distortion! Their bands have always had a more metal attack and I think they noticed that vibe with CC. That's just one take on it bro. It could also be that they have a better understanding of patriotism than the typical country music Murican' type. You can be patriotic and smart, while not being a sheep that cowers to your ruler’s demands.
Ryan: The popular bands in America are good, don’t get me wrong. But the Record Labels in America are all trying to hit a bigger demographic than just Skinheads into Oi!. Their trying to make a successful business, and I can’t blame them from wanting that. A lot of the smaller labels in Europe just try to put out bands they like. WAR is great example of that. Toni doesn’t make a living off his label, but he contributes to the scene and the music that he loves, by releasing the bands that he does.
ONG: One thing that angry (33 was an angry album in this interviewers eyes) patriotic bands often face is criticism and often accusation about political stances and leanings. If you listen to the internet you guys have been called everything from fence sitters to straight out Nazis. To anyone who actually reads your lyrics or has talks with you knows that this is absurd. How do you as a band deal with these types of attacks and where does the band stand on the topic of ‘race’ and ‘patriotism’? How has the band matured since 33 was first written?
Tyler: First things first, let me be adamant in stating that myself, nor Crucial Change as a whole have ever been a racist, Nazi or any other type of NS bullshit. You are very right that "33" was an angry album and here is that history.
CC started our band like any other young Oi! act and got a pretty good response from the localscene. As time went on and the band gained more popularity, some serious issues of jealousy arose from only a few individuals. All the intricacies could be expounded upon for an entire novel, but the long and short of it was, they wanted to make it impossible for CC to play and exist in the Puget Sound Area. Mind you, this is far before "33" was released. It back in the "American Made" days. The most absurd part about the "Nazi" label they tried to tag me with especially, is that they all knew my family. My younger brother is black and would always be at our shows.
Picture this: pelting the "Nazis" with bottles at a show, while a 11 year old black kid is on the stage helping with the gear! Some social justice warriors those were! All this led to the "33" LP and damn right we were pissed. The whole point at that record was to poke at the absurdities in logic of that crowd and the whole mob mentality that was followed. "33" was released 5 years ago, but many of those songs are much older. They were written during times that I, my family and those closest to me were threatened with violence simply for associating with me.
Today, like with any known Oi! Album "33" is picked apart with a fine tooth comb. Is it racist, anti-immigrant, anti-Semitic?! Take the song "Skin" for instance. When we said "American Nationalist is my breed..." this did not mean "white nationalist." We are Americans and our response to this loathing of our country was to say, yeah we are nationalists, be it black, white or whatever. Today I actually consider myself more of an internationalist, while still holding patriotism dear. America is a land made up of all different colors and creeds that have the right to be "nationalist" in support of their country.
To read the lyrics to "33" properly one needs to understand free thought and not be bound by the politics of this scene. It is one album that captured a moment in our lives nearing the better part of a decade ago. You asked how the band has matured since then, well there have been a lot of changes. A lot of my anger at the "scene" has worn off and I see the bigger picture of what the common people of this country must fight for in regards to justice and equality.
I will never regret my words in "33" but I am a person and some of my views have changed with time. The song "Society's Shame" states, "hang the scum" and it outwardly pro-death penalty. After a lot of research, I am adamantly against the death penalty today and it is something I advocate for the abolition of. Too many innocents have died for the state and true and "blind" justice is rarely carried out.
That is what we speak of the in the song "Punishment." Much of the skinhead scene to be became tired and downright shameful at times. After that era of CC, we all focused on our actual lives and I did a lot of soul searching simply as a person. When I look at the state of ‘patriotic skinhead movement’ today I feel as disillusioned (with it) as I had been in the past with the left wing witch hunting side. All this "hip to be sketch" began to really leave a bad taste in my mouth. Before the drama with the Seattle skin scene in my early 20s, I was actually a pretty progressive kid with a real commitment to social justice and anti-racism.
What I saw in this new " let’s take things one step farther (Patriotic)" scene that embraced us was veiled racism in the form of rebelling against the "pc police." I understand firsthand the hate one can have at the gang mentality of skins bashing others for thinking different, but what ‘this newscene’ is doing was no better than those they rally against. Dropping the "n" word as much as you can to be "un-pc" does not make you provocative nor does it make you anti-establishment, it makes you a fucking idiot.
Combine that with all this fashionable fascist imagery and flirting with the extreme right has been done before and it never ended with good results. It was the demise of a lot of promising bands past and will be to bands in the present, just wait and see. That's why in this new era of CC, we carry no labels, no banners, no scenes, WE ARE human beings. That's it.
I state today with pride that we are ANTI-RACIST and I know the flack that will come with making a stance, but fuck it. We'll be told, "Don’t apologize" or accused of being "reds, red sympathizers!" but in the end it's my conscience that I have to follow and as someone who loves America, anyone with half a brain cell knows I am Patriotic, in the truer sense of the word outside of some fringe ‘self-defined scene’. That's why on the chorus for the new song "Who Laughs Last?" we actually take from a Martin Luther King quote saying "Cowardice asks, is it safe. Conscience asks, is it right?" I heard those words on a documentary a couple years ago and it really hit me to the core of my being. The full quote said, "Cowardice asks the question: is it safe? Expediency asks the question: is it politic? Vanity asks the question: is it popular? But conscience asks the question: is it right?"
These words ring true to me as they should all people, because at the end of the day, when it's time for Tyler to cash in his chips, I want to know I stood for what was just. All the pissing people off, sketchy imagery and being an uncaring dick doesn't matter when it's all said and done. CC has a mission with our music and it is clear in our lyrics now. Change the world for the better and fight for what is right.
ONG: A lot of us get into punk rock and through that Oi! And hardcore because we questioned everything around us in our quest for truth. Sometimes facing the obstacles of ‘scene politics’ gives the opportunity needed for growth. I’m glad that you never allowed any of the BS to sway you off your course. Crucial Change is in a great place right now and right where they need to be in my opinion. Now on to our next question...
Your new LP “So it Begins”, what does this record represent to you and how did you bridge from “33” to “So it Begins”.
Tyler: You are very right about seeking the truth and I suppose that's why we've stuck around for this long...still looking haha. The musical progression from "33" to "So it Begins" is fluid, but I know the listener will hear that our skill level has increased, a lot of melodic guitar hooks have been added and the lyrical content delves into much deeper issues than the usual "skinhead" record. On "33" we had a guest solo on the Bohse Onkelz cover "Stolz" by Kirk Ramsden. Kirk is now a full time CC member and brings an immense amount of musicianship to the band. Ryan has also taken over guitar duties from me and I have now taken up bass. All these changes benefit the sound greatly and provide a new listening experience. I approach the bass from a guitarist and songwriter perspective rather than simply a rhythm instrument,Ryan is a melody machine and Kirk is a superb lead player. As you can tell I dog the lineup haha. One thing that has not changed is the drumming of Scot Michael. He played in "33" and continues to do so on our new releases. He is one of the best drummers around and also does all the CC records at his very own Titan Studios.
Ryan: Hardcore and Oi! are the truest forms of aggression for me. Its music that can be simple, yet powerful, easy, but at the same time it takes a certain special person to make. Seeing Sick of it All for the first time when I 16 changed my life. I remember being so thrilled that a band could make punk sound so hard but at the same time not drift in to metal headbanging. Another great thing about old hardcore was that it was never touched by a producer, contract song writer, or any commercial garbage like that. What you heard was the actual people playing it. Putting themselves out to world saying; this is how I feel, and this I what it sounds like. CC has changed over the years, but we always said and did what we wanted. That’s hardcore, being yourself and taking the punches.
ONG: The new sound is absolutely noticeable and while I really liked ‘33’ I love and respect the harder, more mature sound that band has evolved into. “So it Begins’ just hit the streets in the past few weeks and I’m told the record is sold out in the states with the exception of a couple places. “Mourning in America” was also just announced in the last week. Were these songs left over from the initial album recording or did you hit he studio right after your 3rd album was done? Also where can our readers find the 12” without having to pay some European $30+ USD to ship it to them in the states?
Ryan: You can still get the new record at Crowd Control Media, and Skeleton Records. I think between those two distros there al less than 20 left, so good luck. Mourning in America are three songs me and Tyler have been sitting on for about a year. We needed to release them at the right time though, and the time is now. I think we wanted our full length to be released first. Our musical style is still progressing. If you though there was progression from 33 to So it Begins, you’ll hear even more progression when Mourning in America get released.
Tyler: The songs for the "Mourning in America" EP were recorded a few months after the last "So it Begins" session. One of the songs, "This Force" has been a CC main stay and "Mourning in America" and "Who Laughs Last?" were brand new. It was awesome to hit the studio so soon and get more music ready for our fans. We want this to be the way Crucial Change does business from now on. No longer will there be such massive gaps in recording. We are an active band and I feel now, more than ever, is the time to make our impact and statement heard.
ONG: So what's in the works for Crucial Change now that the new L.P. dropped and you're new E.P. is being released on both a North American and European label? Any shows, tours in store for your fans?
Ryan: We are setting up a few shows at the moment. Specifically in California. We should be there around the middle of July to celebrate the release of our new 7" EP. By the time this interview is published everything should be set in stone. Once that’s booked, we are going to look into scheduling a local show here in the Seattle area. We have also been writing some new songs, so a new full length or a split is not out of the question for 2014. We don’t want to releasealbums just for the sake of releasing though. we will polish these songs up, and make sure we are putting out a product that meets our standard.
ONG: When is your new 7” coming out? How many shows will you play in California? Any idea of line ups?
Tyler: We have 2 California shoes coming up this summer. We plan on playing San Diego and LA, which we are beyond psyched about. It’s being all sorted out right now but it looks like Down for Life, The Authority, The Warlords and most likely some special guests. Once it’s all settled we’ll make sure everyone knows! It will be awesome to play Cali again. The last time we were down there was over 8 years ago touring with Crashed Out.
ONG: I’ve had the privilege to hear the new tracks off the “Mourning in America” 7” and it rocks! Is there anything you’d like to tell our readers before we wrap up this interview?
Tyler: A big thanks to Crowd Control Media for giving us this opportunity and all the Cali fans and bands for their support of Crucial Change. Look for us to be doing big things for the rest of 2014 and onward. Socal shows, Seattle shows and a new EP is already in the works. Thanks to all our families and true friends for all the support through the years. Without the Legion 33, we are nothing.
