The Power of East Coast Surf
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The Power of East Coast Surf |
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February 2004
CRIMSON GHOSTS
Band Name: Crimson Ghosts Gein on drums, Matt Dillon on bass, John Kozik on guitar and whoever from out
of the crowd to sing a song or two. I came up with the idea in 1996. Originally it was to play instro surf
versions of old punk songs by Social D., Misfits, Black Flag, Dead Kennedys,
etc. By 2000 it had snowballed into doing a full length CD of all Misfits songs.
We contacted Jerry Only from The Misfits and he thought it was a cool idea. He
helped us out by doing a spoken intro to the first record, and by doing a
videotaped intro that we play on TV sets when we play live. Well obviously Misfits, Danzig and Samhain. We draw from The Ventures,
Phantom Surfers and Los Straitjackets as well. I think we're more influenced by
punk bands who have the attitude of play anywhere, anytime, don't rely on other
people and put out records by themselves. The band is very DIY
(do-it-yourself). I do a lot of the distribution one record at a time. I stay in
contact with a lot of people who have bought the record from me and with
their help we've been able to tour and play all over. It's 100 % covers and 100 % original. 5. What recording have you done? Our first CD came out in 2000. In the summer of 2003 we recorded with Kemper from Gein and The Graverobbers. That recording became the "3 Misfits From Hell" 7 inch. While on tour in Aug, 2003 we played Doug Wofsey's radio show Mondo Bizzaro in Akron, OH. It came out really good considering we didn't sound check, and the four of us and equipment were crammed into the 10 foot X 3 foot DJ booth. A few of those songs will be used for the new Necro-Tone Records sampler that will be released in 2004. 6. What is your band's favorite food/beverage? I can't speak for them but I live on candy bars and creme soda. At truck
stops on tour I look for candy and soda I've never had. If I can't
find anything new, my faves are anything Reeses and Sioux City Creme Soda. I
should also mention that Mama Celeste, Little Debbie, KFC, Rocky Road candy
bars, and Dunkin Donuts are staples in my diet. Most of them we get from friends who bought our records. Sometimes we swap shows with out-of-state bands. We try to avoid the Boston club scene as much as possible. It's extremely hard to deal with most clubs in the area. We would rather travel outside of Mass. and meet other bands and people who don't seem to have the attitude that most clubs and bands in Boston have. 8. What are the difficulties you find playing your kind of music in your area? A lot of people just don't get it. They ask “where's the singer”? Or “you should have a singer”. Then actually getting booked is another ordeal. I think it's really who you know at the club. The "hip" clubs in Boston like Middle East and TT the Bear's, or The Abbey, are really hard to play if you don't know the person who books the place. Then if you do by chance get booked it's a Monday or Tuesday night opening for some band that sounds like Limp Bizkit. 9. What positive attributes does your band have that sets you apart from other bands (of any genre)? I think we're pretty grounded. We know what to expect from the band. We're not gonna make money or become huge rock stars. We just go out and play for the fun of it and for the love of the music we play. We love hanging out with people who come to the shows. I think we interact with the fans a lot more than most bands. We are very grateful for their support and for the success we have rather then what we don't have. 10. What have you found to be the single most effective promotional tool you've used to further your band's musical path? Definitely the Internet. I've met so many people into the same things as us. I keep track of every record I sell off the Internet. I store as much info. from them as possible. When we play, I can contact those people myself and promote the show and not rely on the promoter or club to do it. Having a website with MP3s is crucial. People all over the world will find it. 11. What’s the most interesting performance experience you’ve had? I'd say either playing Halloween night at Ralph's Diner or playing in Pittsburgh. People were singing along to the lead guitar I was playing. Looking out, seeing everyone into it, I almost felt like I knew what is was like to be in The Misfits, a band I've loved for more than half my life. 12. What do you hope to get out of being a NESMA member? Already since joining it's put us in contact with a bunch of other members. We are already swapping shows, trading CDs, and becoming friends. I don't expect any more than that. I think by unifying all these bands we can all really stand out among the hundreds of bands worldwide. (See more information and photos of the band here.)
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