The seeds of Crowe were first planted in Burlington, Ontario in 2009, when four veteran musicians bonded over a shared obsession for Fuzz pedals, beer, and the love of playing loud rock n’ roll. As basement jams progressed, the music almost started writing itself. Melodic guitar driven tunes, fueled by fuzzy bass lines, in the tradition of 70’s rock icons! Crowe finished off 2012 by being featured on air as “Indie Band of the Month” on 102.1 the Edge (CFNY FM, Toronto), and played to a sold out crowd in their hometown at the Moonshine Cafe.
2013 shaped up to be a big year, with the release of Crowe’s critically acclaimed self-titled debut album, released on Lo-Fi Records Canada. Crowe took it back to basics with this self-produced effort; just four guys in a room, with microphones, guitars, amps, and drums. No Pro Tools, auto-tune, DJ’s, samples or studio trickery! The result is an album full of crunchy guitars, a rocking rhythm section, and tons of hooks! 2013 also marked Crowe’s Television debut, being featured on the Rogers TV show “Toronto Sessions”. Crowe were also finalists in the Long and McQuade National 2013 “Head-to-Head” band contest.
April 2014 brings the release of Crowe’s second album, “Crowe 2.0”. The album takes Crowe into some new musical directions, while still maintaining their distinctive Crowe sound! 8 songs were crafted, recorded, and produced by the band over several months this winter. The album has being released on Lo-Fi Records Canada.
“Crowe 2.0” is one of those albums that surprisingly work. The sound is noisy, lo-fi, and slightly “untidy,” but that’s what makes it great. If it had been over-produced and glossily polished, it would have been ruined. The loud, free flowing rock combined with Crowe’s knack for songwriting, makes “Crowe 2.0” a real winner. The lyrics are excellent while the music is just flat-out amazing. “Afterglow” will get stuck in your head for days as will “Unchanged”, “Something Better” and “Memory”.
Crowe’s music has less to do with sensational precision playing and computer-induced additives, than it does with playing out artistic passion. If you’re tired of virtuoso players and software junkies making records, then this band’s for you. The sound takes you back to a time when capturing artistic emotion in music and communicating it to others was much more important than the gimmicks and gadgetry found in today’s rock music.
The feeling you get listening to the way sound is arranged, is a clear indication that Tim Crowe – Guitar & Vocals, Don Reilly – Drums, Stephen Sydor – Guitar and Sean Dubreuil –Bass, have something deeper going on here. And whether or not you’re a fan of what they bring to the table on this album, you’ll be instinctively drawn to, and pleased by, its organic execution.
Alternative rock, Indie rock, psychedelic rock, acid rock…Who cares? This is just great music in any genre. Plain and simple, you must have this in your collection. Forget the glossy, overly-polished rock that floods the airwaves today and give “Crowe 2.0” a listen.
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