As I’ve aged, I’ve displayed more grumpiness, less patience with adults, and more appreciation for the human journey. I’m starting to understand why old people around the world generally say, “I would never trade places with a young person.” Sure it’d be nice to be able to dunk a basketball again or be care-free with… Continue reading Reflections at 40
Speak easy, Heroes.
…Then, in the summer of 2000, Toby approached Bob with a proposition to start a new band which would be called “The Speakeasy Heroes.” Combining Bob’s strong back-up vocals with Toby’s great lead guitar and adding to that the sheer talent of Bradley Thomas, the Speakeasy Heroes were formed. The Speakeasy Heroes saw success of… Continue reading Speak easy, Heroes.
A Milestone! We Completed a Rough Draft of Our Musical!
“It’s a wrap,” Jon spoke, as if in passing. I couldn’t believe my ears. “What’s a wrap?” I stupidly responded. On Friday we completed our biggest milestone to date: the first draft of our musical. Our Process For the past 3+ years, I’ve invested a few hours per week, alone at my piano mostly in… Continue reading A Milestone! We Completed a Rough Draft of Our Musical!
The Strangeness That Is My Love Affair With Musicals
Grunge As a teenager, I would sit in my room for hours listening to grunge-scene records I received in the mail from BMG, which offered, “10 CDs for the price of one!” (FYI, you might remember BMG’s competitor, Columbia House, which offered a much less-appetizing and math-riddled deal of “17 CDs for the price of… Continue reading The Strangeness That Is My Love Affair With Musicals
Crackhorn Performing At Farmhilly!
My band, Crackhorn!!!, will be performing select tunes from my forthcoming musical experience in August at the annual Farmhilly extravaganza. Preparing for performances have a tendency to sharpen the wits about music, as it forces us to practice and consider the audience. We’ve been stuck on a certain aspect of writing the new record for a… Continue reading Crackhorn Performing At Farmhilly!
Recording The Corrupt Senators’ 1996 Release, Secret Bag Of Goodies
I remember being totally frustrated by the lack of support I was getting in my brother’s bedroom. I was blasting away on my Jackson guitar, playing it through my Princeton Chorus, I think. Although I could have been using one of my brothers’ amplifiers…I can’t remember. I was always using my brothers’ gear. I had… Continue reading Recording The Corrupt Senators’ 1996 Release, Secret Bag Of Goodies
Nervousness
Tonight I played at a house party. It was awesome. The hosts were cordial, and the attendees were wonderfully-supportive. There were all sorts of other bands there. As such, the between show chatter surrounded band-related stuff with a healthy dose of cover-band hatin’. Thank you! It was refreshing to have those conversations. I felt at… Continue reading Nervousness
Con El Sol – The Speakeasy Heroes
The Speakeasy Heroes were the predecessor to my Minneapolis outfits. If we could travel back in time to the year 2000, we would see a young grunge outfit transforming into something special. We were greater than the sum of our parts. I have not quite been able to capture and release the magic of that band since. On the whole, the music I am writing today is vastly superior to the music I was writing back then, but sometimes a good band trumps good music.
We were able to reunite for the first time in 12 years and performed a couple of songs at my wedding. Here is a clip of us playing Nate Cryns’s Con El Sol.
We released an LP that summer, complete with songs written and recorded that summer. Pretty neat! Ask nicely, and I might send you a copy.
Plugging
“Just keep plugging.” That’s what I keep telling myself. It was a grind on Saturday, but I am so pumped about what I am working on. In the past, I have posted everything as I have recorded it. This time I am taking inspiration from Charlie Van Stee‘s and LETRON‘s respective forthcoming albums in that… Continue reading Plugging
The Grind of Writing and Recording
Writing and recording music is one of those things, like reading an academic article or raising a child, that provides very few tangible benefits in the moment. But the outcomes can be wonderful and romantic. So it is that I have been writing all day, grinding out notes and lyrics and melodies and chords in… Continue reading The Grind of Writing and Recording
My Goals With This Website
Cryns.com is a mess right now. It lacks focus. Sure there is all sorts of great content on the site, but so what? I need to focus. So, I am going to restart this engine. It will start focused and stay focused. My focus will be doing what I do best – telling stories through… Continue reading My Goals With This Website
We are on Spotify!
To answer your question… Yes, we are on Spotify! Both Cryns #3 records are rocking, Faraway Farm is currently blaring in my stereo. Rock on, Lucy! Now only if The Fullerenes would get on board…
Randy Napoleon Secret Show Today!
For the last week or so, I have been planning a secret show starring nationally-reknowned jazz guitarist, Randy Napoleon. The invitations have already gone out, however I know that some of the invitations disappeared into the internets. If you are reading this and would like to attend, call me on my cell, and I will… Continue reading Randy Napoleon Secret Show Today!
Awesomeness Possibly Coming to a House Near You!
I have a show in the works that, if it happens, will be totally awesome. It will take place in the Friendly Confines of my house and will feature a totally rocking jazz guitarist. Mark your calendars for Saturday, March 12. It will be invite-only due to space restrictions, so be sure to hit me… Continue reading Awesomeness Possibly Coming to a House Near You!
Miladic Video Directed by Fifi 3PO
I just watched the new Miladic video. Wow! It was directed by the master of fancy names, Fifi 3PO, who also directed Run. Run! Run!!! RUN!!! RUNNNN!!!!
What inspires you?
An energy flows from my upper stomach and into my eyes and exits through my armhairs when I listen to “Every New Day” by Five Iron Frenzy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFIMOJ46ofk Five Iron Frenzy is a now-defunct Christian ska band from the 1990’s. They were among the biggest bands on the Christian touring circuit for a while in… Continue reading What inspires you?
1% of the Time
Lisa has a hard time at my shows. Last night we had a talk about this. The songs I sing are not well-rounded pictures of situations. They are photographs of moments in time blown out to 2-5 minutes. None of my songs give people a well-rounded concept about anything. They are emotional and reactive and… Continue reading 1% of the Time
Crowd-Funding
I have always wondered what it would be like to have investors – folks who believe in me and my music so much that they would front me money for my next project. Basically, a record label. What if I had people demanding that I get in the studio to record, demanding that I make… Continue reading Crowd-Funding
Music to Swear By Preview #8 – Mason Jennings' "Nothing"
Head on over to Music to Swear By to listen to this weeks’ podcast featuring Ryan, John, and me. Over the course of the podcast we talk about our experiences playing in this band. I learned a lot about Ryan and John – things they never told me about life, love, the universe. Like yesterday,… Continue reading Music to Swear By Preview #8 – Mason Jennings' "Nothing"