On Saturday, November 8, The Great Crusades visit St. Louis, with a new album in tow. Well, it’s relatively new, as the disc has already been released to a bit of acclaim in Europe. Stateside, the band is working with its original label and distributor, some 17 years after debuting with them.
Brian Krumm, like several of his bandmates, is a native of Collinsville; his group has long maintained a presence here, despite their base in the Windy City. In fact, they recently released a single as part of Boxing Clever’s 7-inch series.
We sent Krumm some Qs in advance of his band’s upcoming gig, with show details at the tail end of the piece.
For starters, can you sketch out your relationship to Germany, and how that's endured as your second home for so many years?
We've just been very lucky, and now we've built a following after about 20 tours in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and other countries. We even opened for Scorpions in Germany once at a biker festival, which was a thrill for me, growing up listening to them on KSHE-95. I remember that they did a station ID all in German.
But really, it's just been that somehow our music has made a real connection with people, especially in Germany. I think people there tend to like heartfelt lyrics, maybe a bit on the dark side, along with roots-influenced rock. Somebody once said that you have to go to where people want to hear your music, so that's what we do in general, including shows that we play in the U.S.
It's amazing really when I think of it. When I first started playing in Collinsville, "making it" meant playing in Chicago, New York City, and Los Angeles. I never thought of having a following overseas. But I am glad it happened that way. I have to credit Glitterhouse Records for helping us along the way, along with our tour manager, Carsten Mueller, and so many kind people and promoters.
In a way, our following overseas has also kept the band together and productive. There's always something to work toward, whether it's a TV appearance or a tour or festivals to play, there are always reasons to make new music. There will always be reasons to make music, however, no matter what, of course.
How about the connection to Blue Rose Records?
I've kept in touch with the owner, Edgar Heckmann, for years and he was always a fan of The Great Crusades. I started getting more interested in working with Blue Rose specifically after seeing that they released albums by some great American bands, including The Bottle Rockets, Cracker, and Sons of Bill. I floated the idea past him when we were putting together Thieves of Chicago, and he was interested in releasing it, so it all came together quite quickly. Blue Rose has been doing a great job so far, and Edgar is great to work with—and even better to drink beer with.
You're back on Parasol after many years. Was that a rekindling long in the works, or...?
Like Blue Rose, I also kept in touch with Parasol/Mud Records owner Geoff Merritt over the years. I actually sent him a copy of the European version of the CD with a handwritten note that said something like, "If you put this out on Mud Records, you will be releasing a Great Crusades record 17 years after you put out the first one." That's hard to believe for me, but it's true.
In some ways, Mud Records/Parasol gave us our start by putting out our first album in 1997. Geoff has always been really supportive of our music, and the band members' music in general. Parasol/Mud released two albums by my former band The Suede Chain and several records by GC guitarist Brian Leach. I was thrilled that Geoff was interested in putting the new record out. It feels great to be working with Mud again.
Can you discuss the songwriting process today, versus 10 or 15 years ago? Does being a full-blown adult with all the accompanying responsibilities add or subtract to the process?
It's definitely harder to find time (with kids, jobs, family, lives outside of music) but it's not difficult to find inspiration. Sometimes music now is a chance to reconnect with the guys in the band, and songwriting in general is therapeutic. Somehow, there are always more stories to tell in the lyrics, and we try to do things differently musically with every record we work on.
What do you find new and invigorating about this album? The flip to that: what do you think about the sound maintaining certain consistencies over the years?
What I found invigorating was that the process of the album was not planned. It started with Brian Leach and myself working on songs—I think we came up with ideas for maybe 15 or 20 songs. And I think there might have been the idea to make this a side-project release or a solo Krumm release, but then Christian Moder and Brian Hunt came in strong, and made some key collaborations and brought some songs into the mix, too. So the start of the album happened slowly, but the end happened quickly, because we had to get it done to release it on time for Blue Rose.
We never really think about trying to maintain the sound of the band or maintain consistencies. We just go where the songs/stories take us. Pretty sure that's how it works, at least.
Is the American version the same as the German, or are there some twists?
The American version includes the same songs, but it has redesigned, beautiful packaging, thanks to Brian Hunt and photos by Carsten.
You've played and "owned" many covers over the years. Talk, if you would, about the inclusion of a Beck track here. How long has that been a part of your live catalog?
We've never played that song live. The song was on Beck's Song Reader, which was at first published as a book of sheet music. Chris Moder got that as a gift, and so we decided to record a song from it. I think it worked well on this album. We tried to work it up to play live (with Brian Leach on drums!) but it just didn't sound great. That's another Brian playing steel on that song on the record—Brian Wilkie—who has played on a bunch of GC stuff.
I always loved playing covers, especially because some of my favorite bands did, like Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and especially R.E.M. Somebody once said you can really get a feel for the band by considering the covers that they do—or that the band's caliber is only as high as the artists it covers.
For this show at Plush, you're returning to a room you've played before. How's it stack up to the many venues you've known in St. Louis over the years?
I love Plush, and the people there are absolutely outstanding. It makes a real difference because sometimes "rock club" folks can be grouchy or disinterested—probably because they have to deal with musicians every day. But the Plush folks are great, and they have a really good thing going as far as the club goes. I also love the Duck Room for its Chuck Berry connection, and Stagger Inn Again in Edwardsville. (The Great Crusades Duo are playing at Stagger on December 13, BTW, along with Yankee Racers.)
I'll always have a special place in my heart for St Louis clubs of the past. (I know you just did a list of dead St. Louis bars.) I loved the old Cicero's (mentioned in the song "Vandalia" on the new album) and Mississippi Nights. I also had some great fun nights at Kennedy's on the Landing. And there were so many great St Louis bands I saw in those clubs, and got a chance to play with—Uncle Tupelo, Judge Nothing, The Urge, The Eyes/Pale Divine, The Unconscious, The Nukes, Stranded Lads, Snake Ranch, BENT, Bionica, Fragile Porcelain Mice, too many to list.
Anything else we should know?
Just that everyone should visit Gus' Pretzels today, that Stag Beer is impossible to find in Chicago, that we're sad that Kentucky Knife Fight is breaking up, that everyone should check out Cahokia Mounds at some point, and that we're excited for people to hear the new album on Mud—17 years after the first one. D’oh!
Bastard & The Crows, The Great Crusades, and Dan Hubbard play Plush on Saturday, November 8 at 8 p.m. Doors open at 7 p.m.; tickets are $10. For more info, visit plushstl.com.
