Ahead of Krankd Up Festival Gareth interviews 36 Crazyfists vocalist, Brock Lindow, to chat Time and Trauma, longevity in music, dog pits in Italy, and visiting the Lion Park.
First off just want to say congratulations on the brilliant Time and Trauma album which was a very personal and I believe emotional yet powerful album for you. You guys have been together for 20 plus years. What do you think is the secret to that and why do you think that most bands in your genre do not last that long?
We come from a place where not too many bands have got to travel the world because of their music, that in itself has been something we take great pride in, therefore our brotherhood is unwavering and the mission is to have a career in something we have been so passionate about.
As a band, have you achieved what you have hoped to achieve or are there still a lot of things that you wish to achieve? Traveling to the spots we have not been is our goal still, we can’t wait to come to SA! What are some of the strangest things that have ever happened at one of your shows or on tour?
We played an outside venue in Italy once and there were a few dogs running loose on the grounds, when the circle pit cranked up I looked up and saw 3 dogs following the people in the pit. Hilarious vision when you think of it!
When you tour other countries, do you enjoy checking out the local bands and discovering new talent and are you excited to see what South Africa has to offer?
Absolutely, I dig checking the bands and I can’t wait to take in the SA culture
What are you guys planning for after this tour? Take another 5 year break or begin with a follow up to Time and Trauma?
It’ll be much less of a break, we have been out quite a while so far on this cycle and have another year of touring in front of us but should hope to have another album out next year.
What is in your opinion the ultimate 36 Crazyfists song which captures what you are all about perfectly?
“Time and Trauma”… The song is about how my life is constantly trying to push back at my willingness to stay the course, the battle between positivity and the negative. I continue to push away the drama but at times it’s staring me right in the face and I take it head on. Exposing ourselves to the rawest emotions in life and writing the journal entry to document them through song is about as honest as one can get and it’s always been our style.
A follow up to the previous question, Is there a 36 Crazyfists song that you wish you could rerecord and do over and is there a song from another artist which makes you wish that you wrote it?
Yeah I’d like to rewrite a track called “Godline” off our first cassette Bossbuckle. I wish I wrote “Let it go” on the Frozen sound track, that jam was stuck in my head for what seemed liked forever after watching it 9 zillion times with my daughter
Who is your favourite band or artist at the moment?
I dig the classics man, but if I’m trying to shed light on something new I really love the band Thera, Stephanie Plate just has such a beautiful voice and the music the men in her band create is very special. You can hear her on our track “Marrow” off the new album.
When you come and visit the lion park here, will you A.) Keep your car windows closed or B.) Keep your windows open and die?
I’ll keep it open and risk the tangle!
Watch 36 Crazyfists music video for “Swing The Noose” of the Time and Trauma album above and be sure to purchase your tickets for Krank’d Up below.
